A group of private Saudi divers said they have built what they describe as the first underwater mosque in history and that they performed prayers inside it just after it was completed, Almadina Arabic reports.

The divers used massive plastic pipes filled with sand to construct the symbolic mosque under the water off the northwestern town of Tabuk, close to the border with Jordan, according to the newspaper.

“One of our colleagues came up with this idea last summer and we decided to carry it out,” diver Hamadan bin Salim Al Masoudi, said.

“We have just completed the construction of the mosque. When we put the final touches on it, it was time for afternoon prayers, so we performed group prayers in the first underwater mosque in history,” he added.

The story follows last Wednesday’s announcement that the shipbuilding arm of Dubai World has signed a deal to develop undersea hotels in Dubai with a Swiss firm.

Drydocks World unveiled an agreement with BIG InvestConsult, which holds the technology rights, to build the World Discus Hotel.

The hotel, featuring a discus-shaped residential underwater building connected to another discus above water, will be funded by BIG which is in talks with other investors.

“Drydocks and Maritime World is appointed as the exclusive main contractor for construction of the new concept hotels and cities floating in the Middle East,” Drydocks said in a statement.

Extravagant projects were the hallmark of Dubai during the 2002-2008 boom years but many were put on hold or cancelled following the downturn.

However, its logistics, trade and tourism sectors have performed well since and, benefiting from its status as a safe haven amid the Arab Spring, Dubai has been making a recovery.

On Wednesday, the firms said two developments with five hotels attached to them are planned in the Middle East. The Swiss firm is eyeing the coast of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“We are in the design and fabrication side for the project; it’s the same concept as rigs,” Khamis Juma Buamim, chairman of Drydocks World told reporters.

“This project has seven different types of designs and each will cost in the range of around $50m (AED 184m) to $120m (AED 441m). The amount varies based on the design.”

“The discussions are to build these around the world, not just the UAE,” he said.