Info Go Comsa A visitor's gazette for Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Corniche waterfront lights along the Red Sea at night

A visitor's gazette · Saudi Arabia

The old port of the Hijaz

Coral stone, a wet wind, and a long walk along the water.

Jeddah, جدة, is the old port of the Hijaz. Pilgrims landed here for centuries on the way to Makkah. This gazette does not give a haram guide. Makkah and Madinah keep their own rules. Official sources cover them. We stay in the port city.

Al-Balad

Al-Balad, البلد, is coral-stone houses with rawashin, the carved wooden balconies that shade the street. The coral came from the reef. The wood came by dhow. Restoration is slow and incomplete, which is honest. You walk in shade that the buildings themselves make.

Coral-stone facade of Bait Al Balad in historic Jeddah
Bait Al Balad, a coral-stone house in historic Jeddah.
Tall coral houses with wooden balconies in Al-Balad, Jeddah
Tall houses in Al-Balad. The timber screens are the air-conditioning.

The Corniche

The Corniche is the long walk along the water. In the evening the air is wetter than Riyadh and the sea is a dark line. Families use it as a public room. It is not a shopping catalogue. It is a piece of civic ground that happens to face the Red Sea.

Jeddah Corniche waterfront lights along the Red Sea at night
The Jeddah Corniche at night. Lights, the road, and the water beyond.

From here the coast continues south. That is the Red Sea page. If you are still on the plane, start with arriving.