Jeddah

There are at least two etymologies of Jeddah, according to Jeddah Ibn Al-Qudaa'iy, the chief of the Quda'a clan. The more common account has it that the name is derived from {{lang|ar|جدة}} Jaddah, the Arabic word for "grandmother". According to folk belief, the Tomb of Eve, who is considered the grandmother of humanity, is located in Jeddah.Jayussi, Salma; Manṣūr Ibrāhīm Ḥāzimī; ʻIzzat ibn ʻAbd al-Majīd Khaṭṭāb Beyond the Dunes I B Tauris & Co Ltd (28 April 2006), p. 295. {{ISBN|978-1-85043-972-1}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=0aEnJNBD-QAC&pg=PA295]

The Maghrebi traveler Ibn Battuta visited Jeddah during his world trip in around 1330. He wrote the name of the city into his diary as "Jiddah".{{cite book|date=1355|author=Ibn Battuta|editor=Darwīsh Al-Juwaydī|publisher=Al-Maktabah Al-ʿAṣriyyah|title=Ibn Battota's Safari: Tuhfat Al-Nothaar Fe Gharaa'ib Al-Amsaar|chapter=From Cairo to Hejaz to Tunisia again|isbn=9953-34-180-X|publication-date=2005|publication-place=Lebanon|page=253|volume=2}}

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other branches of the British government formerly used the older spelling of "Jedda", contrary to other English-speaking usages, but in 2007, it changed to the spelling "Jeddah".[http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1025870059850&a=KArticle&aid=1186674133138 British Embassy website] {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

T. E. Lawrence felt that any transcription of Arabic names into English was arbitrary. In his book Revolt in the Desert, Jeddah is spelled in three different ways on the first page alone.[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jun/10/israel1 "Lost in translation."] Brian Whitaker. Guardian (UK). 10 June 2002.

On official Saudi maps and documents, the city name is transcribed "Jeddah", which is now the prevailing usage.

{{see also|Timeline of Jeddah}}

File:Jeddah-1938.jpeg

Traces of early activity in the area are testified by some Thamudic inscriptions that were excavated in Wadi Briman{{Cite web |title=IT Solutions for Web, App, AI {{!}} Rev9 Solutions |url=https://rev9solutions.com/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Rev9Solutions |language=en-US}} ({{lang|ar|وادي بريمان}}), east of the city, and Wadi Boweb ({{lang|ar|وادي بويب}}), northwest of the city. The oldest Mashrabiya found in Jeddah dates back to the pre-Islamic era.{{Cite web |last=Shah |first=Shikha |date=2022-10-08 |title=How a walk around Al Balad reveals Jeddah's rich architectural heritage |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/how-a-walk-around-al-balad-reveals-jeddahs-rich-architectural-heritage/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Architectural Digest India |language=en-IN}}

Some believe that Jeddah had been inhabited before Alexander the Great, who had a naval expedition to the Red Sea, by fishermen in the Red Sea, who considered it a center from which they sailed out into the sea as well as a place for relaxation and well-being.{{cite web |url=https://www.jeddah.gov.sa/english/JeddahCity/History/index.php |title=Jeddah History |access-date=2016-08-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920125738/https://www.jeddah.gov.sa/english/JeddahCity/History/index.php |archive-date=2016-09-20 }} According to the Ministry of Hajj, Jeddah has been settled for more than 2500 years.[http://www.hajinformation.com/main/h301.htm History of Jeddah.] Ministry of Hajj.

Excavations in the old city have been interpreted to give the fact that Jeddah was founded as a fishing hamlet by the Yemeni Quda'a tribe ({{langx|ar|links=no|بني قضاعة}}), who left to settle in Makkah after the collapse of Marib Dam in Yemen in 115 BC.{{cite web |url=http://www.okaz.com.sa/okaz/osf/20060510/Con2006051016179.htm |title=صحيفة عكاظ - جدة اليوم.. والعم وهيب |publisher=Okaz.com.sa |access-date=2011-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234958/http://www.okaz.com.sa/okaz/osf/20060510/Con2006051016179.htm |archive-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead }}

Jeddah first achieved prominence around A.D. 647, when the third Muslim Caliph, Uthman Ibn Affan, turned it into a port making it the port of Makkah instead of Al Shoaib port, which was southwest of Makkah.{{cite web|author=alalamonline|title=Alamlam Online|url=http://www.alalamonline.net/%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B9_%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%88_%D8%B4%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A8%D8%A9_%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%83%D9%87_%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%84%D9%81_%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A_%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1.html|publisher=alalamonline.net|date=2010-03-10|access-date=2013-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201031/http://www.alalamonline.net/%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B9_%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%88_%D8%B4%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A8%D8%A9_%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%83%D9%87_%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%83%D9%84%D9%81_%D9%85%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A_%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1.html|archive-date=2013-10-29|url-status=usurped}}

The Umayyads inherited the entire Rashidun Caliphate including Hejaz and ruled from 661 to 750. In 702, Jeddah was briefly occupied by pirates from the Kingdom of Axum.{{cite book|last1=Cooper|first1=Tom|title=Wings over Ogaden|publisher=Helion and Company|page=5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XUbdCQAAQBAJ&q=axum+jeddah&pg=PA5|access-date=16 February 2016|isbn=9781909982383|date=2015-04-19}} However, Jeddah remained a key civilian harbor, serving fishermen and pilgrims travelling by sea for the Hajj. It is also believed that the Sharifdom of Makkah, an honorary Viceroy to the holy land, was first started in this period of the Islamic Caliphate.{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Randall |title=King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz |date=1979 |publisher=Oleander Press |isbn=978-0-900891-48-9 |series=Arabia past and present ; 10 |location=Cambridge, Eng. ; New York}} Jeddah has been established as the main city of the historic Hijaz province and a historic port for pilgrims arriving by sea to perform their Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1361/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=whc.unesco.org}}

In 750 in the Abbasid Revolution, the Abbasids successfully took control of almost the whole Umayyad Empire, excluding Morocco (Maghrib) and Spain (Al-Andalus).{{Cite web |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000090306 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=unesdoc.unesco.org}} From 876, Jeddah and the surrounding area became the object of wars between the Abbasids and the Tulunids of Egypt, who at one point gained control of the emirates of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Hejaz. The power struggle between the Tulunid Governors and the Abbasids over Hejaz lasted for nearly twenty-five years, until the Tulunids finally withdrew from Arabia in 900.{{Citation |title=Dodge, John Vilas, (25 Sept. 1909–23 April 1991), Senior Editorial Consultant, Encyclopædia Britannica, since 1972; Chairman, Board of Editors, Encyclopædia Britannica Publishers, since 1977 |date=2007-12-01 |work=Who Was Who |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u172122 |access-date=2024-07-28 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u172122 |url-access=subscription }}

In 930 AD, the main Hejazi cities of Medina, Mecca and Taif were heavily sacked by the Qarmatians. It is probable, though not historically confirmed, that Jeddah itself was attacked.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Soon after, in early 935, the Ikhshidids, the new power in Egypt, took control of the Hejaz region. There are no historical records that detail the Ikhshidid rule of Hejaz. At this point in time, Jeddah was still unfortified and without walls.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

File:Tabula Rogeriana 1929 copy by Konrad Miller.jpg, a reproduction of one of the most advanced early world maps, by Muhammad al-Idrisi produced in 1154 shows the location of Jeddah. This is a south-up map orientation.]]

In 969 AD, the Fatimids from Algeria took control in Egypt from the Ikhshidid Governors of Abbasids and expanded their empire to the surrounding regions, including The Hijaz and Jeddah. The Fatimids developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea. Their trade and diplomatic ties extended all the way to China and its Song dynasty, which eventually determined the economic course of Tihamah during the High Middle Ages.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-28 |title=Jeddah {{!}} Saudi Arabia, Map, History, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Jeddah-Saudi-Arabia |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}{{Citation |title=Introduction: Why Jeddah |date=2020 |work=A History of Jeddah: The Gate to Mecca in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries |pages=1–39 |editor-last=Freitag |editor-first=Ulrike |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-jeddah/introduction-why-jeddah/F8A76B1B2A4657802974A0A0EB925638 |access-date=2024-07-28 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781108778831.002 |isbn=978-1-108-47879-3|url-access=subscription }}

After Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1171, he proclaimed himself sultan of Egypt, after dissolving the Fatimid Caliphate upon the death of al-Adid, thus establishing the Ayyubid dynasty. Ayyubid conquests in Hejaz included Jeddah, which joined the Ayyubid dynasty in 1177 during the leadership of Sharif Ibn Abul-Hashim Al-Thalab (1094–1201). During their relatively short-lived tenure, the Ayyubids ushered in an era of economic prosperity in the lands they ruled and the facilities and patronage provided by the Ayyubids led to a resurgence in intellectual activity in the Islamic world. This period was also marked by an Ayyubid process of vigorously strengthening Sunni dominance in the region by constructing numerous madrasas (Islamic schools) in their major cities. Jeddah attracted Muslim sailors and merchants from Sindh, Southeast Asia and East Africa, and other distant regions.

In the year 1258, after the fall of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire, to the Mongols, Hejaz became a part of the Mamluk Sultanate.{{Citation |last=Meloy |first=John L. |title=The Judges of Mecca and Mamluk Hegemony |date=2020-05-29 |work=Trajectories of State Formation across Fifteenth-Century Islamic West-Asia |pages=283–305 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004431317/BP000012.xml |access-date=2024-07-28 |publisher=Brill |language=en |isbn=978-90-04-43131-7}}

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, having found his way around the Cape and obtaining pilots from the coast of Zanzibar in AD 1497, pushed his way across the Indian Ocean to the shores of Malabar and Calicut, attacked fleets that carried freight and Muslim pilgrims from India to the Red Sea, and struck terror into the surrounding potentates. The Princes of Gujarat and Yemen turned for help to Egypt. Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri accordingly fitted out a fleet of 50 vessels under the Governor of Jeddah, Hussein the Kurd (aka. Mirocem). Jeddah was soon fortified with a wall, using forced labor, as a harbor of refuge from the Portuguese, allowing Arabia and the Red Sea to be protected.

{{Main|Hejaz Vilayet|Attack on Jeddah (1541)}}

File:Portuguese attack on Jiddah 1517.jpg attack in 1517 by Gaspar Correia (c. 1496–1563) - originally from Lendas da India by Gaspar Correia.]]

In 1517, the Ottoman Turks conquered the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria, during the reign of Selim I.[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/31568/history-of-Arabia "History of Arabia."] Britannica.com.

