And now onto a selection of
those more modern malls, in alphabetical order …
The Baroom Centre (Q6) west of Hail Street is devoted almost entirely to
computers and related equipment aside from the Sarawat Supermarket, a couple of clothing shops, a children's
clothing and maternity wear shop and a nifty concession that prints
photographs onto T-shirts and bags! There
is also a Wimpy snack bar inside the
children's amusement centre on the first floor and a juice bar and coffee shop
on the ground floor.
Al
Bassateen
(M7) is at the western end of Tahlia Street, is a light and airy mall on two
floors that aims to appeal to the sophisticated shopper.
It is anchored by Al Sawani, a department store with a good range of clothing,
cosmetics and home accessories. Other
shops include Calvin Klein, Betty
Barclay, Benetton, Max Mara, Bally, Body Shop, Baby Guess, La Perla and Jacadi.
There is also a number of jewellers and a gallery selling paintings and
other objets d'art.
The Bugshan Centre (N6) south of Tahlia Street, near the Sands Hotel, is
a drive up mall with the shops facing outwards on three sides of a square.
It is still more commonly known as Safestway, even though this closed
five years ago! The Danube
Supermarket moved in following an extensive refurbishment in 1999.
There is also The Last Touch (very reliable picture framers), the Millennium
Internet Café, a good shop for Pokemon
cards, Durrah Dive Centre.
Other shops nearby include Red
Sea Divers, Desert Divers, Rosewood
- a furniture shop selling beautiful pieces imported from India and Pakistan, Healthlines - a large sports clothing and equipment shop and for
sound connoisseurs, Bang and Olufsen
have a shop in the same building.
The City Centre (N5), right next to the Al Sholla Centre (see below) and
opposite Mosadia Plaza on Madinah Road, is primarily computer hardware and
software stores and travel agents - there is a good branch of Mothercare in
the adjacent strip mall.
The Corniche Commercial Centre,
an 'oldie but a goodie', has maintained its popularity since opening in 1984. Good for all sorts of things including leather goods, nifty
concessions that print photographs on mugs and T-shirts and the not-so-secret
fifth floor where many of the offices have been turned into wholesalers
showrooms where some real bargains can be had!
(For further information, see the
advertorial.)
The Danyah Centre is on the south side of Hera'a Street, west of Madinah
Road, diagonally opposite Hera'a Mall. It
is a strip mall with an Early Learning
Centre, Body Shop, Toyland,
Patchi (good for present ideas), a medium-sized Gazzaz
for cosmetics, perfumes and gifts, a branch of Saudi-Hollandi
Bank with an ATM and a great little shop for interesting presents for
children, Asim Gifts. There is also a Domino's
Pizza and House of Donuts and an
interesting looking yet unexplored coffee shop with a Titanic theme called 'Heart
of the Ocean'.
Hera'a
International Souq is at the junction of Hera'a Street and Madinah
Road has 240 shops including international brands such as BHS,
Benetton, Betty
Barclay, Diesel, Esprit, Guess,
In Wear, Laura Ashley, Mexx,
Mothercare, Osh Kosh, Quiksilver
and more. Saudi
Arabian Airlines have an office here and Caravan Travel can arrange package and tailored holidays.
There is a gold souq with a dozen shops in the centre of the mall,
adjacent to the large, well-stocked, 24 hour Danube
supermarket within which there is an excellent bakery (good for watching
bread and pizza being made in huge brick ovens!), a florist, newsagents, Body
Shop and Early Learning Centre concession.
There is also a small food court inside the Danube with outlets
including KFC and Pizza
Hut. In addition there is a Fuddruckers
by Gate 3 and the ubiquitous McDonalds in
a stand-alone unit outside. There
are three coffee shops within which to refresh yourself - two near Gate 10 - Le
Café du Jardin and the intriguing Café
du Lord, created in the style of a richly decorated Bedu tent.
Café Spielberg, in the new
wing by Gate 1, is open but intimate in its size and opaque glass surround.
Barnies and Baskin
& Robbins offer refreshment for those on the go.
Other outlets in the mall offer antiques, cameras, books, carpets,
computer equipment, a dry cleaners, electrical items, gift shops, luggage, a Megastar
for music and films, opticians, perfume and cosmetics shops, a pharmacy,
haberdashery and sports shops. A
branch of Arab National Bank has an ATM for you to supplement your funds!
