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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.