INQUISITR.COM / Health & Lifestyle

‘Tower Of Sauron’: Real Life Barad-Dur Coming To Casablanca

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 13:46 PST, Jan 6, 2015

The Tower of Sauron will soon loom over Casablanca, after a new building, intended to be Africa’s tallest skyscraper, breaks ground in the coming year.

A French Architectural agency, Volade et Pistre, is responsible for the design of the soon-to-be-built Al Noor tower, according to From Quarks To Quasars. Planned for construction in the Moroccan city and funded by Sheikh Tarek M. bin Laden, the Al Noor tower will be the tallest building in Africa when completed, standing 1,772 feet tall. Its working name translates to “Tower of Light,” notably the opposite of Sauron’s fortress of Barad-Dur.

According to the Telegraph, the architects behind the Al Noor tower say that its design was inspired by the flowing feel of a wedding dress. They point to the dual spires that sit atop the tower as reminiscent of the nib of a fountain pen when viewed from the side. Though it is highly unlikely that the tower is an intentional nod to Sauron’s fortress, the resemblance is nonetheless striking, despite the absence of a flaming eye between the spires.

Dubai-based firm Middle East Development are currently in talks to build the 114 floor tower at a 25-hectare waterfront site located in Casablanca’s Anfa Financial City district. The tower’s final height, 540 meters, is meant to be a tribute to the 54 countries that make up Africa, and its façade will be inscribed with references to the 1,000 different languages and dialects spoken across the continent. The tower is intended to be a mixed-use structure, containing a seven-star luxury hotel, an art gallery, a spa, fine-dining restaurants and luxury boutiques, alongside office space.

The Carlton Center, in Johannesburg, is currently Africa’s tallest building, while the Casablanca Twin Center holds the record in the Morocco’s largest city.

Last year, a Russian art group announced their plans to re-create the Eye of Sauron, as depicted in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the dynamic installation was meant to tie in with the release of The Hobbit: Battle Of The Five Armies.

Despite the remarkable and likely unintentional similarities to Sauron’s fortress, the developers hope to break ground on the Al Noor tower in June 2015.

[Image: Volade et Pistre via Gizmag]

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