Jeddah

The city’s unofficial motto is Jeddah ghair, or ‘Jeddah’s different’. No Saudi city has been more open to outside influences over the years than this ancient port, whether traders, international artists or Makkah-bound pilgrims.

Today, Jeddah is Saudi’s buzzing cosmopolitan hub, home to gleaming hotels and big-ticket events like the Red Sea International Film Festival.

The city’s heart is still intact in Al Balad, the magical historical quarter that has undergone a renaissance in recent years. The old town is one of the Kingdom’s most evocative quarters, with narrow alleyways between ancient merchant’s houses leading to spice-scented souqs,  traditional bakeries, quirky cafes and art galleries.

Jeddah’s 4.2km corniche has been transformed into a place of piers, swimming bays, restaurants and lushly landscaped walking and cycle paths.
Iconic sculptures by the likes of Henry Moore and Joan Miro, which first arrived in the city in the 1970s, are dotted along the waterfront. Many come here is about watching the sun set over the Red Sea, and the world’s tallest King Fahd’s Fountain.

Jeddah has a rich 2,500 year history of fishing tribes, early Arabian trade, and later, pilgrims. A visit to Tayebat City tells this story, and that of the wider Arabian peninsula. Built in traditional Hijazi style, with roshan window screens and ornate minarets, the vast complex is set over four floors and 18 wings, with more than 60,000 items on display.

And the Red Sea is still central to it all – for trade, for diving among pristine reefs and fishing for the seafood Jeddah is known for.