Stories — Places of Charm

Jeddah is likely one of the most historical cities in the Arabian Peninsula.

Located on the shores of the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city is just a short drive from Mecca, the most sacred place in the Muslim world, something that becomes apparent already at the airport, as you encounter crowds of pilgrims from all over the world.

In fact, this coastal location and its role as a gateway to Mecca has made of Jeddah, for many centuries, a major trading entrepot.

Unlike other cities in the region, which have developed pretty much out of the desert, Jeddah has a faily large historical center, which has gained it a spot in the UNESCO World Heritage list and offers a glimpse (even if extensively restored) into the Arabia of yesteryear.

By the way, my impression of Jeddah are based on a couple of short forays during a recent business trip I made to the city, so this post, by no means intends to be a comprehensive tourist guide.

I am sure there plenty of other blogs that can offer much more detailed insight into some aspects of the city, such as the several museum-houses that are open in the Al Balad area of Jeddah (many of them were not open when I visited), cultural sites and events and places to eat in the city.

I hope, though, that these few lines and pictures can offer you some broad impressions about what to do and what to see if you travel to Jeddah.

Al-Balad neighbourhood, visiting Jeddah’s old town

This is, without a hint of doubt, the most interesting part of Jeddah, Al-Balad is the historical core of the city (in this aerial picture you can see how it looked like as recently as 1938 and compare with a modern picture of the city!). Its roots date back, at least, to the 7th C. and its ensemble has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

I would say there is not “one thing” to see in Al-Balad, the main thing to do is to walk around and admire the architectural ensemble built in the traditional style of the Hejaz region of Western Arabia. Many of these houses were built using coral blocks from the Red Sea as building material and framed by “roshan”, the wooden windows which often protrude from the facades.

The Souq Al Alawi is, what I would say, the main gateway to Al-Balad. At the time I visited (in the evening) it was packed by visitors and buzzing with activity. There are many souvenir shops and cafés around. To be honest, it is quite a touristized spot, but it is a good reference point to start the walk, since it opens in a rather broad and lively square.

It is also here that we find one of the singular buildings of note, the Nassif House Museum (picture above), which houses an exhibition about old Jeddah, although I found the information is provided in a not very clear way. Apparently it also has a rooftop which is sometimes accessible to visitors and has great views of the whole historical town, but it was closed when I visited and, again, could not find much info about when they open.

So, what follows are some snaps of my walk through Al-Balad. While the aforementioned square was quite crowded, it gets a bit quieter as you start walking into the maze of small streets, as visitors disperse around.

In the picture below you can find two clear examples of Roshan windows, in the two colour tones that prevail through Al-Balad, the natural wooden, brown one and the pale green one.

You will also find several pieces of street art when walking around Al-Balad. This one, for example, evoking fish is a timely reminder of Jeddah as a seaport. In fact, one of the attractions marketed to tourists is the fish market, which is not too far from Al Balad, but I didn’t have the time to visit it.

Al-Balad: an ongoing restoration project

One thing that becomes apparent is that Al-Balad is currently the object of a major restoration project. This is, like so much going on in Saudia Arabia right now, part of the Vision 2030 tourism drive.

In 2023, the Saudi government, through its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) even created a special entity, the Al Balad Development Company, to undertake this work. The goal is to make of Jeddah’s Al -Balad one of the top tourist attractions in the Middle East.

Seeing the state of disrepair some of these magnificent buildings are in, one can only wish they succeed, although it would be great if they did not overdo it. A great part of the charm of Al-Balad is that, even if you know that a big part of it has been restored, it has managed to preserved most of its authentic atmosphere,. It would be tragic if it ended up looking like a theme park.

Wherever you go in Saudi Arabia, there is passion for football, as you can see, even in the middle of the historical district. Actually, shortly before my visit, Jeddah had hosted the Spanish Supercup, which was won by FC Barcelona.

Al-Balad can be equally interesting at dusk and at night.

In fact, it is possibly the most lively time, since, like in many places in the Middle East, much social life happens in the evening, to avoid the extreme heat during the day. In Al-Balad, some of the main streets are even decorated with lights, which makes the place more scenic.

I would recommend timing the visit to enjoy it both during daylight and in the evening.

Visiting Al-Balad’s historical museum-houses

Several of the historical houses that dot Al-Balad have been restored and are open as visitors. I had the chance to visit three of them, which I detailed next.

Bear in mind, though, that although some of them have some sort of small exhibit inside, perhaps the word “museum” is a bit of a stretch. I had the chance to visit three of them.

Overall I found much information is missing that could help visitors plan the visit and the itineraries better.

For example, it is not that clear which ones are open and when and once you are at the house in question, there is not much contextual information either. In fact, there is not even a ticket counter or anything like this, entrance was free in all three of them and you just walk in.

Also, several of these houses have rooftop terraces that are open at certain times and on certain days, but this information was also not very clear and staff that were around at different spots didn’t seem to know either.

Anyway, here are the museum-houses I visited in Al-Balad.

1. Nassif House Museum

This one has been mentioned already and it is perhaps the best known and most crowded.