The Ottomans rebuilt the weak walls of Jeddah in 1525 following the defense of the city against the Lopo Soares de Albergaria's Armada at the Siege of Jeddah (1517). The new stone wall included six watchtowers and six city gates. They were constructed to defend against the Portuguese attack. Of the six gates, the Gate of Mecca was the eastern gate and the Gate of Al-Magharibah, facing the port, was the western gate. The Gate of Sharif faces south. The other gates were the Gate of Al-Bunt, Gate of Al-Sham (also called Gate of Al-Sharaf), and Gate of Medina, facing north.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927103812/http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/jeddah/jeddah-sightseeing/makkah-gate-in-jeddah.html Makkah Gate in Jeddah.] AsiaRooms.com. The Turks also built The Qishla of Jeddah, a small castle for the city's soldiers. In the 19th century, these seven gates were minimized into four giant gates with four towers. These giant gates were the Gate of Sham to the north, the Gate of Mecca to the east, the Gate of Sharif to the south, and the Gate of Al-Magharibah on the seaside.

Jeddah became a direct Ottoman Eyalet, while the remaining Hejaz under Sharif Barakat II became a vassal state to the Ottoman Empire eight years after the Siege of Jeddah in 1517. The Portuguese attempted to attack the port again in 1541, but were repelled.

Parts of the city wall still survive today in the old city. Even though the Portuguese were successfully repelled from the city, fleets in the Indian Ocean were at their mercy. This was evidenced by the Battle of Diu. The Portuguese soldiers' cemetery can still be found within the old city today and is referred to as the site of the Christian Graves.{{cite web |author=صحيفة عكاظ |url=http://www.okaz.com.sa/new/Issues/20110605/Con20110605424473.htm |title=صحيفة عكاظ - مقبرة النصارى |publisher=Okaz.com.sa |date=2012-06-05 |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429103135/http://www.okaz.com.sa/new/Issues/20110605/Con20110605424473.htm |archive-date=2013-04-29 |url-status=dead }}

Ahmed Al-Jazzar, the Ottoman military man mainly known for his role in the Siege of Acre, spent the earlier part of his career at Jeddah. In Jeddah in 1750, he killed some seventy rioting nomads in retaliation for the killing of his commander, Abdullah Beg, earning him the nickname "Jezzar" (butcher).

On 15 June 1858, rioting in the city, believed to have been instigated by a former police chief in reaction to British policy in the Red Sea, led to the massacre of 25 Christians, including the British and French consuls, members of their families, and wealthy Greek merchants.{{cite book|last1=Caudill|first1=Mark A.|title=Twilight in the kingdom: understanding the Saudis|url=https://archive.org/details/twilightkingdomu00caud|url-access=limited|date=2006|publisher=Praeger Security International|location=Westport, Conn.|isbn=9780275992521|page=[https://archive.org/details/twilightkingdomu00caud/page/n151 133]}} The British frigate {{HMS|Cyclops|1839|6}}, anchored at the port, bombarded the city for two days in retaliation.{{cite book|last1=Bosworth|first1=C. Edmund|title=Historic cities of the Islamic world|date=2007|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=9789004153882|page=223|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UB4uSVt3ulUC|access-date=6 August 2015}}

{{Main|Ottoman-Saudi War}}

In 1802, Nejdi forces conquered both Mecca and Jeddah from the Ottomans. When Sharif Ghalib Efendi informed Sultan Mahmud II of this, the Sultan ordered his Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali Pasha to retake the city. Muhammad Ali successfully regained the city in the Battle of Jeddah in 1813.

{{Main|Arab Revolt|Kingdom of Hejaz}}

File:Painting of Mohammed Abu Zenada.jpg during the surrender to King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud in 1925.]]

During World War I, Sharif Hussein bin Ali declared a revolt against the Ottoman Empire, seeking independence from the Ottoman Turks and the creation of a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen.

King Hussein declared the Kingdom of Hejaz. Later, Hussein was involved in a war with Ibn Saud, who was the Sultan of Nejd. Hussein abdicated following the fall of Mecca, in December 1924, and his son Ali bin Hussein became the new king.

File:IbnSaudInJeddah.jpg sitting with Abdullah Ali Reda on the day he entered Jeddah in 1925]]

A few months later, Ibn Saud, whose clan originated in the central Nejd province, conquered Medina and Jeddah via an agreement with Jeddans following the Second Battle of Jeddah. He deposed Ali bin Hussein, who fled to Baghdad, eventually settling in Amman, Jordan, where his descendants became part of its Hashemite royalty.

As a result, Jeddah came under the sway of the Al-Saud dynasty in December 1925. In 1926, Ibn Saud added the title King of Hejaz to his position of Sultan of Nejd.{{Cite journal |last=Steinberg |first=Guido |date=August 2003 |title=Madawi Al-Rasheed, A history of Saudi Arabia. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.) Pages xvii+255. £40.00; £14.95 (paperback). |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0268416003214727 |journal=Continuity and Change |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=311–313 |doi=10.1017/s0268416003214727 |issn=0268-4160|url-access=subscription }} Today, Jeddah has lost its historical role in peninsular politics after it fell within the new province of Makkah, whose provincial capital is the city of Mecca.

From 1928 to 1932, the new Khuzam Palace was built as the new residence of King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah. The palace lies south of the old walled city and was constructed under the supervision of the engineer Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden. After 1963, the palace was used as a royal guesthouse; since 1995, it has housed the Regional Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography.Leaflet for Khuzam Palace Jeddah, Deputy Ministry of Antiquities & Museums

The remaining walls and gates of the old city were demolished in 1947. In 1939, a military airstrip was built in Jeddah, serving as the first airport in Jeddah. It was upgraded into the headquarters of the RSAF by the 1950s. On 14 October, 1952, Jeddah Airport was officially inaugurated and opened under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Saud Bin Abdulaziz.

A fire in 1982 destroyed some ancient buildings in the old town center, called Al-Balad, but much is still preserved. A house-by-house survey of the old districts was made in 1979, showing that some 1000 traditional buildings still existed, though the number of structures with great historic value was far less. In 1990, a Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department was founded.[http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/1999-Winter/preserving.htm "Preserving Jeddah's Historic Buildings."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129194756/http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/1999-Winter/preserving.htm |date=2010-01-29 }} Saudi Arabia, Winter 1999, Volume 15, Number 4. Information Office, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.The [https://web.archive.org/web/20080923204449/http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/jeddah/jeddah-sightseeing/biet-nassif-in-jeddah.html Biet Nassif in Jeddah] at asiarooms.com

The modern city has expanded wildly beyond its old boundaries. The built-up area expanded mainly to the north along the Red Sea coastline, reaching the new airport during the 1990s and since edging its way around it toward the Ob'hur Creek, some {{convert|27|km|0|abbr=on}} from the old city center.Maneval, Stefan. 2019. [http://www.uclpress.co.uk/newurbanism New Islamic Urbanism]. London: UCL Press, 31–36.

In October 2021, Saudi authorities, led by Mohammad bin Salman, initiated a large-scale demolition and eviction plan in neighborhoods in the southern part of Jeddah to make way for the Jeddah Central Project, a revitalization project under Saudi Vision 2030.{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/13/1121317025/saudi-arabia-demolition-jeddah |title=Saudi Arabia is razing whole neighborhoods to make way for tourism and wealth |author=Tanis, Fatma |work=NPR |date=September 13, 2022 |access-date=January 27, 2023}} The demolitions affected 558,000 people in more than 60 neighborhoods. Amnesty International confirmed through official documents that some of the residents were notified about evictions only 24 hours before, while others were between 1–6 weeks. In some cases "evacuate" was written on the buildings, while the state media and billboards informed others about the demolitions to others.{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/06/saudi-arabia-mass-demolitions-and-forced-evictions-marred-by-violations-and-discrimination/|title=Saudi Arabia: Mass Demolitions And Forced Evictions Marred By Violations And Discrimination|access-date=22 June 2022|publisher=Amnesty International|date=22 June 2022 }} Saudi state media claimed the majority of affected neighborhoods were "rife with diseases, crime, drugs and theft" and home to predominantly undocumented immigrants.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBn55fx6Zrs|title=Saudi Arabia... Continuing development of "Jeddah" slums|date=23 January 2022 |access-date=23 January 2022|via=YouTube}} In January 2022, Saudi authorities announced a compensation scheme that accounted for 47% of those evicted.{{cite web|url=https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/616529/SAUDI-ARABIA/Free-housing-among-services-for-citizens-whose-properties-being-razed-in-Jeddah-over-68000-services-rendered|title=Free housing among services for citizens whose properties being razed in Jeddah; over 68,000 services rendered|access-date=31 January 2022|website=Saudi Gazette|date=31 January 2022 }}

File:Jeddah map.png

Jeddah is located in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal plain (called Tihamah). Jeddah lies in the Hijazi Tihama ({{lang|ar|تهامة الحجاز}}) region which is in the lower Hijaz mountains. Historically, politically and culturally, Jeddah was a major city of Hejaz Vilayet, the Kingdom of Hejaz and other regional political entities according to Hijazi history books. It is the 100th largest city in the world by land area.

Jeddah features an arid climate (BWh) under Koppen's climate classification, with a tropical temperature range. Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, Jeddah retains its warm temperatures in winter, which can range from {{convert|15|C|F}} at dawn to {{convert|28|C|F}} in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, often breaking the {{convert|40|C|F}} mark in the afternoon. Summers are also quite steamy, with dew points often exceeding {{convert|80|F|order=flip}}, particularly in September.

Rainfall in Jeddah is generally sparse, and usually occurs in small amounts in November and December. Heavy thunderstorms are common in winter. The thunderstorm of December 2008 was the largest in recent memory, with rain reaching around {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on|-1|order=flip}}. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was {{convert|9.8|C|F}} on February 10, 1993.{{cite web|title=Climate Normals for Jeddah|url=http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Jeddah.RTF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512182235/http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Jeddah.RTF|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 May 2012|publisher=Jeddah Regional Climate Center|access-date=1 February 2013}} The highest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was {{convert|52.0|C|F}} on June 22, 2010, which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Saudi Arabia.{{cite web|last=Masters|first=Jeff|title=Bolivia ties its all-time heat record|url=http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1701|work=Weather Underground|publisher=Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog|access-date=23 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124020718/http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1701|archive-date=24 November 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010062476182 |url-status=dead |title=saudigazette|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930232945/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010062476182 |archive-date=30 September 2015 }}

Dust storms happen in summer and sometimes in winter, coming from the Arabian Peninsula's deserts or from North Africa.{{Cite web |title=Saudi Arabia Records Lowest Rate of Dust and Sand Storms in May for 20 Years |url=https://spa.gov.sa/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=spa.gov.sa |language=en}} Occasionally, the dust storms accompany thunderstorms.

