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  Jeddah entered a new era beginning in 1925, the year when King Abdul Aziz extended his rule to the city bringing security and growth. Within a decade the city spilled over the restrictive walls, expanding in every direction.  www.saudiembassy.net/publications/magazine-winter-99/preserving.html

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Jeddah has grown from humble origins, it began about 2,500 years ago as a tiny fishing settlement, in the 16th century, the Ottomans built a stone wall around the town in order to fortify it against attacks from the Portuguese. www.arab.net/saudi/history/sa_jeddahgrowth.html

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Jeddah/s growth: We left Jeddah in 1972, to live in Kuwait and when we retuned in 1979, Jeddah's growth had been so rapid that I could not figure out where we were! So many highways, main roads, shopping centers and residential areas had popped up, one day we passed the US Embassy and drove home from there. I finally had a focal point and could understand the 'new' directions in Jeddah!

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Hyperbolically known as the Paris of Arabia, Jeddah is one of the few cities in the region to have built around, rather than over, its history. Although it's definitely a modern metropolis, Jeddah is also the most interesting and friendly of Saudi Arabia's big cities.  www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/saudi_arabia/attractions.htm

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Living amidst the glitter, if you seek the visually spectacular, Jeddah will never disappoint you. And there is probably no where more spectacular than Jeddas's floodlit Corniche in the evening, where over 400 open-air sculptures provide a feast for the eye.   http://arab.net/saudi/tour/sa_jeddahlife.html

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After the sunset prayer, the Corniche springs into life with Saudi families dining al fresco. Picnicking is a favorite local hobby and is regarded as an ideal opportunity to get together for a family chat and a substantial supper.
  The fast-food chains have branches in Jeddah and in these as in all other restaurants, there are two separate sections, one for 'families' and one for men only. The men's section is usually situated in the front of the restaurant overlooking the street. The family section however, is discreetly tucked away and usually has screen windows (and sometimes screens between tables).  www.arab.net/saudi/tour/sa_jeddahlife.html

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Read my personal notes,    A Night Life Society    and    Siestas

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More about the Red Sea:

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  The true fascination of the Red Sea is hidden just below it's surface, here lies the diver's paradise, one of the world's most impressive reefs, containing more than 200 species of multi-colored coral.
  The city of Jeddah is totally dependent on the sea water for it's water supply, and it  is processed in the enormous desalination plants.  www.arab.net/saudi/tour/sa_redsea.html

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Jeddah's Secret: The best-kept secret in Jeddah (and one which many Saudis are totally unaware of and would deny if asked) is that there is a Christian cemetery in the city. It is in fact in a street in the old city, named with predictable Arab pragmatism, the street of the Cemetery of the foreigners.
www.mideasttraveler.com/mideastsite/saudiarabia/cs.htm

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One day while watching the weather on CNN, just for the fun of it I sent an email to the weather man and asked why there was so little rain in Jeddah. NOT three minutes later the weather man answered my email on the air!!!

Something to do with the Surat mountain range stopping it, can't remember all of what he said, I was just tickled that he answered!

I can personally vouch that the broadcast is really live!!!

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Preservation and Revitalization of the Historic Sections
One of the most extensive programs conducted to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the recapture of Riyadh (and beginning of a unified Saudi Arabia) involves the preservation and revitalization of the historic section of Jeddah which was first inhabited some 3,000 years ago.

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To read more about the old city of Jeddah, visit:

www.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/a/akpia/www/akpiste/4.239/jeddah/jeddah.html

OR visit this site with very nice pictures of the old houses.
www.saudicaves.com/saudi/oldjeddah.html

Also there are some good pictures of KSA at this site.
www.saudicities.com/jgallery.htm

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