Jeddah

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Coordinates: 21°50′N 39°16′E
City of Jeddah جدة

Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Province	Western Province
Government
- Mayor	Adel Faqih
Area
- City	1,320 km² (509.7 sq mi)
- Land	1,200 km² (463.3 sq mi)
- Water	120 km² (46.3 sq mi)
Population (2006)
- City	3,400,000
- Metro	3,807,000

This article is about the Saudi Arabian city. For the Australian movie, see Jedda.

Jeddah (also spelled Jedda, Jiddah, Jidda, or Juddah; جدّة Ǧiddah), a Saudi Arabian city located on the coast of the Red Sea (21.50° N 39.1667° E), is the major urban center in western Saudi Arabia, the largest in the Western Province, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city Riyadh. The population of the city currently stands at over 3.4 million. It is considered as the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia and the wealthiest city in the Middle East and western Asia.

Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca, the holiest city of Islam, which able-bodied Muslims are required to visit at least once in a lifetime.

[edit] Etymology and spelling

There are two explanations for the etymology of the name 'Jeddah'. One is that name means "seashore," since Jeddah is located along the Red Sea coast and is Saudi Arabia's most important commercial port. The more common account has it that the name is derived from jaddah, the Arabic word for "grandmother". According to eastern folk belief, the tomb of Eve (21.492° N 39.19° E), considered the grandmother of humanity, is located in Jeddah. The supposed tomb of Eve was sealed with concrete by the religious authorities in 1975 as a result of some Muslim pilgrims breaking Islamic tradition by praying at Eve's tomb.

On official Saudi maps and documents, the city name is transcribed "Jeddah". The British Foreign Office, however, still insists on using the older spelling of Jedda, contrary to all other English-speaking usage -- including other branches of the British government.

[edit] Locations

Jeddah Seaport

The Old City with its traditional multistory buildings and merchant houses has lost ground to more modern development. However, the city's recent generations have come to appreciate its traditions more, and have persevered in having many of the older buildings carefully preserved.

The city has several popular private beaches, including Durrat Al-Arus, Crystal Resort, FAL, Al Remal, Shums, Bait Albahar, Salhia, Sheraton Abhur, Al Nakheel Village and many other splendid resorts. Many are renowned for their preserved Red Sea marine life and offshore coral reefs.

Jeddah is served by King Abdulaziz International Airport. One of the airport's three passenger terminals is a special outdoor "tent" terminal, which was constructed to handle the more than 2 million pilgrims who pass through the airport during the Hajj season. Moreover, the Jeddah Seaport which is the 30th largest seaport in the world (2004) handles the majority of Saudi Arabia's commercial movement.

Satellite image

Also, one of three consulates of the United States of America in Saudi Arabia is located in Jeddah, along with consulates for 67 other countries such as United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and China as well as countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Arab League.

[edit] History

The city was founded as a fishing village over 2,500 years ago, but first achieved prominence in 647 A.D., when the Muslim caliph Othman ibn Affan turned it into a port for Muslim pilgrims making the required hajj to Mecca.

Jeddah was for centuries the main city of the historic Hejaz province and historic port for pilgrims arriving by sea on their pilgrimage or hajj to Mecca.

At the end of the 17th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered Hejaz, including the holy city of Mecca and Jeddah. The Ottomans rebuilt the city walls of Jeddah following their victory over Lopo Soares de Albergaria's armada in the Red Sea.

During World War I, Sharifs of Hejaz whom were the Ottoman commanders of the area had revolted against Turkish empire seeking independence from the ruling Ottoman Turks and creating a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen.

A few years later, King Ibn Sa'ud, whose clan originated in the central Najd province, conquered Mecca (1924), Medina, and Jeddah, and deposed the Sharif of Hejaz, Hussein Bin 'Ali Al Hashem, who fled to Cyprus, settling eventually in Amman, Jordan, where his descendants became the Hashemite royal family.