{{Weather box|width = auto

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|location = Jeddah (1991–2020)

|Jan record high C = 36.0

|Feb record high C = 37.4

|Mar record high C = 40.6

|Apr record high C = 44.5

|May record high C = 48.2

|Jun record high C = 52.0

|Jul record high C = 47.0

|Aug record high C = 49.4

|Sep record high C = 48.0

|Oct record high C = 46.4

|Nov record high C = 40.0

|Dec record high C = 37.0

|year record high C = 52.0

|Jan high C = 28.8

|Feb high C = 29.8

|Mar high C = 31.7

|Apr high C = 34.5

|May high C = 37.1

|Jun high C = 38.3

|Jul high C = 39.4

|Aug high C = 38.7

|Sep high C = 37.4

|Oct high C = 36.6

|Nov high C = 33.3

|Dec high C = 30.6

|year high C = 34.7

|Jan mean C = 23.4

|Feb mean C = 24.0

|Mar mean C = 25.5

|Apr mean C = 28.3

|May mean C = 30.7

|Jun mean C = 31.8

|Jul mean C = 33.2

|Aug mean C = 33.2

|Sep mean C = 31.9

|Oct mean C = 30.2

|Nov mean C = 27.6

|Dec mean C = 25.2

|year mean C = 28.7

|Jan low C = 18.8

|Feb low C = 19.0

|Mar low C = 20.2

|Apr low C = 22.8

|May low C = 25.0

|Jun low C = 25.8

|Jul low C = 27.6

|Aug low C = 28.6

|Sep low C = 27.3

|Oct low C = 25.0

|Nov low C = 22.9

|Dec low C = 20.6

|year low C = 23.6

|Jan record low C = 11.0

|Feb record low C = 9.8

|Mar record low C = 10.0

|Apr record low C = 12.0

|May record low C = 16.4

|Jun record low C = 20.0

|Jul record low C = 20.5

|Aug record low C = 22.0

|Sep record low C = 17.0

|Oct record low C = 15.6

|Nov record low C = 15.0

|Dec record low C = 11.4

|year record low C = 9.8

|Jan precipitation mm = 12.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 3.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 2.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 1.9

|May precipitation mm = 0.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 0.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 0.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 0.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 0.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 1.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 27.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 9.1

|precipitation colour = green

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 1.1

| Feb precipitation days = 0.3

| Mar precipitation days = 0.4

| Apr precipitation days = 0.2

| May precipitation days = 0.1

| Jun precipitation days = 0.0

| Jul precipitation days = 0.1

| Aug precipitation days = 0.2

| Sep precipitation days = 0.0

| Oct precipitation days = 0.4

| Nov precipitation days = 1.9

| Dec precipitation days = 0.7

| year precipitation days = 5.4

|Jan humidity = 60

|Feb humidity = 60

|Mar humidity = 60

|Apr humidity = 57

|May humidity = 56

|Jun humidity = 58

|Jul humidity = 53

|Aug humidity = 59

|Sep humidity = 67

|Oct humidity = 66

|Nov humidity = 65

|Dec humidity = 63

|year humidity = 60

|source 1 =NOAA,{{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/SaudiArabia/CSV/Jeddah_KAIA_41024.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Jeddah

| format = CSV

| publisher = National Centers for Environmental Information

| access-date = 2 August 2023}} Jeddah Regional Climate Center

{{cite web

|url = http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Jeddah.RTF

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120512182235/http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Jeddah.RTF

|url-status = dead

|archive-date = May 12, 2012

|title = Climate Data for Saudi Arabia

|publisher = Jeddah Regional Climate Center

|access-date = December 7, 2015

}}

|date=December 2015

}}

File:Jeddah Mall of Arabia.jpg is the largest shopping mall in Jeddah.]]

Jeddah has long been a port city. Even before being designated the port city for Mecca, Jeddah was a trading hub for the region. In the 19th century, goods such as mother-of-pearl, tortoise shells, frankincense, and spices were routinely exported from the city. Apart from this, many imports into the city were destined for further transit to the Suez, Africa, or Europe. Many goods passing through Jeddah could not be normally found in the city or even in Arabia.{{cite book|last=Al-Sha'afi|first=Muhammad|title=Foreign Trade of Juddah: During the Ottoman Period 1840-1916|year=1990|publisher=King Saud University}}

All of the capitals of the Middle East and North Africa are within two hours flying distance of Jeddah, making it the second commercial center of the Middle East after Dubai.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070910215922/http://www.ksawpf.com/index.php?page=jeddah#commercial Commerce of Jeddah.] Saudi Arabian Water & Power Forum.

Also, Jeddah's industrial district is the fourth largest in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jubail and Yanbu.

File:King_Abdullah_Street,_Jeddah.jpg

King Abdullah Street is one of the most important streets in Jeddah and runs from King Fahd Road by the waterfront in the west of Jeddah to the eastern end of the city. It is famous for hosting numerous corporate offices and commercial developments. It will be near the HSR Entrance in Jeddah central train station which connects Jeddah with Makkah, Al-Madinah, and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). It also has the second tallest flagpole in the world at a height of 170 m (558 ft). This road faced a catastrophe in 2011 when it was submerged in rainwater.{{Cite web |title=Flooding in Saudi Arabia kills 10 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/29/saudia.arabia.flooding/index.html |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=www.cnn.com |language=en}}

{{Main|Tahliya Street}}

File:Jeddah galleria.jpg

Tahliyah Street(EXT. Prince Mohamed Bin Abdulaziz St) is an important fashion and shopping street in central Jeddah. It contains many upscale department and high fashion brands stores as well as boutiques. It has been renamed "Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz Road" by the government, but this official name is not widely used. It also has many fine dining options.

Madinah Road is a historically significant street in Jeddah. It links the Southern districts with the North and contains the main offices of several companies and showrooms. The northern end of the road links to the King Abdul Aziz Int'l Airport, which is a contributing factor to heavy traffic on this road at most times during the day.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

File:Medina Road - Jeddah - Saudi Arabia.jpg

File:A Lady from Jeddah 1873.JPG

Most citizens are Sunni Muslims. The government, courts, and civil and criminal laws enforce a moral code established by Shari'ah. A very small minority of Saudi citizens are Shia Muslims, and there is also a large foreign workforce, mainly from countries like the Philippines and Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

The city has over 1,300 mosques.[http://www.asharqalawsat.com/details.asp?section=43&issue=10110&article=376124 Report about number of mosques.]{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Newspaper. The law does not allow other religions' buildings, books, icons, and expressions of faith. However, private religious observance not involving Muslims nor offending public order and morality is tolerated.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Since the 7th century, Jeddah has hosted millions of Muslim pilgrims from all over the world on their way to the Hajj.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-22 |title=9 reasons to visit Jeddah |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/north-africa-middle-east/reasons-visit-jeddah-saudi-arabia-b2395486.html |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=The Independent |language=en}} This merge with pilgrims has a major impact on the society, religion, and economy of Jeddah.

File:The_Hijazi_Saleeg.jpg]]

Jeddah's multi-ethnic citizenry has influenced Jeddah's traditional cuisine.

Some dishes are native to the Hejaz, like Saleeg. Mabshūr ({{lang|acw|مَبْشُور}}) is a white-rice dish, cooked in broth, often made with chicken instead of lamb meat. Jeddah cuisine is popular as well, with dishes like Foul, Shorabah Hareira (Hareira soup), Mugalgal, Madhbi (chicken grilled on stone), Madfun (literally meaning "buried"), Magloobah, Kibdah, Manzalah (usually eaten at Eid ul-Fitr), Magliya (a local version of falafel) and Saiyadyia able to be acquired in many traditional restaurants around the city, such as Althamrat, Abu-Zaid, Al-Quarmooshi, Ayaz, and Hejaziyat.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Some dishes popular in the city were imported from other Saudi regions, like Kabsa from Najd and Arīka ({{lang|acw|عَريكة}}) and Ma'sūb ({{lang|acw|مَعْصُوب}}) from the southern Saudi region. Other dishes were imported from other cultures through Saudis of different origins, like Mantu, Yaghmush ({{lang|acw|يَغْمُش}}) and Ruz Bukhāri ({{lang|acw|رُز بُخاري}}) from Central Asia, Burēk, Šurēk, and Kabab Almīru ({{lang|acw|كباب الميرو}}) from Turkey and the Balkans, Mandi from Yemen, Mutabbag ({{lang|acw|مُطَبَّق}}) from Yemen-Malaysia, Biryāni and Kābli ({{lang|acw|كابلي}}) rice dishes from South Asia.

The most popular local fast-food chain, begun in 1974, is Al Baik, with branches in Jeddah and the neighboring cities of Makkah, Madinah and Yanbu. Their main dish is broasted (broiled and roasted) chicken, commonly known by Jeddawis as "Broast", and a variety of seafood. The popular fast food chain recently opened branches in Riyadh, Dammam, Buraidah, Bahrain, and Dubai in the UAE.{{cite web |title=Al Baik fast food |url=http://www.albaik.com/en/section/albaik-talk/how-we-started |access-date=2015-03-04 |publisher=Albaik.com |archive-date=2015-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226121339/http://www.albaik.com/en/section/albaik-talk/how-we-started |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |title=Al Baik to open its second Dubai branch in Mall of the Emirates |work=The National UAE |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/food/2022/04/18/al-baik-is-opening-a-second-dubai-branch-in-mall-of-the-emirates/}}

File: Cycle Roundabout, Jeddah.jpg

File:Hope for the right path.jpg at the Sword Roundabout (Tahlia Street)]]

During the oil boom in the late 1970s and 1980s, there was a focused civic effort led by Mohamed Said Farsi, who was then the city's mayor,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jun/01/sun-sand-sculpture-in-jeddah-saudi-arabia-joan-miro-jean-arp|title=Sculptural oasis: why the giants of art made for Jeddah|last=Jones|first=Jonathan|date=2015-06-01|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-05-22}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.sculpturesofjeddah.com/about/jeddah-city-of-sculpture|title=Sculptures of Jeddah|last=Park|first=Jeddah Sculpture|website=www.sculpturesofjeddah.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-25}} to bring art to Jeddah's public areas. As a result, Jeddah contains a large number of modern open-air sculptures and works of art, typically situated in roundabouts. Sculptures include works by Jean/Hans Arp, César Baldaccini, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Joan Miró, Hubert Minnebo and Victor Vasarely. They often depict traditional Saudi items such as coffee pots, incense burners, palm trees, etc. Islamic tradition prohibits the depiction of living creatures, especially the human form, and this has affected the art. Other statues include a giant geometry set, a giant bicycle, a huge block of concrete with several cars protruding from it at odd angles, and a monumental sculpture by Aref Rayess called "Swords of God (Soyuf Allah)". At the interchange between Al-Madinah Road, King Abdulaziz Road, and Prince Abullah Al-Faisal Road, there are large sculptures of camels that are the center of a roundabout. The roundabout is commonly known as 'The Camel Roundabout'.{{Cite web |title=The Camel Roundabout |url=http://www.sculpturesofjeddah.com/sculptures/detail/the-camel-roundabout |website=Sculptures of Jeddah}}

There are about a dozen museums or collections in Jeddah, with varied educational aims and professionalism.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080102174931/http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/jeddah/jeddah-museums/index.html Museums in Jeddah] at asiarooms.com These include the Jeddah Regional Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography run by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums, the Jeddah Municipal Museum, the Nasseef House, the Humane Heritage Museum, the private Abdul Rauf Hasan Khalil Museum and the private Arts Heritage Museum.

