Jeddah is located on the Red Sea and is the gateway to Mecca, the religious center of Islam. Mecca is located about 70 km to the east inland.
While non-Muslims have to drive a long way around Mecca as they have no access to it, Jeddah has a diverse population of around 3.8 million inhabitants. Without the foreign workers, who are often very capable, Saudi Arabia could not exist. This is also the case here.
Whereas in the past the pilgrims to Mecca mainly landed by ship, today they mostly arrive via the international airport. The streams of pilgrims bring money into the city and you can see that in Jeddah.

Moueyd and his family

Moueyd and his family are from Sudan. When we were in Khartoum in December 2019 / January 2020, we hired Moueyd as a cab driver while I was ill. Always reliable and absolutely trustworthy, he changed money back then, bought drinking water and fresh bananas for us, etc.
He himself is a plastics engineer and has found work in a plastics factory near Jeddah. When the war broke out in Sudan, his remaining family moved to Saudi Arabia and the family now lives on his salary. His brothers and sister all have university degrees. From network engineer to telecom specialist to pharmacist, a variety of professions are represented. Unfortunately, neither his sons nor his daughter can find work in Saudi Arabia. They need a work permit to get a job, which costs around 1,500 euros per person, which the family obviously can’t afford.
His brothers are all very likeable and have a pleasant charisma. You feel at ease with them. But I would like to emphasize his sister. She is so obviously clever, very lively, familiar and likeable that it makes you feel very sorry that, at the age of 28, her life is passing her by without her being able to use and develop her abilities.
But where is the head of the family? Well, the father has died of old age. He married her mother when she was 17 and he was already at an advanced age.

A night on the town

Last night, after visiting the Red Sea Mall, we parked ourselves in a vacant lot in a residential area. We thought we would spend a peaceful and quiet night here. But far from it. On the adjacent road, Saudi Arabian car posers race back and forth all night. They rev the engines until the rev limiter makes the engine stutter or trigger banging backfires and squeal when starting and braking. At the same time, a group of young Saudi drivers make themselves comfortable next to us and discuss loudly for half the night.
We get up, thankful that the night is over.

Corniche

Beautiful parks have been created along the many kilometers of the “Corniche” coastal road, which are actively used by the locals. You have to imagine what opportunities there are in Saudi Arabia, or rather “aren’t there”.
In Saudi Arabia, families or young people cannot simply go hiking on a hiking trail, go for a walk in the forest, etc.
So the parks are one of the few opportunities for a “nature experience”. And that’s exactly why people here in the Middle East don’t have the same understanding of nature or this closeness to nature as in many Western countries.
So this morning we visit one of these parks. As it is still morning, the park is not yet crowded and we enjoy strolling along the sea and watching the people. Although the park is beautifully planted, the ratio of green areas to infrastructure areas is not balanced. From our point of view, it would be desirable to have fewer wide paths and more “nature” instead.

For this night, we look for a quieter spot right on the beach. We set up at the back and although it’s not really quiet there, we can sleep undisturbed.

Al Balad – Historic Jeddah

The historic Jeddah is the predecessor city of “Al Balad”. Today a Unesco World Heritage Site, around 56 houses are being renovated in the historic old town of Al Balad. Despite the many construction works, beautiful parts of the old town can still be visited.
Al Balad is architecturally under Yemeni influence, or rather under the influence of the previous Kingdom of Saba. Saudi Arabia in its present form is only 92 years old. In 1932, the Saudi King

Ibn Saud proclaimed the new unitary state of Saudi Arabia and declared himself king. An absolute monarchy was chosen as the form of government, without a constitution or parliament.

Seen in this light, Al Balad is not really a Saudi city in terms of its origins. We enjoy strolling through the alleyways of Al Balad. In the early morning we are already completely sweaty due to the heat (around 36°) and the very high humidity. The building material of the old buildings is coral rubble and clay mortar, reinforced by horizontally inserted beams, often made of wood. The façades are plastered with clay and often decorated with sgraffito. The many protruding balconies made of wood are particularly exotic, blocking the view but not the view.
The town plan and street network date back to the 16th century. However, the architectural monuments date back to the heyday of Al Balad in the 18th to late 19th century.

Al Wahbah Crater

It is 440 kilometers from Jeddah to the Al Wahbah crater. The first half of the journey takes us around Mecca on a busy and sometimes badly deformed main road. After we are able to turn onto side roads, the roads become narrower but also better and the traffic eases considerably. The Al Wahbah crater is of volcanic origin. It measures 2 kilometers in diameter and is 250m deep. It is like a huge hole in the ground and toxic fumes still emanate from its bottom, making it difficult to walk through due to the lack of oxygen.