2. Al-Sharbatly House

I visited Al-Sharbatly house, located at the northern edge of Al-Balad, as I was dashing through the area looking for a rooftop terrace to see the sunset. That effort was unsuccessful, but I was rewarded by stumbling upon the opening of an art exhibition.

This house, I learned later, has just been completely restored by a businessman who happens to be a descendant of one of the first owners. Here is an interesting article with more details on this story.

As I mentioned, there was an art exhibition inside by Saudi artist Hams Almureh. Not only that, but I was invited to join a small tour group, but also had the chance to meet the artist at the end of it.

Hams Almureh is from Taif, a region in southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border. She has recovered a traditional technique to paint on palm leaves weaved together to form a 100% organic canvas. Quite interesting.

3. Baeshen House Museum

This was the third house that I visited, in the very center of Al-Balad. It was a short visit since there were two or three ground floor rooms open to the public containing a mix of old (but not ancient) objects and what looked like some type of contemporary art exhibit. I must say I didn’t fully get what this one was about.

Shopping in Jeddah

Let’s start by saying that I really didn’t go shopping while in Jeddah. But, I thought worth mentioning the shopping experience, because there is no shortage of shops in Jeddah, particularly if you are into spices and fragances.

There are several modern malls next to Al-Balad (although just outside of it, in the modern part of the city), as well as many smaller bazaar-style shops (from where the aroma of frankincense emanates constantly) lining the most transited streets in Al Balad and along the commercial axis which connects with the modern commercial area between Al Balad and the sea.

It is also possible to find some street stalls on the eastern edge of Al Balad.

The Jeddah Corniche

The other must see area in Jeddah is the famous “Jeddah Corniche”, the seaside promenade which stretches for quite a long way along the sea shore.

Some consideration, though: the Corniche is really long and it is not (at least at the time of my visit) continuous all the way. I opted to take a cab and head towards its northern side, next to the Al-Rahmah mosque, which you see pictured here.

My intention was to walk south from here as far as I could on my way back to the hotel, which was located not far from the southermost end of the Corniche. At the very least I was hoping to be able to get to the Jeddah Aquarium, which I had read is one of the city’s highlights and take a cab back to the hotel from there.

The first kilometer or so looked quite promising: there is a broad promenade lined with quite a few shops and cafés. The weather was also quite pleasant with a slightly warm breeze, but not too hot. The proximity of the sea means that temperatures can be a bit milder than in other parts of Saudi Arabia.

As you get to the area next to the Formula One circuit, though, the promenade gets truncated. The pedestrian boulevard ends and it becomes a motorway for cars only. At this point the route is also devoid of any amenities and very few people are around, just a few anglers every here and there. Cab prices also happened to be more expensive than where I started my walk, I guess because it is not a very transited spot, so I decided to turn back.

I don’t know whether the discontinuity in the pedestrian part of the promenade is permanent or due to construction work, since there is some development going on along the seafront. In any case, since I was short of time and had already got my glimpse of the sea, I decided to get back to the hotel. The southern part of the Corniche will have to wait for another day.

I like the image below because somehow encapsulates how tradition and modernity mix in Saudi Arabia at the moment.

Walking along the Alhamra Corniche

This another seaside promenade, although a bit further south and closer to downtown. It was right next to my hote (more on this below), so I decided to go for a walk.

Despite this being, in theory, a prime seaside spot, I was kind of underwhelmed. There was a stretch of boulevard with some very basic entertainment and food and drink options around. Just a few people walking by (the weather was rather nice, but I guess most people are using to walking out in the evening, not in the morning!)

The water looked pretty nice here, since it is more of less a secluded area protected from the open seas by a a sort of bay and several outlying islets.

However, it doesn’t seem that they are making much use of its recreational possibilities. It is not just the uninviting signage, the boulevard is also interrupted at several points by road works and other infrastructure.

It is still possible to keep walking, although at some spots it is not too pleasant, and get to “Jeddah Beach”, which, to be fair, was a massive disappointment.

Not that I was expecting a pristine beach, but what I came across is just a barren, open space, which is partly used as parking lot and it is not kept particularly clean.

Reminds me a bit of Barcelona’s seaside in the 1980s, before the city decided to successfully open itself up to the sea! Plenty of potential here!

Where to stay in Jeddah

Ritz-Carlton Jeddah

Southern Corniche, District, Al Hamra

Jeddah 21493

https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/jedrj-the-ritz-carlton-jeddah/overview

This is a grand hotel which acts also as a major conventions center. Palatial style, pretty nice overall.

The hotel is quite high (it is possibly one of the highest structures in this part of the city, and the upper floors have views of Jeddah’s port and part of the city. To be totally honest, while Al-Balad is truly unique, the modern part of Jeddah is nothing to write home about, but seaside views are always welcome!

Here is how the rooms at the Rtiz-Carlton Jeddah look like.

Nice and elegant, as you would expect in a hotel of this category.

Lots of marble in the bathroom and one detail that I liked: this retro-style alarm clock by the bedside!

One great thing of the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah is breakfast at one of the top floors. Amazing views and amazing food!

Last but not least, if you travel to Jeddah, chances are you will do so on Saudia, which is the main carrier at the … airport (JED). If you do so, you may want to check my Saudia flight review.