Tour of Old Jeddah

It can be hard to know where to start with exploration of the city - here is a basic route that will take you around Balad.  It is impossible to cover everything of interest, without writing a book as long again as Jeddah Today so please forgive the omission of anything you come across in your travels that has not been mentioned!  It is also worthwhile visiting the offices of the Historical Area Preservation Department and meeting with the Director Sami Nawar.  He is a fascinating man to talk to, full of stories that he is only to happy to share with someone expressing an interest in his beloved city.  He can also provide you with a permit to wander around and take photographs.  Strictly speaking this is not required, but you might feel a bit more comfortable to have it in your possession.  Take with you a copy of your passport or iqama and a passport photo of yourself.  To find the office, head up Gabel Street, the main pedestrian thoroughfare opposite the Mahmal Centre.  Continue straight through the covered part of the souq and the underpass and on up the hill to where the souq opens out into a square with Beit Nassif on your right hand side - go down the road to the right of Beit Nassif and facing you on the corner at the end is the office of the HAPD.  You can telephone in advance on 647 2280 or fax on 648 4274. 

So, with your permit in hand (although I have to say I did mine without!) get yourself in position to start the tour.  I recommend an early start, at the latest 9.00am, for both the best light for photographs and also to avoid the heat and humidity that comes later in the day.  Park your car either in the open-air car park outside the Commercial Centre or in the multi-storey connected to the Mahmal Centre.  There are numerous other places but as you are likely to be fairly tired at the end of your tour, it is best to park somewhere central and easily 'findable'!! 

If you start the tour with your back to the Corniche Commercial Centre facing the sea, you are standing very near to what was the shoreline as recently as the 1970s (that is recent for some of us!!) - all the land in front of you has been reclaimed from the sea.  It can be difficult to believe, standing in this position, that you are about to take a tour of Old Jeddah as there is little evidence in view.  The large white tower on the seaward horizon is the Port Authority for the passenger port, through which over 32,000 pilgrims still arrive every year for Haj.   

Turn to your right and head north along the side of the Centre, towards the headquarters of the National Commercial Bank, the 27-storey triangular building (with a helipad on its roof!) designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, that towers over the Corniche Markets building.  Almost insignificant in its shadow, on an island between two roads, stands the only remaining building of what was formerly the British Legation during WW1 - T E Lawrence is believed to have stayed here.  It is now the Municipal Museum, which can be viewed by appointment with Eng. Sami Nawar of the Jeddah Historical Preservation Department, on 02 647 2280.   

Pass between the Municipal Museum and the National Commercial Bank and continue on the left-hand side of the road, up to the Red Sea Palace Hotel - the road bends round to the right here, following the line of the northern section of the old city wall, part of which has been rebuilt at a low level to give an indication of its route.  

Cross the road and follow the pavement to Maydan Al Baydal Square, until you come to the replica of Bab Madinah - stand in the archway and you see the view that has greeted pilgrims in centuries gone by, allowing of course for the more modern additions on the right!  (The reconstruction of Bab Madinah was financed by HRH King Fahd, when he was Crown Prince.)  Cross the plaza and continue on beneath the trees of Bab Madinah Lane.  Take the first left into Daqeeq Lane and then go to the right of the sign on the wall facing you at the end of this short alley, up the steps and through the small gap, between the corners of two buildings.  Looking up you can see the small green and white minaret of one of the many mosques in Balad.  Go to the end of Daqeeq Lane - it bends sharply to the right and becomes Al Omdah Lane.  This part of Balad is a residential area, quiet with few obvious inhabitants other than the cats lazing on the steps.  Follow Al Omdah Lane and turn left as you rejoin Bab Madinah Lane.   

Continue to the end where you come to the first square but be careful of cars haring round the corner of the narrow road.  At the time of writing the square had a volleyball net in the waste ground in the middle!  On the corner of the square is the elegant Beit Al Sabaie with fine examples of rowasheen.  Go straight across the square and up Salamah Lane to the end, turn left and immediately right into Besbasah Lane, where you are faced with the newly renovated Beit Baeshen (one of the prominent merchant families in Jeddah whose key products are tea and sheesha tobacco!).   

Follow the small alleyway to the side of the Beit Baeshen as it winds round to the right and then turn left when the alley opens out into a small square - standing at the back of Beit Bashen, you can look through the large iron grille in the wall into a small yard belonging to the house with ornate scripture in green around the inside wall.  Leaving this yard on your left, continue along the passageway between two newer tall buildings into a small square - facing you on the opposite side is Beit Mohamed Bastani.   

