Explore Jeddah

Jeddah’s UNESCO-listed historical center is one of the kingdom’s most evocative quarters, with narrow alleyways between ancient coral-stone merchants’ houses leading to spice-scented souqs and glowing traditional bakeries. Many buildings have been sensitively restored in recent years, including the grand 106-room Nasseef House, where the former king of Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Ibn Saud stayed in 1925 before becoming king of a unified Saudi Arabia. Empty spaces have become quirky cafés or art galleries and mangour woodwork workshops, as a district built in the seventh century looks to the future.

Jeddah has a rich 2,500-year history of fishing tribes, early Arabian trade and, later, pilgrims. The Tayebat City Museum tells this story and that of the wider Arabian peninsula. Built in traditional Hijazi style, with roshan window screens and ornate minarets, the vast complex sprawls over four floors and 18 wings, with more than 60,000 items on display. Explore ancient coins and manuscripts, traditional Saudi costumes and a re-creation of the Kaaba, the sacred black cube at the center of Makkah’s Grand Mosque.