Jeddah was selected as the place for the annual Red Sea International Film Festival that was held in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/red-sea-international-film-festival-saudi-arabia-announces-new-jeddah-event-1.842144|title=Red Sea International Film Festival: Saudi Arabia announces new Jeddah event|website=The National|date=27 March 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-04-23}}

Jeddah hosts an annual international book fair called Jeddah International Book Fair.{{Cite web|url=http://jeddahbookfair.com/en_US/|title=Jeddah international book fair|website=Jeddah International Book Fair|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-08}} It is the second largest book fair in Saudi Arabia,{{Cite web|url=https://thenewpublishingstandard.com/saudi-arabias-4th-jeddah-international-book-fair-set-13-days-western-christmas-new-year/|title=Saudi Arabia's 4th Jeddah International Book Fair set for 13 days over western Christmas and New Year|date=2018-12-17|website=The New Publishing Standard|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-08}} and it was first held in 2015. The book fair is held annually in early December.

Jeddah Season is a part of the Saudi government's Saudi Seasons initiative that aims at launching high-level tourism activities in Saudi Arabia.{{Cite web|url=https://whatsupksa.com/saudi-seasons-2019-initiative-mapping-the-way-for-tourism/|title='Saudi Seasons 2019' Initiative: Mapping the Way for Tourism|last=K|first=Yara|date=2019-03-01|website=WHATSUP KSA|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-11|archive-date=2020-06-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623120004/https://whatsupksa.com/saudi-seasons-2019-initiative-mapping-the-way-for-tourism/|url-status=dead}} The first version of the season was held in June–July 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/567948/SAUDI-ARABIA/Jeddah-Season-announces-fun-filled-calendar|title=Jeddah Season announces fun-filled calendar|date=2019-06-02|website=Saudigazette|language=en|access-date=2019-06-11}} Around 150 activities and events were organized in five destinations in Jeddah. Saudi Seasons 2019 aimed at shedding light on the diverse Saudi culture and heritage.{{Cite web|url=https://scth.gov.sa/en/MediaCenter/News/MainNews/Pages/a-m-1-27-2-19.aspx|title=Launching the "Saudi Seasons 2019" Program|website=scth.gov.sa|access-date=2019-06-11|archive-date=2019-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217230526/https://scth.gov.sa/en/mediaCenter/News/MainNews/Pages/a-m-1-27-2-19.aspx|url-status=dead}} Jeddah was chosen because it is one of the most culturally-rich Saudi cities, with a history that spans over 3,000 years. Most of Jeddah Season's events and activities were held at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah's historical area, Al-Hamra Corniche, and the Jeddah Waterfront.{{Cite web|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/1511316/saudi-arabia|title=Jeddah's Kanz Al-Balad, Al-Ozwa Street Performance enthrall visitors|date=2019-06-16|website=Arab News|language=en|access-date=2019-06-18}}

Jeddah Season aims to make Jeddah the most preferred tourist destination in the world and the best season of all the Saudi Seasons.{{Cite web|url=https://saudiseasons.com/jeddah-season|title=Jeddah Season - Saudi Seasons|date=2019-04-01|website=Saudi Seasons|language=en|access-date=2020-10-22}}

Jeddah is served by four major Arabic-language newspapers, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Madina, Okaz, and Al Bilad, as well as two major English-language newspapers, the Saudi Gazette and Arab News (which also covers other Middle Eastern events). Okaz and Al-Madina are the primary newspapers of Jeddah and some other Saudi cities, with over a million readers; their focus is mainly local.

Internet blogs specifically informative of the locality are abundant in Jeddah, catering mostly to the widespread expatriate population. Of these are constituted websites that have garnered international acclaim for informativeness, such as Jeddah Blog, the recipient of the Bronze Expat Blog Award in 2012 and the Gold Award in 2013 and among Feedspot's Top 100 Middle East blogs.{{cite web|url=http://jeddah-blog.com/2013/12/17/expat-blog-awards-2013/|title=Expat Blog Awards 2013|work=Jeddah Blog|access-date=24 May 2015}}{{Cite web | url=https://blog.feedspot.com/middle_east_blogs/ |title = Top 100 Middle East Blogs & Websites to Follow in 2020 | Mideast Blogs|date = September 2017}} Other amateur websites relating to specific topics in the region exist as well.

Jeddah represents the largest radio and television market in Saudi Arabia. Television stations serving the city area include Saudi TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al Ekhbariya, the ART channels network and hundreds of cable, satellite, and other specialty television providers.

The Jeddah TV Tower is a {{convert|250|m|ft|abbr=on}} high television tower with an observation deck.

{{Main|Hejazi Arabic}}

The Jeddah region's distinctive speech pattern is called the Hejazi dialect. It is among the most recognizable of all accents in the Arabic language.{{Cite journal |last1=Alzaidi |first1=Muhammad Swaileh |last2=Xu |first2=Yi |last3=Xu |first3=Anqi |date=January 2019 |title=Prosodic encoding of focus in Hijazi Arabic |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2018.12.006 |journal=Speech Communication |volume=106 |pages=127–149 |doi=10.1016/j.specom.2018.12.006 |issn=0167-6393}}

{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site

| Official_name = Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah

| image = 220px

| image_upright = 1.2

| caption = A market street in Old Jeddah with the al-Mimar Mosque in the background.

| location =

| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii), (iv), (vi)}}(ii), (iv), (vi)

| ID = 1361bis

| coordinates =

| year = 2014

| extension =

| area = 17.92 ha

| map_caption =

}}

File:Jeddah Seafront.jpg

{{Main|Al-Balad, Jeddah}}

File:Jeddah historic (3278312442).jpg

The Old City known as Al-Balad, with its traditional multistory buildings and merchant houses that often still belong to the families that inhabited them before the oil-era, has lost ground to more modern developments.Maneval, Stefan. 2019. [https://www.uclpress.co.uk/newurbanism New Islamic Urbanism]. London: UCL Press, 38–9. Nonetheless, the Old City contributes to the cultural identity of Jeddah and the Hijaz more generally. Since it was granted UNESCO World Heritage status, in 2014, several traditional buildings have been restored and made open to the public. In 2019, the Saudi crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, issued a royal decree ordering the Ministry of Culture to restore 50 historical buildings in Jeddah.{{Cite web|url=https://whatsupksa.com/crown-prince-orders-restoration-processes-of-historical-buildings/|title=Crown Prince Orders Restoration Processes Of Historical Buildings|last=K|first=Yara|date=2019-05-13|website=WHATSUP KSA|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-11|archive-date=2020-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918155250/https://whatsupksa.com/crown-prince-orders-restoration-processes-of-historical-buildings/|url-status=dead}} Several historic mosques from different eras are located in al-Balad, as well as one of the oldest museums in the city, called Bayt Naseef (the House of Naseef), which displays local furniture and interior design from the past 150 years, approximately.

The city has many popular resorts, including Durrat Al-Arus, Al-Nawras Mövenpick resort at the Red Sea Corniche, Crystal Resort, Radisson Blu, The Signature Al Murjan Beach Resort, Al Nakheel Village, Sands, and Sheraton Abhur. Many are renowned for their preserved Red Sea marine life and offshore coral reefs.

One of the two consulates of the United States of America in Saudi Arabia is located in Jeddah, along with the consulates for 67 other countries such as Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, France, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Italy, Russia and Mainland China. Some of the other consulates present include countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League states.

{{Main|Al-Balad, Jeddah}}

File:Jeddah (6573541511).jpg

File:F41A7208.jpg

File:Old Dutch Christian Church Ruins, Jeddah.jpg

Historical Jeddah is situated on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. From the 7th century AD, it was established as a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, channeling goods to Mecca. It was also the gateway for Muslim pilgrims to Mecca who arrived by sea. These twin roles saw the city develop into a thriving multicultural center, characterized by a distinctive architectural tradition, including tower houses built in the late 19th century by the city's mercantile elites, and combining Red Sea coastal coral building traditions with influences and crafts from along the trade routes.{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1361|title=Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah|last=Center|first=UNESCO World Heritage|website=whc.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2017-09-04}}

Within a defensive wall that was built during Ottoman rule, the old city of Jeddah, Al-Balad, was divided into districts, or Haras, where business and trade centered around traditional souks, or market places, and khans, covered markets that were generally connected to shops.{{Cite journal|title=Stadtgeographische Untersuchungen in der Altstadt von Djidda|last=Krause|first=Rolf Friedrich|journal=Colloquium Geographicum: Vorträge des Bonner Geographischen Kolloquiums zum Gedächtnis an Ferdinand von Richthofen|publisher=F. Dümmler|year=1991|issn=0373-0468|location=Bonn|pages=53–6}}

Located in the northeast of Jeddah, this district was named after Abdulkarim Al-Barzangi, a Hijazi rebel who was crucified by the Ottomans. Some of its landmarks are:

• Dar Al-Qabil
• Dar Al-Ba'ashin
• Dar Al-Sheikh
• The Al-Shafi'i mosque

The oldest mosque in town, its minaret was built in the 13th century, and its pillars date back to Ottoman rule.

• Mosque of Uthman bin Affan

Also called the Ebony Mosque because of its two ebony pillars, it was mentioned in the writings of Ibn Battuta and Ibn Jubayr.

• Al-Mia'mar Mosque

An old mosque built in the 17th century.

• Souq Al-Jama

One of the oldest markets in town.

Located in the north and named after its orientation, some of its landmarks are:

• Dar Al-Sadat
• Dar Al-Serti
• Dar Al-Zahid
• Dar Al-Banajah
• Al-Basha Mosque

Built by Bakr Basha, the governor of Jeddah in 1735.

File:Beit Bajanaid.jpg

Located in the south and also named after its orientation, its landmarks include:

• Bait Nasseef

By far the most famous site in the old town, it was built in 1881 for Omar Nasseef Efendi, governor of Jeddah at the time, and served as the royal residence of King Abdulaziz after he conquered the city.

