Jeddah

According to archaeologists, Jeddah was founded at the end of the VI century BC by immigrants from Marib . For hundreds of years, the city remained only a small fishing port, while in 647, the third of the Muslim caliphs, Usman ibn Affan, made it the main destination for pilgrims making the Hajj . Since then, the rapid development of Jeddah as an important port and trade center on the shores of the Red Sea began.

In 969, Jeddah became part of the Fatimid Caliphate . Thanks to the active foreign policy and trade of the Fatimids, Jeddah's trade relations expanded to India and China, which contributed to the further flourishing of the city. The wealth of the city often attracted the eyes of the rulers of neighboring states. However, the new owners of Jeddah had the wisdom not to rob her, but to use the huge trading opportunities. The arrival in 1177 of Ayyubidov brought Jeddah even greater development of trade. In addition, under the influence of Ayyubids, Sunnism gradually began to dominate in the city (the Shiites previously held the leading role). The transition of the territory to the Mamluks in 1254 was also not accompanied by shocks, as well as the establishment of Ottoman control over the region in 1517.

The success of the Vasco da Gama expedition in 1497 opened the Indian Ocean to the Portuguese , sowing panic among the elites of the Muslim states of the region. Significant funds were spent on strengthening the main Muslim trading port in the Indian Ocean, Jeddah, in 1517, when the Portuguese expedition did not dare to storm the city, limiting itself to bombing and extermination of Muslim shipping in the region.

In 1802, detachments of the Wahhabi Dirian emirate captured the city and held it until 1813, when Jeddah was recaptured from them by the Ottoman expeditionary force from Egypt.

In 1916, taking advantage of Turkey’s plight on the fronts, the local Arab elites proclaimed the independence of the Hejaz . The new state lasted until 1925, when it was conquered by Nedzhd . In 1932, the united state of Nejd and Hijaz began to be called Saudi Arabia.

Jeddah is located on the Red Sea , in the narrow coastal desert of Tijama . From the west, the city is bounded by the sea, and to the east by the Hijaz mountain range, so the construction of new areas is carried out along the sea, to the north and south of the historical center.

The climate of Jeddah is hot desert . somewhat mitigated by its coastal location. Precipitation in Jeddah is very rare and possible only in the winter months. Frequent winds, sandstorms and dusty mists, high humidity and heat make the city’s climate difficult to tolerate for an unusual person.

Jeddah is the second largest city of Saudi Arabia after Riyadh. According to 2009 data, 3.6 million people lived in the city, and about 5 million lived in the metropolitan area ^[3] .

Only 45% of citizens are Saudi citizens, the rest are temporary foreign workers, mainly from Egypt, Somalia, Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia, India and Bangladesh. Several thousand people from the post-Soviet countries live in the city, mainly from the North Caucasus. Although some of them have been living in the city for decades, this does not give them the right to obtain citizenship (a foreigner can get it only for special services to the kingdom, a foreigner - having married a Saudi). About 90% of Saudi citizens are Sunnis, 10% are Shiites. Among the foreigners, 3/4 are Muslims, the rest are Hindus and Christians. For non-Muslims, worship, religious symbols, and keeping religious books (even at home) are criminally punishable. Almost 65% of the population of the city are men. This is due to the fact that over 90% of foreign workers are males.

Since the 7th century, Jeddah has been known for its money changers : pilgrims arrived here from all corners of the Islamic world, bringing with them coins of their states. Subsequently, the city, for the same reason, became an important center of Hawala (and it remains to this day). In the XX century, Jeddah, which is logical, has become the birthplace of the banking system of Saudi Arabia, and remains its center to this day. The city is often called the economic capital of Saudi Arabia. The main sectors of the economy of Jeddah are:

• logistics (large port and airport, highway junction);
• tourism (religious);
• banking sector;
• trade;
• building;
• petrochemistry;
• high-tech industry (Saudi Center for Biotechnology, Electronics and Programming).

In 2019, it is planned to build the world's tallest skyscraper in the northern part of the city.

The city is served by the International Airport. King Abul Aziz ( IATA : JED , ICAO : OEJN ) with a passenger turnover of over 27 million people a year (2012). Regular passenger flights are operated to all major cities of the Islamic world (some of them only during the Hajj), as well as to London , Singapore , Frankfurt , Paris , Seoul , Delhi , Mumbai , Addis Ababa and Athens .

Jeddah has a port on the eastern coast of the Red Sea , which receives the main stream of pilgrims heading for the Hajj to Mecca and Medina .

At the early stage of construction (as of April 2015) there are two high-speed rail projects: Jeddah - Riyadh and Medina - Jeddah - Mecca .

Public transport is represented by municipal buses. The mayor of the city announced in 2010 ^[4] the decision of the municipality to build a metro .

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  Jeddah, mid-19th century

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  Jeddah in 1938

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  Jeddah Map from OpenStreetMap

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  Mall of Arabia - the largest mall in Jeddah

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  Buildings in Old Jeddah

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  Bab Mack

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  Fahd Fountain in Jeddah

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  The highest flagpole in the world

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  Gate of the Quran, entrance to Makkah, Gate of Makkah

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  Makki entrance gate, Quran Gate on the Makka Mukkaram road

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  Makki entrance gate, Quran Gate on the Makka Mukkaram road

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  Laboratory of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

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  King Abdulaziz International Airport

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  Jeddah Sea Port

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  King Abdullah Street

• Gusterin P.V. Cities of the Arab East. - M .: East-West, 2007 .-- 352 p. - (Encyclopedic reference book). - 2000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-478-00729-4 .