Take the right hand exit at the top of the square, the cobbled Al Barkalli Lane and then the unsignposted first left - at the end is Eed Lane.  Running across the top of Eed Lane is Saheen Lane - like something out of Alice in Wonderland the left hand exit doesn't look wide enough for anyone to get through!  It is, but for the purposes of this tour take the right hand exit down the cobbled slope and left into Al Sanee Plaza - you are now in the heart of Souq Al Jamia, part of Souq Al Bedu - named after the Bedouin that would bring their cloths, grain and spices here to sell. Today, Souq Al Jamia is largely textiles - the open fronted shops offer an air-conditioned breeze that is welcome even at 9.30am!  Follow the passage round to the left, continuing through Al Bustan Plaza and passing Al Gana mosque on your left.  At the end you will reach Obayd Plaza where you might like to take a slight detour left to an un-named shady square, sometimes home to a small tented market - ahead of you is a covered, electrically lit alleyway that will take you to the eastern edge of Balad.   

Rejoining the tour, go back to Obayd Plaza and take the right turn up the hill, wiggle right into Abdul Hafeez Lane which leads into an open square with some fine examples of architecture on all sides, buildings with blue and brown rowasheen line one side of the square. Follow the road around and out of the square, passing Al Matsa'an Lane on the left.  Continue a short way down the as yet un-signposted road - half way down on the right is a beautiful restored building - seemingly two houses with the #380 and #379 on their front doors.  Opposite #379 is Al Qamri Lane, which you should follow to the road at the end, where you will be faced with a tall modern building built in traditional style.  Pass to the left hand side of this building, down the hill and you will come to the excavation of the ancient water system, only recently rediscovered, incredibly, by a combination of the archaic method of 'dowsing' and a story remembered by a Balad elder, Sheikh Mohammed Habib al'Ra'is, from his grandfather!   

Fresh water was always treated as a delicacy in Jeddah with one 'skin' of water, brought the day's journey from Wadi Fatima by donkey and camel, costing three silver Saudi Riyals - equal to one week's salary for a labourer.  At the beginning of the 10^th Century H/15^th Century AD, what appears to be a well-planned and carefully engineered underground channel was laid, running from Wadi Qaws in the mountains 15-16km east of Jeddah, to a cistern in the middle of the city.  The flow was interrupted for a while, but essentially continued unabated for 400 years, until it ceased, possibly because of a drop in the water level in the originating wadi.  Another channel was laid at about this time, from the southeast of Jeddah, but dried up after only 100 years.  With the march of technology the first desalination plant was constructed in around 1327H/1907AD and the ancient water channels and cistern lived on only in aging memories, until the fortuitous discovery in 1412H/1992AD. 

The extensive excavation has revealed about 50% of the cistern - it is awesome to think that as you stand looking over the wooden railings that surround the site, each metre you look down you are looking through a century of time.  The discovery and excavation of this system did much to raise the profile of the then newly developed Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department and to reinforce the belief that its works were essential. 

Walking around the edge of the water system, continue down Al Khayateen Lane, passing the unbelievable 1 Riyal shops on the right hand side!  The main thoroughfare that you reach is Souq Al Alawi, which bisects Balad from west to east - turn left, eastwards, until you reach a roadway.  Turning left again you will see on the corner Al Falah School, characterised by its dome and intricate calligraphy on the school gate.  Built 100 years ago by the Zenel family, it was the main school for the whole of Jeddah from primary through to high school and was attended by many of the people who are leading figures in Jeddah today.  Renovation of the old building has been carried out with reference to old photographs and under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. 

Return back down Souq Al Alawi, until you emerge into King Abdul Aziz Historical Square, the focal point of Jeddah's Historical Area, dominated by the imposing Beit Nassif.  This square is where King Abdul Aziz and his army were welcomed by the people of Jeddah on 23 September 1924, celebrated every year since on 'National Day' as mentioned in 'Time Out in Jeddah'.  Significantly, 23 September is equivalent to the beginning of Libra in the Zodiac calendar - Libra means 'justice for all'! 

The flag post that stands in the centre of the Square was discovered in a centuries' old Government warehouse on the edge of the city, used for storing food and ammunition and is thought to date from the end of the 7^th Century H/13^th Century AD.  The cannons that stand sentry, were rescued by the JHAPD from their rather ignominious role of traffic bollards near Bab Sharif.  The model and bore of the cannons suggests they were left behind by the retreating Portuguese back in the 16^th Century AD. 

Beit Nassif, following its restoration in the mid 1990s, has been reopened as a Cultural Centre - the ground floor given over to an exhibition including old photographs of Jeddah, artifacts and an overview map of the historical area. 