• Dar Al-Jamjoom
• Dar Al-Sha'araoui
• Dar Al-Abdulsamad
• Dar Al-Kayal
• Bait Al-Matbouli
• Bait Al-Joghadar

Located in the southwest, some of its landmarks are:

• Dar Al-Nas
• Dar Al-Radwan
• Dar Al-Nimr

{{Too many sections|section|date=March 2021}}

Founded by Sheikh Abdul Raouf Khalil in 1996, this museum not only presents the rich Islamic cultural heritage of the city, but also its pre-Islamic history that goes back 2500 years; it traces the various civilizations that inhabited the region. Located in the downtown district, it boasts a large collection of items and artifacts that belonged to the Ottoman Turks and the fishermen tribes who were the first inhabitants of the region.{{Cite web|url=https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/abdul-raouf-khalil-museum-jeddah|title=Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum of Jeddah {{!}} SILK ROAD|website=en.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}}

{{Main|King Fahd's Fountain}}

File:King Fahd's Fountain.jpg in Jeddah]]

King Fahd's Fountain was built in the 1980s and can be seen from a great distance. At {{convert|312|m|ft|sp=us}}, the Fahd Fountain is the highest water jet in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.[http://www.treklens.com/gallery/Middle_East/Saudi_Arabia/photo271783.htm Photograph of King Fahd Fountain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203153918/https://www.treklens.com/gallery/Middle_East/Saudi_Arabia/photo271783.htm |date=2017-12-03 }} at treklens.com The fountain was donated to the City of Jeddah by the late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, after whom it was named.

File:Al-Rahmah Mosque 7.jpg

Sometimes referred to as the floating mosque because of its being built above water, this fascinating mix of old and new architecture was built in 1985. It is a popular spot among tourists and natives looking to lounge by the seaside.

{{Main|King Abdullah Sports City}}

King Abdullah Sports City is a multi-use stadium used mostly for association football. It opened in 2014 north of Jeddah and has a full capacity of 62,241 spectators. It is the largest stadium in Jeddah, and the second-largest in Saudi Arabia.

{{Main|King Saud Mosque}}

Built in 1987 by Egyptian architect Abdel Wahed El Wakil, King Saud Mosque is the largest mosque in the city, displaying beautiful Islamic architecture.{{Cite web|title=The Egyptian Architect Who Has Designed Saudi Arabia's Most Famous Mosques|url=https://destinationksa.com/the-egyptian-architect-who-has-designed-saudi-arabias-most-famous-mosques/|last=Mirza|first=Mohammed|date=15 June 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-09}}

{{Main|National Commercial Bank (Saudi Arabia)}}

Built in 1983 and believed to be the highest tower in Saudi Arabia during the 1980s, with a height of over {{convert|235|m|ft|abbr=on}}, the National Commercial Bank was Saudi Arabia's first bank.

{{Main|Islamic Development Bank}}

File:Islamicbankjeddah2.jpg

The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC, now the Organization of Islamic Cooperation), first convened on 18 December 1973. The bank officially began its activities on 20 October 1975.

{{Main|Jeddah Tower}}

This is the headquarters of the metropolitan area of Jeddah. The municipality's new building is going to be not only Jeddah's tallest but is also going to dethrone the Burj Khalifa.

This proposed tower, formerly known as the Kingdom Tower, is being built in Jeddah by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and will stand {{convert|1|km|mi|adj=on|sp=us}} tall. Upon its completion, it will be the tallest skyscraper in the world. The building has been scaled down from its initial {{convert|1.6|km|0|abbr=on}} proposal, since the ground proved unsuitable for a building that tall, to a height of at least {{convert|1000|m|ft|2|sp=us}} (the exact height is being kept private while in development, similar to the Burj Khalifa),{{cite news|url=http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article481836.ece |title=Kingdom Holding to build world's tallest tower in Jeddah |work=Arab News |date=3 August 2011 |access-date=10 August 2011 |author=Khan, Ghazanfar Ali |author2=Abbas, Maher |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809135618/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article481836.ece |archive-date=August 9, 2011}} which, at about one kilometer ({{convert|1|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}), would still make it by far the tallest building or structure in the world to date,{{cite news |author=AFP |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23363844-25658,00.html |title=Saudi mile-high tower plan raises bar |work=The Australian |date=13 March 2008 |access-date=3 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307043204/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23363844-25658,00.html |archive-date=7 March 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} standing at least {{convert|568|ft|m|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Construction began in April 2013 and there was steady progress, but in January 2018, building owner JEC halted structural concrete work with the tower about one-third completed due to labor issues with a contractor following the 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge. JEC had said they planned to restart construction in 2020.{{Cite web|title=Owner May Ramp Up Construction of Jeddah Tower, Planned to Be Over 1 km|url=https://www.enr.com/articles/48077-owner-may-ramp-up-construction-of-jeddah-tower-planned-to-be-over-1-km?v=preview|access-date=2021-02-11|website=Engineering News-Record |language=en}}{{Citation|title=Kingdom Holding CEO: Saudi Arabia is full of potential investments |website=CNN |date=21 January 2019 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/01/21/saudi-arabia-kingdom-holding.cnn-business|access-date=2021-02-11}} In September 2023 MEED reported that the construction of the tower had restarted.{{Cite web|title=Jeddah developer restarts world's tallest tower|url=https://www.meed.com/jeddah-developer-restarts-worlds-tallest-tower |date=13 September 2023 |first1=Colin |last1=Foreman |access-date=2023-09-27|website=MEED |language=en}} Completion is expected in 2029.{{Cite web |title=Jeddah Tower: world's tallest building construction resumes |url=https://www.fox29.com/news/jeddah-tower-construction-tallest-building-world.amp |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=www.fox29.com}}

{{Main|King Road Tower}}

King Road Tower is a commercial and office building, the external walls of which are used to show commercials. The building also has a helipad on its roof. King Road Tower has the largest LED display in the world on its walls.

{{Main|Al Jawharah Tower}}

Al Jawharah Tower is a residential high-rise; it became the third-tallest structure in Jeddah when completed in 2014.

{{see also|Jeddah Flagpole}}

File:Jeddah Fahne.JPG

The King Abdullah Square on the intersection of Andalus Road with King Abdullah Road had the world's tallest flagpole. It is {{convert|171|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} high and the Saudi flag atop it weighs {{convert|570|kg|abbr=off}}. On the 84th Saudi Arabia National Day, on September 23, 2014, a huge Saudi flag was hoisted on the flagpole before a crowd of thousands. The flagpole succeeded Dushanbe Flagpole as the tallest flagpole in the world until 26 December 2021, when the Cairo Flagpole in Cairo, Egypt was erected at a height of 201.952 m (662.57 ft).{{cite web |url-status=dead |website=Saudi Gazette |url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140501203622 |title=Saudi flag flies high on world's tallest flagpole |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908180055/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140501203622 |archive-date=2014-09-08 |date=2014-06-01 |first1=Saleh |last1=Fareed }}

Bab Makkah, also known as Makkah Gate, is a limestone coral gateway that leads into the historic Al-Balad district of Jeddah.

The Makkah Gate, named the "Quran Gate", is located 60 km outside Jeddah on the Makkah Mukkarram road of the Jeddah - Makkah Highway. It is the entrance to Mecca and the birthplace of Muhammad. The gate signifies the boundary of the Haram area of the city of Makkah, where non-Muslims are prohibited to enter. The gate was designed in 1979 by Egyptian architect Samir Elabd for the architectural firm IDEA Center. The structure is that of a book, representing the Quran, sitting on a rehal, or book stand."[http://elabdarchitecture.com/resume.htm Samir Elabd]" – Elabd Architectural Illustration.File:Bab makkah.jpg

{{see also|Jeddah Corniche}}

The new waterfront was inaugurated in November 2017, by Makkah Governor, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.{{Cite web |last=Al-Sulami |first=Mohammed |date=November 30, 2017 |title=Makkah governor opens Jeddah's new waterfront |url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/1201346/saudi-arabia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011173459/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1201346/saudi-arabia |archive-date=Oct 11, 2023 |website=Arab News}}File:Mecca Gate Jeddah.jpg It spans an area of {{convert|30|km2|sp=us}}{{Cite web |title=Jeddah Corniche, Jeddah - Location, How to Reach, Opening & Closing Timings |url=https://www.rehlat.com/en/explore/jeddah/jeddah-corniche-jeddah-saudi-z0m0l30j |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Rehlat |language=en}} on the Red Sea, and has many facilities, including swimming beaches, huts, a floating marina dock, washrooms, restaurants, parks, dancing fountains, playgrounds, and access to Wi-fi.{{Cite web |date=December 1, 2017 |title=New Jeddah Waterfront open for visitors |url=https://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/new-jeddah-waterfront-open-for-visitors-1.2133433 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011172454/https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/new-jeddah-waterfront-open-for-visitors-1.2133433 |archive-date=Oct 11, 2023 |website=Gulf News}}

This project of developing the Jeddah Waterfront has been awarded the Jeddah Innovation Award of the year 1439 in the field of government innovation, by the Jeddah Governorate.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jeddah.gov.sa/Projects/JW/index.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125173319/https://www.jeddah.gov.sa/Projects/JW/index.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2021|title=Jeddah}}{{Cite web|url=http://islesgilian.com/jeddah-waterfront-corniche/|title=Jeddah Waterfront (Corniche)|last=Gilian|date=2017-12-10|website=Words and Wonders|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-29}}

{{See also|List of universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia}}

File:KAUST laboratory buildings and town mosque.jpg

{{As of|2005}}, Jeddah had 849 public and private schools for male students and another 1,179 public and private schools for female students.[http://www.moe.gov.sa/statscenter/tawzee.rar Statistical summary of education in Saudi Arabia.] Statistical Information Department of the Ministry of Education. The medium of instruction in both public and private schools is typically Arabic, with an emphasis on English as a second language. However, some private schools administered by foreign entities conduct classes in English. These include 10+ Indian schools following the CBSE board of education system, and several Pakistani and Bangladeshi schools as well. {{As of|2005}}, Jeddah also had four Philippine international schools, with two more scheduled to open shortly afterward.Salud, Francis R. "[http://www.arabnews.com/node/263863 2 More Filipino Schools to Open in Jeddah]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150920013331/http://www.arabnews.com/node/263863 Archive]). Arab News. Thursday 7 March 2005. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.

