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.