And if this wasn't enough, there is a huge play area for children in
the centre of the mall with a bouncy castle and gentler rides for the
littlies. Around the edge, fruit juice stands will battle with your conscience
over the doughnut stalls! When they are bored with playing, ferry the children around
in Boobaloo cars, available for hire
to the left of the Danube, next to
the Sony shop.
The Al-Hefni Centre (M5) is quite small but has a few points of interest
- it has three or four shops selling eveningwear, ranging from the outrageous
to the more conventional and complementary jewellery and hair accessory
boutiques. On the first floor there is a shop with intriguing wrought-iron
furniture; a branch of Bakhashwain
for luxury accessories and gadgets for the home and also Pier Import, a cousin of IKEA without the furniture.
It also has the only known shop in Jeddah selling Clarks shoes for
children, although a rather limited selection.
Al
Hijaz Plaza
(K4) is on the eastbound carriageway of Sitteen Street, north of Sari Street.
Light and airy with a spacious concourse, the sound of falling water
from the elegant fountains and the birdsong from the large ornamental aviaries
combine to create a most agreeable atmosphere for shopping.
Al Hijaz specialises in Middle Eastern and international fashion.
It also offers a dedicated fabric souq and 16 shop gold souq, as well
as footwear, cosmetics and perfumes. The
Hijaz Supermarket stocks an extensive range of goods and for the children, the
shopping centre has playing areas and snack bars.
Just to the south is Essam
Nass with ID Design, (the Danish cousin of IKEA), a small branch of Al-Sawani and lots of Middle East fashion.
The International Market (M5) near the junction of Madinah Road and
Tahlia Street, behind Le Meridien Hotel.
One of the earliest covered malls in Jeddah, it has recently undergone
a refurbishment and is now looking very good for its years.
Somewhat under-rated it has a little of everything here - a good Sarawat
supermarket, a large
selection of jewellers and shops selling electronics of all kinds, antiques,
fabrics, a well stocked musical instrument shop, Mothercare,
Body Shop, Premaman, Patchi, Megastar etc.
The Jamjoom Center (O7) at the Corniche end of Palestine Street is a
Jeddah landmark for its interesting architecture. Looking like something out of Star Wars, the size of the
Jamjoom is difficult to appreciate until up close.
Three separate buildings of offices unite on a pedestal that contains
the shopping centre; it has been described as the largest commercial centre in
the world. It has the usual range
of shops including Rubaiyat, BHS,
Mothercare, Next, Gazzaz, a Tihama
bookshop and the wonderful Sma'a -
that is always worth a 'looksee' as they sometimes have bits and pieces from
The Gap and other brands not generally available in
Jeddah. It is also the place to
come if you want luggage, electronics, kitchen gadgets. There are two musical instrument shops - one sells mainly
pianos (uprights and baby grands) and the other electronic keyboards and
There is a branch of Star Supermarket and loads of parking. Fast food outlets include Pizza
Sheikh, Wimpy and shiwarmas.
La
Place
(O6) at the junction of Madinah Road and Palestine Street, a strip of shops on
the ground floor of the Al Nakheel Centre including Stefanel, Max Mara, Benetton and
U2.
Al
Mahmal Centre (R6) in the heart of Balad, is also known in
English as the Camel Souq which
refers to the decorative glass features at the entrances.
The seven storey mall has an atrium running up through the centre of
the building to a magnificent arched glass roof with octagonal dome.
The glass elevators are fascinating for children and the escalators at
the other end are arranged in an original manner, encircling the fountain on
the ground floor! The centre does not seem to specialise in any one thing -
international brands of clothing for men women and children, luggage,
cosmetics, footwear, antiques, jewellery, watches, household items, bedlinen,
fabrics, pharmacies - there is a good selection of everything.
On the third floor there is a
food court offering Lebanese, Moroccan, Oriental and Tex-Mex foods and a
coffee shop and juice bar for those who only need light refreshment.
The views from the food court over Balad are good but do not compare
with those to be had from the comfort of the 'massage chairs' on the 7th
floor! For SR5 sit in what
appears to be an old-style first class aircraft seat and wait while some
mechanism judders into action for a therapeutic massage!
Either that or just stand at the immense arched windows and look out
over the NCB, Balad and lagoon - at night it is one of the best views in
Jeddah.
There is a large multi-storey
car park attached to the Mahmal Centre,
which is located opposite the Queen's
Building, the Faisalia Centre and
the Corniche Commercial Centre.