Jeddah's universities and colleges include the following:

{{Div col}}

• King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences
• King Abdulaziz University
• King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
• University of Jeddah
• Arab Open University
• Dar Al-Hekma College
• Effat University
• University of Business and Technology (UBT)
• Teacher's College
• Jeddah College of Technology
• Jeddah Private College
• College of Health Care
• College of Telecom & Electronics
• College of Community
• Private College of Business
• Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies
• Batterjee Medical College
• Prince Sultan College of Tourism
• Prince Sultan Aviation Academy
• Islamic Fiqh Academy
• Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing
• Saudi German Institute for Nursing

{{Div col end}}

File:PISJ Uniform.jpg

Jeddah is also home to several primary, intermediate and secondary schools such as:

{{Div col}}

• Jeddah Knowledge International School[http://www.jks.edu.sa/ Jeddah Knowledge International School]
• American International School of Jeddah
• Italian international school
• Jeddah International School
• Zahrat Al-Sahraa International school (ZSIS)
• Cedar International School[http://cedarinternationalschool.com/index.php Cedar International School]
• British International School of Jeddah (Continental, BISJ)
• German International School Jeddah
• Al-Thager Model School
• International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ)
• Pakistan International School Jeddah (PISJ)
• Talal International School Jeddah (TISJ)
• DPS Jeddah Al-Falah International School
• International Philippine School in Jeddah
• Jeddah Japanese School{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}
• Korean International School of Jeddah (KISJ; 젯다한국국제학교)"[http://homepy.korean.net/~ksj/www/news/photo/read.htm?code=AS1316615750&num=205 Home]." Korean International School of Jeddah (젯다한국국제학교). Retrieved on September 21, 2015. "주소: P.O.BOX 4322, Jeddah 21491, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
• Al-Waha International School
• Beladi International School Jeddah
• Al-Afaq International School
• Manarat Jeddah Schools
• Gharnatah International School
• New Al Wurood International School Jeddah [NAWIS]
• Bangladesh International School Jeddah (BISESJ)
• Bader International School
• Arab international school [https://arabschools.edu.sa/ Arab international school a very well received school located in the south side of al basateen]
• Nobles International School (NIS)
• Dauha Al Uloom International School (DAUISJ)
• Al-Fath Schools
• Al-Aqsa Private Schools
• Dar Al-Fikr Schools (DAF)
• Al-Fanar School Jeddah
• Dar Al-Thikr Schools
• Hala International School (HIS)
• Jeddah International Turkish School (JITS)
• Jeddah Prep and Grammar School (JPGS)
• Al Hamraa Girls' School
• Building Blocks (private school)
• Dar Jana International School (DJIS)
• Al Mawarid International School Jeddah [AMIS]
• Pioneer International School
• Duaa International School Jeddah (DISJ)
• Jeddah Private School (JPS)
• Nhaond School
• Number 18 High School
• Number 25 Secondary School
• Tuletelah High School
• Bangladesh International School And College (Bangla Section) Jeddah (BISCJ)
• Al-Afkar International School
• Waad Academy School
• Al Kon International School

{{Div col end}}

The central library at King Abdulaziz University (main branch) is a five-story building that has a large collection of Arabic and English language books, rare books, and documents as well as access to several online databases. It is open for public access and allows the borrowing of books after requesting a library card. Saturdays are dedicated to female visitors.{{Cite web|url=http://library.kau.edu.sa/Default.aspx?Site_ID=212&Lng=EN|title=Deanship of Library Affairs}}

King Abdul Aziz Public Library is a philanthropic institution that was founded and supported by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, chairman of its board of directors. Established in 1985, the library was officially opened by the King on 27 February 1987. It emphasizes Islamic and Arabic heritage and history of the Kingdom. The library is divided into three branches (men's, women's, and children's).{{cite web|url=http://www.kapl.org.sa/epart.php?partid=17 |title=King Abdul Aziz Library |publisher=Kapl.org.sa |date=1987-02-27 |access-date=2013-03-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917054257/http://www.kapl.org.sa/epart.php?partid=17 |archive-date=2013-09-17 }}

The limited number of libraries is criticized by the public. As a result, King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has approved the King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public Libraries, and approximately SAR150 million is budgeted to be spent.{{cite web |author=Saudi Gazette |url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20110729106277 |title=King gives the go-ahead to develop public libraries |publisher=Saudi Gazette |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728152219/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20110729106277 |archive-date=2013-07-28 |url-status=dead }}

In April 2014, Prince Mishaal Ibn Abdullah Abdulaziz opened a new public library in Jeddah by Makkah Governor, under the name of King Fahd Public Library.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kau.edu.sa/Pages-library.aspx|title=King Fahd Public Library inaugurated|website=www.kau.edu.sa|language=EN|access-date=2019-01-29}}

King Fahd Public Library was built over an area of {{convert|17000|m2|sp=us}} within the main Campus of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah. It includes a diverse collection of books and reference material classified into three sections to meet the needs and wants of a wide range of readership. Spaces have been set apart for youths, children and women.

File:Jawhara Stadium.jpg]]

Jeddah is the home of two large and well-known football clubs, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli. Both teams play their league matches at King Abdullah Stadium, which is located in the northern part of Jeddah near King Abdulaziz Airport. It was the host city for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.

The city is also home to the Saudi Arabian basketball Giants Al-Ittihad its the basketball section of the football club, which plays its home games in the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Basketball Arena.[http://saudigazette.com.sa/sports/ittihad-captures-saudi-basketball-crown/ "Ittihad captures Saudi basketball crown"]. Saudi Gazette, 1 June 2016. Accessed 9 June 2016

On 5 November 2020, it was announced that Jeddah would host the 21st round of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a street circuit, winding through the Jeddah Corniche along the Red Sea, north of the main part of the city. The race debuted on 5 December 2021, and is scheduled to be held in the city until 2030.[https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-circuit-contracts-how-long-each-race-will-remain-on-the-formula-1-calendar/10330733/ F1 circuit contracts: How long each race will remain on the Formula 1 calendar]. Autosport, 4 November 2023. Accessed 10 November 2023 In the 2022 edition of the race, Mexican driver Sergio Pérez achieved his maiden pole position in his 215th race, becoming the driver with most races before pole position.

{{Main|King Abdulaziz International Airport}}

File:King Abdulaziz International Airport - North Terminal 1.jpg]]

Jeddah is served by King Abdulaziz International Airport. The airport has four passenger terminals. One is the Hajj Terminal, a special outdoor terminal covered by large white tents, which was constructed to handle the more than two million pilgrims who pass through the airport during the Hajj season. The Southern Terminal is used by Saudia and Flynas (both based in Saudi Arabia), while the Northern Terminal serves foreign airlines. A plan for the extension of the airport is being developed. The Royal Terminal is a special terminal reserved for VIPs, foreign kings and presidents, and the Saudi royal family. A portion of the airport, King Abdullah Air Base, was used by Coalition B-52 heavy bombers during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

{{anchor|Kandara Airport}}

Before King Abdulaziz Airport opened in 1981, Kandara Airport served Jeddah. It was at Kandara, a neighborhood very near the town center. However, the old Jeddah airport experienced heavy congestions, especially during Hajj seasons.{{cite book|title=Airways: A Global Review of Commercial Flight|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LkYtAQAAMAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Airways International|quote= Jeddah's first airport at Kandara, located very close to the city center, used to handle all Hajj traffic in addition to normal scheduled operations. But the airport's limited capacity and infrastructure tended to cause tremendous congestion problems, notably when, by 1978, daily aircraft movements during the Hajj season reached a critical level of 600 per day. In May 1981 Kandara was ...}} After the airport became defunct, the area was redeveloped for housing.{{cite book|title=Weekly Bulletin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ogU-AQAAIAAJ|year=1981|publisher=Institut du transport aérien|page=683|quote= the new airport replaces that of Kandara which had undergone many transformation operations in recent years and is to be converted into a real estate development zone.}}

{{Main|Jeddah Seaport}}

File:Jeddah-seaport-saudiarabia.PNG]]

Jeddah Seaport is the 40th busiest seaport in the world {{as of|2022|lc=on}}. It handles the majority of Saudi Arabia's commercial movement.

In 2017, Jeddah Seaport handled 4,309,765 TEUs and in the year 2018 handled 4,215,248 TEUs.

Jeddah is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to the Upper Adriatic region with its rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe.[https://www.redanalysis.org/2019/03/11/saudi-arabia-chinese-belt-and-road-great-convergence/ Saudi Arabia and the Chinese Belt and Road: the Great Convergence][https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2017/03/22/saudi-arabia-the-next-stop-on-chinas-maritime-silk-road/ Saudi Arabia the next stop on China’s Maritime Silk Road]Jean-Marc F. Blanchard "China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative and South Asia" (2018) pp 55.Further information: James Reardon-Anderson "The Red Star and the Crescent: China and the Middle East" 2016.

File:Talgo 350 SRO.jpg

Highway 40, which begins in Jeddah, connects the city to Mecca, Riyadh and Dammam on the east coast. Jeddah does not have any rapid transit system, but the Haramain High Speed Railway provides a connection to Mecca and Medina.{{cite news |title =Al Rajhi wins Makkah - Madinah civils contract |url =http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//al-rajhi-wins-makkah-madinah-civils-contract.html |work =Railway Gazette International |date =2009-02-09 |access-date =2009-08-10 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120415005126/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/al-rajhi-wins-makkah-madinah-civils-contract.html |archive-date =2012-04-15 |url-status =dead }}

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There is a contracted plan to build an extensive light metro system known as the Jeddah Metro, throughout the city,{{cite news|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/aviation-and-transport/2014/08/10/Jeddah-Metro-project-will-be-ready-by-2020.html |title=Jeddah Metro project will be ready by 2020 |work=Saudi Gazette|date=10 August 2014|access-date=6 April 2015|via=Al Arabiya}} originally by 2020. Jeddah's main highways run parallel to each other.

The city is challenged by pollution, weak sewage systems, and a weak storm drain system that has led to massive flooding, heavy traffic, epidemics, and water shortages.

Air pollution is a problem for Jeddah, particularly on hot summer days. The city has experienced bush fires, landfill fires, and pollution from the two industrial zones in the north and the south of the metropolitan area. A water treatment factory and the seaport also contribute to water pollution. Much of the seafront, however, is considered to be safe and clean. Ramboll has acted as Environmental Consultant on the Jeddah Environmental Impact Assessment as well as the Jeddah Environmental Social Masterplan.{{cite web|title=Urban liveability calls for urgent action|url=http://www.ramboll.com/projects/rme/jeddah-environmentasis |website=Ramboll Group |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227232054/http://www.ramboll.com/projects/rme/jeddah-environmentasis |archive-date=Feb 27, 2017 |access-date=27 February 2017}}

At mid-day on 6 December 2004, militants loyal to the regional affiliate of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda launched an attack on the U.S. Consulate, killing five employees. The group was led by Fayez ibn Awwad Al-Jeheni, a former member of the religious police. Two of the other assailants were subsequently identified by Saudi authorities as residents of Jeddah's Al-Jamia suburb and other slums on Saudi Arabia's increasingly urbanized west coast. Buildings were attacked, hostages taken and used as human shields, targeting both Americans and non-Americans alike. Despite enduring a protracted siege, the chancery/consular section of the building was never penetrated.{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/jtic-briefing-jeddah-attack-underscores-fall-in-capabilities-of-saudi-milit|title= JTIC Briefing: Jeddah Attack Underscores Fall in Capabilities of Saudi Militants |first1=Michael |last1=Knights |date=Jan 1, 2005 |website=The Washington Institute |access-date=24 May 2015}} Closed-circuit video feeds documented that the Saudi security personnel assigned to protect the facility fled when the vehicle holding the terrorists pulled up to the front gate and ran past the Delta barrier.{{cite web|url=http://diplopundit.net/2013/04/16/2005-jeddah-arb-recommended-remote-safe-areas-for-embassies-upgrades-coming-or-maybe-not/|title=2005 Jeddah ARB Recommended "Remote Safe Areas" for Embassies – Upgrades Coming … Or Maybe Not |author=domani spero |work=Diplopundit|date=16 April 2013|access-date=24 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531031032/http://diplopundit.net/2013/04/16/2005-jeddah-arb-recommended-remote-safe-areas-for-embassies-upgrades-coming-or-maybe-not/ |archive-date=May 31, 2015 }} Inside the compound, however, an armed Saudi security guard employed by the embassy shot and killed one of the five terrorists before being fatally shot himself.