To continue with your exploration, pass to the left of Beit Nassif into Nassif Plaza with the Al Alawi Moroccan Restaurant and Moroccan Pottery and Antiques Gallery.  Take the left hand corner exit from the Plaza, into Al Etarah Lane - a sharp left and immediate right into Al Kayyal Lane brings you to the tumbledown Beit Al Sharqi - beautiful for its intricate stonework and rowasheen.  Turn to the right here, down the hill and join the roadway before zigzagging through the buildings - the first right into Yasser ibn Rawn, brings you to Beit Fatima Nawara and Beit Saleh Babadr. Left into Awsat ibn Amro Lane, and right at the end through the covered alleyway into a small square where you will find Beit Badkook, Beit Adbullah Sagh and Beit Abdullah bin Aqil.   

From this square go left into Al Mat Lane, passing Beit Omar Ghorab - the House of Artists, part of the Saudi Arts Society, waits for you at the end of this lane. To the left of the House of Artists as you face it is a small covered piazza where you may sit and admire the brightly coloured murals and intriguing display of pottery that cascades down the wall like a static waterfall.  Although the advertised hours of the House of Artists are 10.00am-1.00pm and 5.00pm-10.00pm I have yet to find it open!  Apparently, the 200-year-old house's interior has been fully renovated and contains a changing gallery of Saudi art. 

Stop for a moment and listen - the centre of the city is silent, apart from the gentle hum of air conditioning units.  Four-storey buildings and blue sky beyond with the breeze very effectively caught and channeled between the buildings.  

With your back to the front door of the House of Artists, head down Al Zallaga Lane.  At the end, turn right and immediate left into Al Sharawi Lane (although the signpost for this is at the other end!).  On the corner here are very sociable sheesha pipe craftsmen who are keen to chat and have their photograph taken, while their busy hands are a blur of activity! 

Continue down Al Sharawi Lane, right into Amro Baksh Lane and just as you are lulled into believing you are into a very quiet corner of the souq, a left turn at the end will thrust you into the bustling Bab Sharif Market.  Under renovation when I explored, it was extra noisy and dusty but I did manage to locate the replica Bab Sharif in the opposite corner on the same side of the square.   

Retrace your steps halfway back up the west side of the square to where you came in and go down a narrow alleyway between Sattan Trading Centre and Nabil Mohammed Al Horaibi - this passage will lead you past the exquisite Beit Hassan Diyab on the left.  The cleverly worked exterior and intricate portico is possibly better preserved than other buildings in Balad due to its shady and sheltered location.  Continuing on through the wholesale clothing souq, carry on past Al Semsemayyah Lane on the left and turn right into Baksh Plaza.  Go through the corridor that passes to the left of the mosque, following the exterior wall round to the right - at the end of the alley on your left is a traditional bakery, where you can see bread being made as it has been for hundreds of years. 

Cross the square and continue back past the House of Artists, turn left into Habeen ibn Hayyar Lane, right into Ashour Plaza - the road bends round to the left here and the JHAPD offices are on the inside of the corner.  Before continuing straight ahead to Nassif House, it is worth following the road round to the left for a few hundred yards.  On the left past the JHAPD offices is a building whose end wall has collapsed, exposing the house in cross section, offering a fascinating view of the interior.  Highly decorated wallpaper marks one storey, and the familiar turquoise another.  An electric fan suspended from a ceiling joist provides a resting point for one of the new residents of the house - a family of crows.  Just to the right of this building is another in very similar style to Beit Nassif - simply labelled #40 Joukhara - it is not yet open to the public but was clearly an edifice of some importance in its time - the intricate carving in the white plasterwork and the striking contrast with the turquoise rowasheen creates a façade of cool elegance. 

Retrace your steps back up to the JHAPD and turn left into Iyas ibn Rahab Street - it is a short distance back up to King Abdul Aziz Historical Square - and a well-earned rest! 

When ready, turn left out of the square, rejoining Al Alawi Souq going downhill.  Just before you go through the underpass there is a juicerie on the right hand side on the corner that offers about ten different varieties of freshly squeezed juice - very refreshing! 

On the other side of the underpass you enter Gabel Street Souq - a bustling covered pedestrian way.  Continue down the hill until you emerge into the open air - turn right into Souq Al Nada where the windows drip with gold in a myriad of designs.  Proceed to the end of Souq Al Nada, where it becomes Al Hasan Lane and on into Al Rashideyah Square.  Turning left into Riri Lane you are near the end of your epic journey - the Red Sea Palace is just round the corner!! 

If you are not entirely trusting of my directions, then why not arrange a more formal tour, either through Mr Sami Nawar of the Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department, who offers guided tours free of charge on Thursday mornings by arrangement - telephone 647 2280.  Alternatively, the Red Sea Palace hotel offer tours every Friday at a cost of SR25, also by appointment - telephone 642 8555.  Both, but particularly Mr Nawar, will give you much more background information than there was room for here and will be able to answer specific questions you may have. 

 

For extra reading, I can recommend Jeddah Old and New - this has some great photographs, including aerial that show the city pre the demolition of the wall.