In this way, as part of Hejaz, Jeddah came under the sway of the Sa'ud dynasty. In 1926, Ibn Sa'ud added the title King of Hijaz to his position of Sultan of Najd. Today, Jeddah has lost its historical role in peninsular politics, historic Hejaz province along the west coast having been subdivided into smaller provinces, with Jeddah falling within the new province of Makkah with its provincial capital Mecca .

Downtown

Abdul Raouf Khalil's Museum

Portuguese Fleet

[edit] Diversity

Popular Saudi opinion regards Jeddah as the most liberal and cosmopolitan of Saudi cities in spite of its historic role as port and gateway to the holy city of Mecca. For over one thousand years, Jeddah has received millions of pilgrims of different ethnicities and backgrounds, from Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia , Europe and Middle east , many of whom remained and became citizens of the city. As a result, Jeddah is much more ethnically diverse than most Saudi cities and its culture more eclectic in nature (in contrast with the more geographically isolated, homogeneous, and religiously strict capital Riyadh). Different nationalities of Muslims often prescribe to different sects of Islam, and the presence of these sects in Hejazi culture has helped make the city relatively more tolerant traditionally. Added to the traditional diversity, the oil-boom of the past 50 years has brought hundreds of thousands of working immigrants and foreign workers from non-Muslim countries the majority originating from continents such as North America (Unites States of America), Europe (Western Europe), and Asia (South and South-East Asia).

[edit] Open-air art

During the oil boom in the late 1970s and '80s, there was a focused civic effort at bringing art to Jeddah's public areas. As a result, Jeddah contains an unusually large number of modern open air sculptures and works of art, typically situated in traffic round-abouts which makes it to this day the largest open-air art gallery in the world. Sculptures include works by a variety of artists, ranging from the obscure to international stars such as Jean Arp, Cesar, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Joan Miró and Victor Vasarely and often depict elements of traditional Saudi culture -- coffee pots, incense burners, palm trees, etc. The fact that Islamic tradition prohibits the depiction of living creatures, notably the human form, has made for some very creative modern art, ranging from the tasteful to the bizarre and down-right hideous. These include a mounted defunct propeller plane, a giant geometry set, a giant bicycle, and a huge block of marble with several cars protruding out of it at odd angles.

[edit] Major organizations headquartered in Jeddah

Saudi Geological Survey.
Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Islamic Development Bank.
Jeddah Economic Forum.
Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Organization.
Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Jeddah Marketing Board.
International Association of Islamic Banks.
Islamic Shipowners Association.
Islamic States Broadcasting Organization.
Naseef House

[edit] Real Estates & Landmarks

[edit] King Fahd's Fountain

Main article: King Fahd's Fountain

Jeddah's Fountain is a major landmark built in the 1980s and listed in Guinness World Records as the highest in the world which can reach 312 meters (1,023.62 feet), and can be seen from very far distances. The fountain was donated to the City of Jeddah by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz which is where the name is derived.

[edit] NCB Tower

Main article: National Commercial Bank

Build since 1983 and believed to be the highest tower in Saudi Arabia during the 80's of the 20th century, with a height over 235 meters. The National Commercial Bank as a company is Saudi Arabia's first bank.

[edit] IDB Tower

Main article: Islamic Development Bank

IDB is a multilateral development financing institution founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Building with its nice design is a famous landmark can be seen from a very far distance.

[edit] Jeddah Municipality Tower

Main article: Jeddah Municipality

This is the headquarters of the metropolitan area of Jeddah, the new building of the Municipality is one of Jeddah's highest skyscrapers.

[edit] Lamar Towers

Main article: Lamar Towers

This construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2010 ,These residental skyscrapers will reach the highet of 65 floors.

[edit] TV Tower

Main article: Jeddah TV Tower

The new branch of the Ministry of Information with it's TV Tower which reachs over 250 meters , makes it one of important landmarks in Jeddah.

[edit] Education

List of Educational centers in Jeddah:

King Abdulaziz University.
Dar Al-Hekma College.
Arab Open University.
Effat College.
CBA College.
Teacher's College.
Prince Sultan Aviation Academy.
Jeddah College of Technology.
Jeddah Private College
College of Health care.
College of Telecom & Electronics
College of Community
Private College of Business
Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing
Saudi German Institute for Nursing.
New Horizons Institute.
Wall Street Institute.
The British International School of Jeddah "Continental School"
Saudi Arabian Airlines International School (SAIS - American School)
Jeddah Literature Club
Islamic Fiqh Academy

[edit] Hotels

Sheraton Hotel

Jeddah Hilton

Corniche Rosewood Hotel (left Tower)

List of most famous Hotels in Jeddah:

Hotel Name	Rank	Hotel Name	Rank
The Westin Jeddah	5 Stars	Hilton Hotel Jeddah	5 Stars
Crowne Plaza Hotel	5 Stars	Durrah Beach	5 Stars
Sheraton Tower and Villas	5 Stars	Le Méridien Jeddah	5 Stars
Sands Hotel	5 Stars	Mövenpick Hotel	5 Stars
Marriott Hotel	5 Stars	Radisson SAS Royal Suites	5 Stars
Radisson SAS Hotel	5 Stars	InterContinental Hotel	5 Stars
La Fontaine Resorts	5 Stars	Sheraton Beach	5 Stars
Jeddah Orchid Hotel	5 Stars	Al Attas Hotel	5 Stars
Al Bilad Hotel	5 Stars	Chorniche Rosewood	5 Stars
Ramada Hotel	5 Stars	Rotana Royal Suites	4 Stars
Al Sultan Palace	4 Stars	Holiday Inn Jeddah	4 Stars
al Hamra Sofitel Hôtel	4 Stars	Red Sea Palace Hotel	4 Stars
Al Sofaraa Suites	4 Stars	Al Bustan Mercure Hotel	4 Stars
Holiday Inn Resorts	4 Stars	Al-Banawi Resorts	4 Stars
Jeddah Trident Hotel	4 Stars	Casablanca Hotel	4 Stars
Kaki Hotel	4 Stars	Ramada Royal Villas	4 Stars
Habitat Hotel	4 Stars	Khaldiyah Palace	3 Stars
Al Azhar Hotel	3 Stars	Rihana Plaza Hotel	3 Stars
Mövenpick Resort	3 Stars	Sunset Hotel	3 Stars
Madina Palace	3 Stars	F.K.S Suites	3 Stars
Al Baia Hotel	3 Stars	Al Burj Hotel	3 Stars
Kandara Palace	3 Stars	Al Riyadh Hotel	2 Stars
Safari Hotel	2 Stars

[edit] Shopping

Serafi Mega Mall

Oasis Mall

Tahlia Street

While Jeddah is one of the largest commercial areas in middle east it has also a large number of shopping malls.

Well-known shopping centers:

Mall Name		Mall Name
Sawari Landmark Mall		Sultan Mall
Iceland Ceneter		Heraa Plaza
Serafi Mega Mall		Roshan Mall
Roshanah Mall		University Plaza
City Plaza		Mahmoud Saieed Center
Oasis Mall		Nojood Center
Badr Center		Roba'eyat Center
Bin Homraan Tower		La Promenade 1
La Promenade 2		Al Badreya Towers
Le Mall		Al Tahlia Shopping Center
Jeddah Mall		Al Haddab Tahlia Center
Heraa Avenue		University Mall
Queen Tower		Jamjoom Mall
Sawari Mall		Al Musadeyya Center
Al Mahmal Mall		Jeddah Int'l Mall
Al Hamraa Mall		Al Basateen Center
Heraa Mall		Suliemaniya Mall
Dania Center		Al Baroom Tower
Al Hefnee Mall		Al Khayyat Center
Al Madinah Center		Cornish Center
South Mall		Al Kaiyal Center
Najjar Mall		Hejaz Mall
Al Suhaili Plaza		Aiya Mall
Salama Mall		Shati Market

[edit] Weather

thermometer in public street shows temp as +42c

Desert storms are very common in middle eastern cities

Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, Jeddah retains its warm temperature in winter, which gets around +15c (59F) at midnight to +25c (77F) in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are considered very hot, break the +40c (104F) mark in the afternoon and +30c (86F) in the evening. Rain in Jeddah's area is rare , which usually falls in December.