The attackers spread and ignited a flammable liquid on the front of the chancery building, and opened fire on the front doors, both of which actions did not have any penetrating effect. The Consulate's U.S. Marines released tear gas in front of the chancery building, but the terrorists had already left that location. More than an hour later, Saudi special forces made it through traffic and, along with others from their unit who arrived in a helicopter, fought to retake the compound. In the final shootout, two of the terrorists were killed, with another dying later in hospital, and one militant was captured alive. Four Saudi special forces and a further ten hostages were wounded in the crossfire.{{cite web|url=https://www.rasheedsworld.com/posts/1st-anniversary-of-attack-on-us-consulate|title=1st Anniversary of Attack on US Consulate |website=Rasheed's World|date=6 December 2005 |first1=Rasheed |last1=Abou-Alsamh |access-date=24 May 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6657943|title=Saudi cleric condemns U.S. consulate attack |work=NBC News |date=8 December 2004|access-date=24 May 2015}}

The five U.S. Foreign Service employees killed in the terrorist attack were Ali Yaslem Bin Talib, Imad e-Deen Musa Ali, Romeo de la Rosa, Mohammed Baheer Uddin, and Jaufar Sadik, nationals of Yemen, Sudan, Philippines, India and Sri Lanka, respectively.{{cite web|url=http://diplopundit.net/tag/terror-attack-on-u-s-consulate-jeddah/|title=Terror Attack on U.S. Consulate Jeddah |website=Diplopundit |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915135119/http://diplopundit.net/tag/terror-attack-on-u-s-consulate-jeddah/ |archive-date=Sep 15, 2015 |access-date=24 May 2015}}

The attack underscored the ongoing vulnerabilities of Westerners to threats, terrorist actions, and the environs. In a communiqué posted in online publications such as Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad) and Mu'askar al-Battar (Al-Battar Training Camp), Al-Qaeda hinted at the symbolic nature of the U.S. Consulate attack, stating: "Know that the Mujahideen are determined to continue on their path, and they will not be weakened by what has happened to them."

Terrorist activities have persisted from 2004 to the present day. In 2004, there was an unsuccessful shooting attack on a U.S. Marine visiting the Saudi American Bank and an attempt to simultaneously explode car bombs at Saudi American Bank and Saudi British Bank branches in Jeddah on the anniversary of the 2001 "9-11" terrorist attacks on the U.S.{{cite web|url=http://susris.com/timelines/terrorism-saudi-arabia/|title=Terrorism – Saudi Arabia |website= SUSRIS|access-date=24 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702155946/http://susris.com/timelines/terrorism-saudi-arabia/|archive-date=2 July 2015|url-status=usurped}} On 26 August 2012, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced that terrorists were arrested in Jeddah who had been preparing explosives for attacks within the kingdom."LexisNexis News". LexisNexis. Retrieved 29 August 2012.

In 2022, the Houthis launched a missile attack against an Aramco facility near the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was held.

File:Medina Road - Jeddah - Saudi Arabia.jpg

Roads and highways within and exiting the city are frequently clogged with traffic. Mass transit is rare and planning is nascent; most Jeddawi adults have at least one car. Days immediately preceding and following the holy days are particularly noisome and cost hundreds of thousands of person-hours because of traffic jams.

The Saudi Gazette reports that there is a plan in the works to tackle the traffic issue. A reported three billion Saudi Riyals will be put into constructing flyovers and underpasses in an effort to expedite traffic. The plan is scheduled to take about five years from its start to finish.{{cite web|last=Al-Siqqiqui|first=Saoud|title=SR3b to tackle Jeddah traffic over five years|url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010072078614|publisher=Saudi Gazette|access-date=11 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913144602/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010072078614|archive-date=13 September 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

{{see also|Al-Musk Lake}}

File:Musk Lake 1.jpg, located east of the city, is a sewage lake serving Jeddah.]]

Prior to the construction of a waste treatment plant, Jeddah's wastewater was disposed of by either discharge into the sea or via absorption into deep underground pits. However, even with the ever-increasing population, the original sewer system has hardly been expanded. The original plant cannot cope with the amount of waste inundating it daily. As a result, some untreated sewage is discharged directly into the sea and the entire northern part of the city remains completely unconnected to the sewage system{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}, instead relying on septic tanks. This has been responsible for a large number of sewage tankers.

In late 2011, a storm drainage system was built in the south Jeddah area (similar to that of the Los Angeles storm drain) to reduce the risk of floods.{{cite journal|last=Vincent|first=Peter|title=Jeddah's Environmental Problems|journal=Geographical Review|volume=93|issue=3|pages=394–412|doi=10.1111/j.1931-0846.2003.tb00039.x|publisher=The Geographical Review|year=2003|bibcode=2003GeoRv..93..394V |s2cid=159293161}}

File:Jeddah Flood - King Abdullah Street.jpg

On 25 November 2009, heavy floods affected the city and other areas of Makkah Province.{{cite news |title = Saudi Arabian floods kill 77, leave scores missing |url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iXnnwi-QAtxEShlY_jrXNHDQdIsQ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140221091045/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iXnnwi-QAtxEShlY_jrXNHDQdIsQ |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 21, 2014 |publisher = Agence France Presse |date = 26 November 2009 |access-date = 2009-11-26}}{{cite news |title = Saudi Arabia floods leave 48 dead |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8380501.stm |work = BBC News |date = 26 November 2009 |access-date = 26 November 2009}} The floods were described by civil defence officials as the worst in 27 years.{{Cite news |first = Ayman |last = Anqawi |title = Flooding kills 77 in Jeddah, Thousands of pilgrims stranded on highway |url = http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009112655554 |newspaper = Saudi Gazette |date = 26 November 2009 |access-date = 2009-11-26 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091130010910/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009112655554 |archive-date = 30 November 2009 }} {{As of|2009|November|26}}, 77 people were reported to have been killed,{{Cite news |title = King orders aid for victims, Death toll in Jeddah flooding hits 77 |url = http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009112755615 |first1 = Ibrahim |last1 = Alawi |first2 = Eid |last2 = Al-Harthi |newspaper = Saudi Gazette |date = 27 November 2009 |access-date = 2009-11-27 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120302075732/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009112755615 |archive-date = 2 March 2012 }} and more than 350 were missing. Some roads were under a meter (three feet) of water on 26 November, and many of the victims were believed to have drowned in their cars. At least 3,000 vehicles were swept away or damaged.{{Cite news |title = Damage may top SR1 billion |url = http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009112755625 |first = Saleh |last = Al-Zahrani |newspaper = Saudi Gazette |date = 26 November 2009 |access-date = 2009-11-27 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100520000059/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009112755625 |archive-date = 20 May 2010 }} The death toll was expected to rise as flood waters receded, allowing rescuers to reach stranded vehicles.{{Cite news |title = Jeddah flood death toll reaches 77 |url = http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=128861&d=27&m=11&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom |first = Muhammad |last = Humaidan |newspaper = Arab News |date = 27 November 2009 |access-date = 2009-11-27 }}

On 26 January 2011, again, heavy floods affected the city and other areas of Makkah Province. The cumulative rainfall exceeded the {{convert|90|mm|1|abbr=on}} recorded in four hours during the 25 November 2009 flash floods. Streets including Palestine Street, Madinah Road, and Wali Al-Ahad Street were either flooded or jammed with traffic. Cars were seen floating in some places. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told local newspaper Arab News that East Jeddah was swamped and floodwater was rushing west towards the Red Sea, turning streets into rivers once again.

File:2011 Jeddah floods - 1.jpg

On 17 November 2015, heavy floods affected the city. Streets affected by the flood include Palestine Street, Madinah Road, and many others. Cars were seen burning, and many trees fell as a result of the violent flood.{{Cite web | url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/17/Saudi-crisis-center-urges-all-Jeddah-residents-to-remain-indoors-.html |title = Saudi Arabia urges all Jeddah residents to remain indoors|date = 16 November 2015}} Three deaths were also reported. Two of the fatalities (including a child) were hit by lightning while crossing a street.

On 21 November 2017, heavy floods affected the city once more and Jeddah Islamic Port stopped operations for about three hours. Jeddah police received 11,000 phone calls on 911 from people enquiring about alternative roads and weather conditions.{{Cite news|url=http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/522358/SAUDI-ARABIA/Jeddah-rains-flood-streets-met-office-near-airport-hit-by-lightning|title=Jeddah rains flood streets, met office near airport hit by lightning|last=Muhammad|first=Fatima|date=2017-11-21|work=Saudigazette|access-date=2017-11-21|language=en-GB}} There were 250 reports of electrocution. Five people were electrocuted, two died.

On 24 November 2022, heavy floods affected Jeddah. Jeddah was heavily damaged from the flood and caused more than thousands of cars to be damaged by the flood and caused power outages to most of the city and the flood was approximately 1-2 meters high. As a result, flights were delayed, schools were closed, and two people were killed.

Metropolitan Jeddah comprises 137 districts (transliterated from Arabic):

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

1. Al-Murjan (The Coral)
2. Al-Basateen (The Orchards)
3. Al-Mohamadiya (Of Mohammed)
4. Ash-Shati (The Beach)
5. An-Nahda (The Renaissance)
6. An-Naeem (The Bliss)
7. An-Nuzha (The Excursion)
8. Az-Zahraa (from Fatima Az-Zahraa)
9. As-Salamah (The Safety)
10. Al-Bawadi
11. Ar-Rabwa (The Hill)
12. Al-Safa
13. Al-Khalidiya (Of Khalid)
14. Ar-Rawdha (The Medow)
15. Al-Faysaliya (Of Faisal)
16. Al-Andalus (Andalucia)
17. Al-Aziziya (Of Aziz "Abdulaziz")
18. Ar-Rihab (The Vast Expanse)
19. Al-Hamraa (The Red or Alhambra)
20. Mosharafa
21. Ar-Ruwais
22. Ash-Sharafiya (Of The Shareef)
23. Bani Malik
24. Al-Woroud (The Flowers)
25. An-Naseem (The Breeze)
26. Al-Baghdadiya Ash-Sharqiya (Of East Baghdad)
27. Al-Amariya (Of Ammar)
28. Al-Hindawiya
29. As-Saheifa
30. Al-Kandra
31. As-Sulaimaniya (Of Sulaiman/Solomon)
32. Al-Thaalba (The Foxes)
33. As-Sabeel (The Path)
34. Al-Qurayat
35. Gholail
36. An-Nozla Al-Yamaniya
37. Al-Nozla Ash-Sharqiya
38. Al-Taghr (The Stoma)
39. Al-Jamaa (The University; due to its proximity to King Abdulaziz University)
40. Madayin Al-Fahad (The Cities of Fahad)
41. Ar-Rawabi
42. Al-Wazeeriya (The Ministerial)
43. Petromin
44. Al-Mahjar (The Stone Pit)
45. Prince Abdel Majeed
46. Obhour Al-Janobiya (South of the Obhur Bay)
47. Al-Marwa
48. AL-Fayhaa
49. King Abdul Al-Aziz University
50. Al-Baghdadiya Al-Gharbiya (Of West Baghdad)
51. Al-Balad (The City)
52. Al-Ajwad
53. Al-Manar
54. As-Samer
55. Abruq Ar-Roghama
56. Madinat As-Sultan
57. Um Hablain
58. Al-Hamdaniya
59. Al-Salhiya
60. Mokhatat Al-Aziziya
61. Mokhatat Shamal Al-Matar
62. Mokhatat Ar-Riyadh
63. Mokhatat Al-Huda
64. Braiman
65. Al-Salam
66. Al-Mostawdaat
67. Al-Montazahat
68. Kilo 14
69. Al-Harazat
70. Um As-Salam
71. Mokhtat Zahrat Ash-Shamal
72. Al-Majid
73. Gowieza
74. Al-Gozain
75. Al-Kuwait
76. Al-Mahrogat
77. Al-Masfa
78. Al-Matar Al-Gadeem (old airport)
79. Al-Bokhariya
80. An-Nour
81. Bab Shareif
82. Bab Makkah
83. Bahra
84. Al-Amir Fawaz
85. Wadi Fatma
86. Obhour Shamaliya
87. At-Tarhil (deportation)
88. Al-Iskan Al-janoubi
89. At-Tawfeeq
90. Al-Goaid
91. Al-Jawhara
92. Al-Jamoum
93. Al-Khumra
94. Ad-Difaa Al-Jawi (Air Defense)
95. Ad-Dageeg
96. Ar-Robou
97. Ar-Rabie
98. Ar-Rehaily
99. As-Salmiya
100. As-Sanabil
101. As-Sinaiya (Bawadi)
102. Industrial City (Mahjar)
103. Al-Adl
104. Al-Olayia
105. Al-Faihaa
106. Al-Karanteena
107. Al-Ajaweed
108. Al-Ahmadiya
109. Al-Mosadiya
110. East Al-Khat As-Sarei
111. Kilo 10
112. King Faisal Navy Base
113. Kilo 7
114. Kilo 45
115. King Faisal Guard City
116. Kilo 11
117. Thowal
118. Kilo 13
119. Al-Makarona
120. Al-Layth
121. Al-Gonfoda
122. Rabegh
123. Kilo 8
124. Kilo 5
125. Kilo 2
126. Al-Mokhwa
127. National Guard Residence
128. As-Showag
129. Air Defense Residence
130. Al-Morsalat
131. Ash-Shoola
132. Al-Corniche
133. Al-Waha
134. Mokhatat Al-Haramain
135. Kholais
136. Al-Rhmanya
137. Wadi al batin
138. AL MADINAH
139. JUDAYYIADAT ARAR
140. AS SALWA
141. al huda

{{div col end}}

Jeddah is twinned with:

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

• {{flagicon|TUR}} Adana, Turkey
• {{flagicon|EGY}} Alexandria, Egypt
• {{flagicon|Kazakhstan}} Almaty, Kazakhstan{{cite web |title=Есть ли побратимы у Актау и других городов Казахстана|url=https://tumba.kz/zhizn-regiona/11-zhizn-regiona/43012-Est_li_pobratimy_u_Aktau_i_drugih_gorodov_Kazahstan.html|website=tumba.kz|publisher=Tumba|language=ru|date=2019-05-04|access-date=2020-12-17}}
• {{flagicon|JOR}} Amman, Jordan
• {{flagicon|Azerbaijan}} Baku, Azerbaijan{{cite web |title=Bakının qardaşlaşdığı şəhərlər - SİYAHI|url=https://modern.az/az/news/96318|website=modern.az|language=az|date=2016-02-16|access-date=2020-12-17}}
• {{flagicon|Bangladesh}} Chittagong, Bangladesh
• {{flagicon|UAE}} Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• {{flagicon|TUR}} Istanbul, Turkey{{cite web|title=Kardeş Şehirler|url=https://www.ibb.istanbul/SitePage/Index/151|website=ibb.istanbul|publisher=Istanbul|language=tr|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-date=2017-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301180559/https://www.ibb.istanbul/SitePage/Index/151|url-status=dead}}
• {{flagicon|Indonesia}} Jakarta, Indonesia
• {{flagicon|PAK}} Karachi, Pakistan{{cite web |title=Islamabad to get new sister city|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1230842|website=dawn.com|publisher=Dawn|date=2016-01-05|access-date=2020-12-17}}
• {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Kuching, Malaysia{{cite web |title=Kuching bags one of only two coveted 'Tourist City Award' in Asia|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2011/08/27/kuching-bags-one-of-only-two-coveted-tourist-city-award-in-asia|website=thestar.com.my|publisher=The Star|date=2011-08-27|access-date=2020-12-17}}
• {{flagicon|ESP}} Marbella, Spain{{cite web|title=Marbella, hermana de destinos turísticos premium|url=http://www.marbelladirecto.com/noticia/marbella-hermana-de-destinos-turisticos-premium/3463#.X5_ssOdCeUk|website=marbelladirecto.com|publisher=Marbella Directo|language=es|date=2015-06-17|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-date=2021-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223130637/http://www.marbelladirecto.com/noticia/marbella-hermana-de-destinos-turisticos-premium/3463#.X5_ssOdCeUk|url-status=dead}}
• {{flagicon|Turkmenistan}} Mary, Turkmenistan
• {{flagicon|ALG}} Oran, Algeria{{cite web|title=Historique de la Mairie d'Oran|url=https://apc-oran.dz/organisation-de-la-p-c/|website=apc-oran.dz|publisher=Oran|language=fr|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-date=2022-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405103311/https://apc-oran.dz/organisation-de-la-p-c/|url-status=dead}}
• {{flagicon|Kyrgyzstan}} Osh, Kyrgyzstan
• {{flagicon|BUL}} Plovdiv, Bulgaria{{cite web |title=Twin towns|url=https://www.plovdiv.bg/en/about-plovdiv/%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8-%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5/|website=plovdiv.bg|publisher=Plovdiv|access-date=2020-12-17}}
• {{flagicon|Indonesia}} Surabaya, Indonesia
• {{flagicon|Taiwan}} Taipei, Taiwan{{cite web |title=International Sister Cities|url=http://www.tcc.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=81569D74DD82C7DB|website=tcc.gov.tw|publisher=Taipei City Council|access-date=2020-12-17}}
• {{flagicon|TUN}} Tunis, Tunisia{{cite web |title=Coopération internationale|url=http://www.commune-tunis.gov.tn/publish/content/article.asp?id=771|website=commune-tunis.gov.tn|publisher=Tunis|language=fr|access-date=2020-12-17}}

{{div col end}}

{{Portal|Saudi Arabia}}

• Abha
• Bibliography of the history of Jeddah
• Karantina
• Khobar
• List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• Didier, Charles. Séjour Chez Le Grand-Cherif De La Mekke. Librairie De L. Hachette et, Rue Pierre.
• Didier, Charles. Rehla Ela Al-Hejaz: A Trip to Hejaz. Translated from Séjour Chez Le Grand-Cherif De La Mekke into Arabic. Paris, 1854. {{ISBN|9960-677-14-1}}.
• Facey, William & Grant, Gillian. Saudi Arabia by the First Photographers. {{ISBN|0-905743-74-1}}
• Farsi, Hani M.S. (Mohamed Said). Jeddah: city of art: the sculptures and monuments. London: Stacey International, 1991. {{ISBN|0-905743-66-0}}.
• From Bullard to Mr Chamberlain. Jeddah, 1925 Feb. (No.# secrets) - Archived Post.
• Froster, Captain G. S. A trip Across the Peninsula - Rehla Abr Al-Jazeera. Mombai, India, 1866.
• El-Hage, Badr. Saudi Arabia: caught in time 1861-1939. Published by Garnet, Reading, 1997. {{ISBN|1-85964-090-7}}.
• Al-Harbi, Dalal. King Abdulaziz and his Strategies to deal with events: Events of Jeddah. King Abdulaziz National Library, 2003. {{ISBN|9960-624-88-9}}.
• Keane, John F. Six months in the Hejaz: journeys to Makkah and Madinah 1877-1989. Manchester: Barzan Publishing, 2006. {{ISBN|0-9549701-1-X}}.
• Al-Khaldi, Ibrahim. The Bedouin Photographer - Al-Mosawwir Al-Badawi. Kuwait, 2004.
• Maneval, Stefan. 2019. [https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/126117 New Islamic Urbanism: The Architecture of Public and Private Space in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia]. London: UCL Press. {{ISBN|9781787356429}}.
• Al-Rehani. Nejd and Its Followers.
• Tarabulsi, Mohammed Yosuf. Jeddah: A Story of a City. Riyadh: King Fahd National Library, 2006. {{ISBN|9960-52-413-2}}.
• Al-Turki, Thuraya. Jeddah: Um Al-Rakha wal Sheddah. Published by Dar Al-Shrooq.

{{refend}}

{{Sister project links|Jeddah|voy = Jeddah}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070531224917/http://www.jeddah.gov.sa/ Municipality of Jeddah] Official municipality website {{In lang|ar}} (archived 31 May 2007)
• [http://www.jed.gov.sa/ Principality of Jeddah] Official Jeddah principality website {{In lang|ar}}
• [https://destinationksa.com/ Destination KSA] Saudi Arabia Citation website {{In lang|ar}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090717005415/http://www.jeddah.gov.sa/english/ City of Jeddah] Official website {{In lang|en}} (archived 17 July 2009)

{{Jeddah}}

{{Saudi cities}}

{{Saudi Arabia topics}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated coastal places in Saudi Arabia

Category:Populated places established in the 6th century BC

Category:Populated places in Mecca Province

Category:Port cities in the Arabian Peninsula

Category:Port cities and towns in Saudi Arabia

Category:Port cities and towns of the Red Sea

Category:Underwater diving sites in Saudi Arabia

Category:World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia

Category:Cities in Saudi Arabia