The Middle East Centre (O5) is at the junction of
Palestine Street and Prince Fahd (also known as Sitteen) St, next to
the Marriot Hotel. It is famous
for Printemps Department Store -
there is also a Prisunic supermarket
in the basement, a Birkenstock shop
and bookshop amongst other fashion and perfume outlets.
There is also a branch of the excellent Gulf
Royal Chinese Restaurant.
Mosadia
Plaza
(06) on Madinah Road near Palestine Street has recently been given a complete
facelift and now looks much more welcoming with its cream stone façade
replacing the utilitarian grey concrete of the 1970s. The plaza is an open air mall, with the shops set in three
'horseshoes'. No one store
dominates the centre, nor one theme - there are travel agencies, computer hard
and software shops, sweet and savoury eateries, a Balubaid car showroom, carpet and antique shops, bookshop, pharmacy,
local and international branded clothing boutiques for all ages, accessories
etc. There is a very good Megastar
for music, branches of Fun Time Pizza
and GR Bowling and two banks with cashpoints.
The
Oasis by
Mahmood Saeed (Q5) is on the
junction of Sitteen Street and Waly Al Ahd Street. The visually stunning exterior of blue mosaic tiles and
swathes of glass, gives way to an even more remarkable interior, worthy of an
explore on its own merit. Instead
of 'muzak', sounds of the rainforest greet you as you enter - birds chirping
and chattering against a background of running water.
At the eastern end of the shopping centre there is a vast atrium - the
stained glassed ceiling, greens and blues of the décor and layers of
Catalanesque balconies soaring above you, all combine to create the effect of
being inside some vast sub-aqua palace. At
ground level a river runs through the centre of the mall, fed by waterfalls
cascading the 10,000 gallons of water that circulate.
The river is set amongst rock formations and edged with tropical
foliage. It is crossed at
intervals by wooden footbridges. Landmarks in Jeddah normally attempt to
record a world first and this building is no exception - the floor of the mall
comprises the world's largest mosaic - a carpet of literally millions of
coloured tiles, each no bigger than one square inch.
And there are shops as well!
International fashion is available from Mexx,
Guess, JC Penney, Quiksilver, DKNY, Benetton, Kookai, Esprit, Replay, Miss
Selfridge and others. Childrenswear,
sportswear, shoes, electronics, cameras, cosmetics are well-represented here.
There is also a travel agent, a well-stocked musical instrument shop
with saxophones, violins and flutes, a gold souq and large supermarket at the
lower ground level.
The food court is a horseshoe
shape, set at the mezzanine level - partly in the branches of an immense and
surprisingly realistic tree! There
is an impressive choice - Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, McDonalds, Italian, ice
cream or just simple coffee and sandwiches. Tables along the edge offer a view
of the river and shops below. On
the ground floor, Planet Hollywood is set to open in the near future.
The
Shaker Centre (M5) is on Prince Abdullah Street, west of the
junction with Prince Fahd (Sitteen) Street - the Bicycle Roundabout.
There is an excellent carpet shop, the Oriental
Carpet Souq, selling all sizes, makes and designs.
There is also a large supermarket, Al
Fao, with a pet section should you feel the need to clutter your house
with something small, furry and mobile. Mothercare and the Early
Learning Centre have branches here and, of course, McDonalds is never far away, in the Al Najja International Souq next
door.
Al
Sholla
(N5) fronts on to the northbound carriageway of Madinah Road, opposite Mosadia
Plaza. The supermarket chain Bin
Dawood has a large outlet here and there are numerous jewellers, shoe
shops and plenty of clothing shops. On
the first floor there is a large bookshop, fabric shop and children's
amusement centre with at least two varieties of 'dodgems' and a Wimpy snack
bar.
Al
Sulaimaniah
(R2) is at the eastern end of Waly Al Ahd Street, close to the junction with
the Makkah-Madinah Expressway - a spacious, mainly single-storey mall.
The focal point is IKEA, which provides an ever-changing stock of original ideas for
your home. The room sets and
furniture displays are on the upper floor with all the accessories such as
lighting, kitchenware, bedding, fabrics, pictures, mirrors, rugs, shelves and
small storage systems downstairs. There
is also an outlet selling 'slightly imperfect' IKEA
goods. The well-stocked Al
Nakheel Supermarket is at the opposite end of the mall.
There is also a very good toyshop, specialising in Little Tikes toys,
next to Smurfs, which sells Chicco
nursery equipment. The Body Shop
and Mothercare each have branches here and there are several fashion and
accessory boutiques ranging from casual to formal.