Jeddah and Al-Balad

Al-Balad is the old walled town of Jeddah, the port through which pilgrims reached Mecca for centuries, and its building tradition is specific to this coast: walls of coral stone quarried from the reef, bound with lime and timber, rising four and five storeys, with projecting wooden bay windows called roshan carved in openwork so that air moves through and the interior stays private. Naseef House, where Abdulaziz stayed in 1925, is the best known and is open. The quarter was inscribed as World Heritage in 2014 and a large restoration programme has been running since, with many buildings scaffolded and some lost to collapse and fire before work began.

History

Al-Balad, the town, was founded in the 7th century and was for centuries the centre of Jeddah, until its defensive walls were torn down in the 1940s. In the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s many families moved north to newer districts, and the city began preservation work in the 1970s; in 1991 it founded the Jeddah Historical Preservation Society, US$4 million was set aside for it in 2002, and around 2007 the Jeddah Urban Development Company was formed to restore the quarter. Nominated in 2009, Al-Balad was added to the World Heritage List in 2014, and in May 2019 a restoration of 56 historic buildings was announced (Wikipedia, Al-Balad, Jeddah).

What's there

• The roshan screens - the carved wooden bay windows on the tall houses.
• Coral-stone walls - the reef stone construction of the old buildings.
• Naseef House - the merchant house museum with its ramp staircase.
• The old souqs - Souq Al Alawi and the markets in the lanes.

When to go

November to March; Jeddah is hot and very humid the rest of the year. Evenings are when the quarter is liveliest. Ramadan nights bring particular activity. Restoration work closes streets from time to time.

Things to know

A large part of the quarter is a building site under restoration, with scaffolding and closed lanes. Several houses have collapsed or burned in recent years. Access to interiors is limited to a few buildings. Humidity outside winter is heavy.

Nearby

Mecca lies inland to the east; Taif is beyond it up the escarpment.

Key facts