Saudi Arabia > The Old Centre of Jeddah

In the restaurant, a breakfast buffet is ready. After having eaten a lot of flatbread and cheese for breakfast recently, this is a nice change. While my bread is being toasted, the chef prepares an omelet. Today we have time to explore Jeddah. The first challenge begins in the parking garage under the hotel. Yesterday, we barely managed to make the turn. Now there are more cars, and some block the driving route. We have to reverse out. The spaces between the pillars are so narrow that we cannot turn around. We carefully reverse out of the garage. Afterwards, we set course for the Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum. The Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum is one of the most famous museums in Jeddah. The museum shows the 2,500-year-old history of the city. The attendant walks with us through the museum. In each room, he turns on the lights and signals that we may enter. The museum has a diverse collection of Islamic and Persian art. There are also models of Saudi buildings and internationally famous monuments. The museum is large and has many rooms. Tirelessly, the lights are turned on per room and then off behind us. After we have seen all the rooms on the ground floor, the elevator leads to the second floor. Here, each room shows the traditional building styles of different tribes. We recognize some styles we have seen earlier during our trip. After the third floor, we indicate that we have seen enough. We skip the top floor. The attendant is fine with this. When we want to give a tip, he gestures that this is not the intention. A colleague joins and says we must buy a ticket. We hear eighty euros. That seems a bit much.

Saudi Arabia - The museum looks just as impressive from the outside

It turns out to be eighty riyals, but per person. That is still 22 euros each. We doubt if this is correct. Until now, many museums had been free to visit. The handwritten receipt does not change that. On the way to the old historic city of Jeddah, we pass the sculpture park, which also has works by the Spanish artist Miró. We also see the 171-meter-high flagpole with the Saudi flag. Until early 2022, this flagpole was the tallest in the world. Now Egypt has installed a 202-meter-high flagpole. Around the old city, entire neighborhoods have been demolished. We drive for kilometers along a vacant lot where houses once stood. Jeddah has big plans for urban renewal. Here too, we wonder why it is done so drastically all at once? Could it not be done bit by bit? The word phased really does not exist in Saudi Arabia. Whether it is the metro in Riyadh, the Neom construction project near Tabuk, or the urban renewal here. Originally, we had also booked a hotel near the old city. The booking was canceled because the hotel was being demolished. Due to the construction work, navigation does not work properly. The suggested roads simply no longer exist. We take the first exit into the center. This road is busy and traffic moves very slowly. In the old city, parking is paid everywhere. We do not know if we will understand how the payment machines work. We see an entrance to a parking garage. We drive in. Instead of getting a ticket from the machine, an employee gives us a receipt with our entry time handwritten. We drive all the way to the top before finding a free spot. From the roof, we look right over the old city and left over the demolished lot. Exactly in between, on the edge of the old city, stands the Mecca Gate. Pilgrims used to pass through this gate to go to the holy city.

Saudi Arabia - Pilgrims used to pass through this Jeddah gate to Mecca

Now the gate stands somewhat lost next to the enormous construction site. In the historic center of Jeddah are many old Ottoman houses. Characteristic white houses with wooden balconies. Some buildings are heavily dilapidated. In other places, the old houses are being restored. The old city of Jeddah has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list for several years. The narrow streets form a real labyrinth. There are shops everywhere, although around noon not all shops are open. We pass the Nasseef House, a large Ottoman house of a wealthy family from the eighteenth century. We cross the streets from east to west. In a small alley, we find a local restaurant. There is just one table free. We choose fish. After all, Jeddah is by the sea. In a container, we point out three pieces of salmon. Shortly after, the prepared salmon with rice is served. Around us, mainly locals are eating, although most are migrant workers. It is not customary to dine for a long time in Saudi Arabia. While we sit in the restaurant, most tables around us have been used twice already. We still have some salmon left. We offer it to two older men at the table next to us. They eagerly accept it. Outside again, we notice how warm it is. Or rather, how humidly warm it is. It is around thirty-five degrees Celsius, but due to the higher humidity, it feels oppressively warm.

Saudi Arabia - The inner city of Jeddah has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List for several years

On the way to the northern city gate, Bab Jadid, we try to walk as much as possible in the shade. Between the gate and the historic Shafei Mosque, hard work is going on restoring the Ottoman houses. Construction workers are busy with repairs everywhere. Almost every building in these streets is being worked on. Here too, everything is tackled at once. It is half past two when we are back at the car. Because the souqs only come alive around sunset, we decide to drive to Southern Beach for a drink. Al Saif Beach lies some forty kilometers south of the city. Via the highway, we are there within three quarters of an hour. The beach is less idyllic than we had expected. We follow local custom and drive our car onto the hard sand. We park close to the sea. Some people are swimming in the sea. There are no food or drink facilities. However, an old van drives around for catering. Here we can order a drink. Of course, the question of where we come from follows again.

Saudi Arabia - Beach purchases can be made from the car

After wandering around for an hour, we drive back to the center of Jeddah. In the Indian district, just north of the old city, it might be nice to look around. As every day, traffic gets busier late in the afternoon. Drivers perform strange maneuvers to get ahead faster. We pay close attention not to damage this rental car. When we arrive at the Indian district, the street scene does not seem very special. Parking is difficult here anyway. We choose an alternative. We drive a bit further north to the Al Shati souq. A modern area with smaller shops. On the inner square, there are food outlets and entertainment for children. We walk past the shops. At the food outlets, we order a drink while watching the people walking by. Dusk falls and it gets dark. We look for a restaurant. Around the shopping center, there are many takeaway places. We enter a more upscale restaurant. We look at the menu, but we don’t think this is a nice way to end our holiday. In a side street, things are better. A simple restaurant where we can eat on a rug. An employee finds it strange that Westerners don’t sit at the table. The menu is of course ‘chicken with rice,’ this time with vegetables. At half past eight, we are back at the hotel. To be safe, we park the car in front of the hotel and not in the garage. There is one free spot left. We don’t want to risk not getting out of the garage early tomorrow morning. In the room, I repack my luggage and go to bed on time. Tomorrow I have to get up early.