The economic capital of Saudi Arabia is famous both for its many attractions and for the world-famous centers of Islamic culture and religion in Mecca and Medina (to visit these cities, pilgrims and tourists fly to Jeddah). After all, pilgrims from all over the world come here!

 

Archaeological finds indicate that Jeddah was founded in the 6th century BC, and began to actively develop from 647. In every part of the city you can find old quarters, walk along sidewalks and streets, looking at unusual houses and squares that have witnessed important historical events.

 

The main attractions of Jeddah include:

 

The mansions of Nasif and Sharbatly, which belonged to noble merchants, so their interior was more like the royal chambers. Next to the mansions, you can see modern buildings that do not spoil the look of the old buildings in the least.

The Nasif House Museum was built in 1881 for Sheikh Omar Efendi Nasif, and in 1925 served as the residence of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The house is located in the Al-Balad area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Currently, the mansion is a publicly accessible cultural center.

 

Abdel Rauf Hasan Khalil Museum - which displays a collection of paintings by painters from the 17th - 19th centuries. The museum also contains rare manuscripts of the Koran, a collection of coins from the Abbasid era and other works of art.

 

Jeddah Cornish is a coastal area that stretches along the Red Sea for as much as 30 km! Along the entire length, there are many infrastructure facilities, recreation areas, sculptures and other attractions. One of them is the tallest fountain in the world - the King Fahd Fountain.

 

El Balad (old city) is the historical center of Jeddah city. Formed El-Ballad appeared in the 7th century and served as the center of Jeddah. Since 2014, El Ballad has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 

Fountain of King Fahd - was built in 1983 near the administrative palace building of the city of Jeddah. It was a stream of water spurting upwards to a height of 120 meters. But already in 1985, the city administration decided to rebuild the fountain to a more powerful one. After that, the discharge of water increased to 312 meters. The construction of the fountain fell on the reign of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia Ibn Abdel Aziz Al Saud, therefore it is often called the Fountain of King Fahd (sometimes the fountain of Jeddah). The total mass of water that continuously ejects water is approximately 18.8 tons. After several years of operation, it was found that the steel pipes of the fountain suffer very much from corrosion. As a result, at the end of 1987, an anodic protection was installed to prevent the destruction of the metal.

* At the moment (2021), the fountain is considered the tallest in the world!

 

Souk al-Alawi is a lively market street that fully conveys the flavor and culture of the ancient city.

Tahliya or Thalia is the main shopping street of Jeddah Cornish. The largest breakwaters are concentrated here: Red Sea Mall, Mal of Arabia and Star's Avenue. And you can always refresh yourself in one of the many restaurants not only of Arabic cuisine, but also of any of the world ones.

 

Fakieh Aquarium - Jeddah's aquarium and dolphinarium will be especially relevant for families with children. The many species of fish and other representatives of the underwater life of the Red Sea will make your vacation more varied and exciting.