Balad, Saudi Arabia

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Balad is the downtown area of Jeddah, the second largest city of Saudi Arabia. Balad can literally be translated as "The Town". Balad traces its history 2,500 years back as a fishing village when the Quadaa fishermen tribe settled there little knowing that they had established the cornerstone for one of the most thriving and cosmopolitan neighbourhoods of the Arab world. Balad is a beautiful blend of the modern and the classic where the glass facades of modern skyscrapers rub shoulders with historical buidings with the distinct horizontally embedded wooden beams that has come to symbolize Balad over years.

Though it may not occur to one as quickly as Bond Street or Fifth Avenue, Balad can be a shopper's paradise. Balad has a plethora of upscale shopping centres with high-end fashion brands from Milan and Paris, along with the traditional street vendors and open air souks. Many Saudi companies are headquratered here the most famous of which is the National Commercial bank. The award winning structural design is the widely regarded as the first Arab skyscraper and features Gordon Bunshaft at his best.

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