The principal gateway to Mecca, Jeddah’s spiritual roots are very deep. Eve, the mother of mankind, is said to be buried in the city centre (although skeptics claim there is no actual proof), while archeological excavations in the old city suggest evidence of pre-Islam (700 BC) activity. Regrettably only scant vestiges of historical Jeddah remain, and it was these small remnants that UNESCO made the city a World Heritage Site in 2014.The 19th century Red Sea architecture is unique in its kind But in truth there is very little of the old town still standing. The Saudis are putting a lot of money into restoring the crumbling old buildings, which are today hidden behind fences and netting
The fact that pilgrims arrive from all over the world to visit Mecca means that Jeddah has a very cosmopolitan feel, unlike other parts of Saudi Arabia. . However, while the city might well be more open than other parts of the Kingdom, it is still Saudi Arabia and when in doubt, visitors – especially women – should err on the side of modesty when it comes to what they choose to wear.
Otherwide we would have seen little of the city as we were away for one day at Medina and two days at Al Ula. So we went in by ourselves on the shuttle bus - a 30 minute drive - then wandered round until it got dark
It would have been better had a map been available but, eventually we discovered the "heritage area" which was in a very poor state. The Saudis were clearly going to do a very expensive reconstruction job on the old town - a complete reconstruction, rather than just restoring. Most of the heritage buildings were fenced off, but one could see what was going on behind the fences We were back aboard for a meal in Hot Rocks, where the staff were not too switched on!, and then a chat with the pianist, George from Romania, and Martin, the activity manager, an old friend!
The Saudis are big on dates - a sort of acquired taste, a bit like wine prices differences to Westerners - we never really saw why dates could cost anything from X per kilo up to 6X per kilo. The Date markets in Jeddah are flooded with various varieties of fresh dates from Medina and Qassim regions, "Sukkari" is the most sought after variety, closely followed by another variety called "Rotana". Other varieties in the market include "Helawa," "Beid," "Amber," "Safwai" and "Sagafi." Both these varieties, which are from Qassim region, are hot favourites among the Saudis.
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The new town was packed with an enormous array of gold shops - it would appear that gold and dates are the two things that Saudis really, really need
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And as we finally sailed out of Jeddah, the elaborate lighthouse and the enormous floodlit water jet both showed up clearly
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