A port that opened the way
Historic Jeddah sits on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. From the seventh century it was a major port on the Indian Ocean trade routes, and it became the sea gateway for Muslim pilgrims travelling on to Makkah.
That double life, as a trading harbour and a pilgrims' landing place, shaped the old city: markets, mosques, lodgings for pilgrims and small public squares, all packed close together.
What you will see
Two kinds of building define the quarter. The tall tower houses of the late nineteenth century were built by merchant families, and they carry large decorated wooden balconies, the roshan. Around them stand lower coral-stone houses, along with mosques, pilgrim lodgings and suqs.
The protected area covers about a third of the original walled city. UNESCO inscribed it in 2014 under the name «Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah».