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A Trip to Jeddah
The Gate to the Two Holy Mosques |
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Old History |
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Throughout ages, Jeddah has gained its importance from its important location on the Red Sea on caravan routes and proximity to Makkah. Old Muslim Pilgrims used to cross the deserts on camels along the eastern coast of the Red Sea, or come to Jeddah on ships to continue their trip to Makkah for Hajj and Omrah, and to Medinah to visit Prophet Muhammad's Mosque and shrine. The city was and is still a gate to the Muslim holy places.
Since its establishment eight centuries before Islam, Jeddah has witnessed many developments. First, it was a shelter and a harbor for fishermen. Then in 115 BC, the Arabian tribe, Qudha'ah, settled there after the destruction of Ma'rib Dam in Yemen. It is said that the city was named after one of the chiefs of that tribe, Jeddah bin Jurm …. bin Qudha'ah, the latter being one of the ancestors of Prophet Muhammad. | |
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Jeddah was influenced by the Persian civilization in the 6th century, which was manifested in the ancient architectural plan, as well as the Seljuk Mamluk civilization, in whose reign a wall was built around the city. The wall was later destroyed, but in the 16th century it was rebuilt by the Turkish sultan ,Qansoh Al-Ghouri, to protect Jeddah from Portuguese raids and other pirates. In 1947 and after the expansion of the city, the wall was removed. A remnant of the wall, a tower, still stands south of Bab Shareef Hospital.
Old Jeddah was and is still known for its four quarters: Al-Sham, Al-Mazloom, Al-Yemen, and Al-Bahr. These quarters were the meeting places for caravans heading north or south. The city used to have four main gates: Bab MAkkah in the east, Bab Al-Medinah in the north, Bab Al-Nabat in the west, and Bab Shareef in the south. |
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Location & Climate |
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Jeddah lies halfway between the northern and southern ends of the eastern coast of the Red Sea on Tihama Plain. Being a coastal city, humidity is high in summer and decreases in winter. The lowest temperatures are in December and January and the highest in July and August.
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Modern History |
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The importance of Jeddah rose after opening the Suez Canal in 1869, when ships began to reach it from the south and north of the Red Sea.
The merchants and notables of the city harnessed builders and craftsmen to build and ornament houses following the coastal cities architectural styles. In its center, Jeddah still retains more than 500 houses that have been restored by the government to reflect some of its history.
The real development jump that the city made took place in 1957 when the late King Saud ordered the removal of the wall to embark on expanding the city eastwards, northwards and southwards and to change it into a modern city. |
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Jeddah, a Face of Civilization |
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Like other cities in the Kingdom, Jeddah has undergone great changes and developments. The manifestation of modernization can be seen in the engineering of the streets and the architecture of the buildings; in water desalination plants; in postal service and water, power and telephone networks; in the large number of parks, well-equipped hospitals, restaurants and fine hotels; and in the countless schools, modern universities, colleges and training centers.
Jeddah is a big, busy and vital center of business. There are a lot of banks, shopping centers and malls, where all kinds of locally-made and imported goods are available. There are also traditional souks that attract tourists. |
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