Here are nine facts (with our pictures) on the fountain:
1) It is the second fountain built for the city.
The first fountain was built in the early 1980's. The second fountain (this one) was built because the first one simply wasn't impressive enough for Jeddah.
2) It uses seawater.
Rather than using freshwater (like most fountains), the King Fahd fountain uses seawater, which presents some technical challenges (corrosion, etc.).
3) The infrastructure is impressive.
The pump-house, made with seven thousand tons of concrete and standing at five stories tall, was constructed on a 90-meter long submersible barge. The seabed had to be leveled to tow the individual pieces into place. All of the behind-the-scenes machinery is 20-30 meters below water.
4) The water is moving FAST.
There are three 3.50 MW pumps that each deliver 625 liters of water per second. Two of them are operational, which deliver 1,250 liters of water per second. The third is available for backup.
Along the 350 meters from pumps to jet, the diameter of the pipes gradually decreases from 800mm to 126mm to increase the velocity of the water. The water leaves the nozzle at about 609 psi and at 375 km/h, or 233 mph.
5) It has good hang time.
The plume hangs in the air for about 15 seconds and weighs more than 18 tons / 18,750 kg / 41,337 lbs.
6) It is the tallest of its type in the world.
