Jeddah Ghair!

If you wondering what it means, it is the city’s motto, and means “Jeddah is different.”

And it is. Cosmopolitan, liberal, capitalistic.

Most countries, over time, are seen to end up with two megapolises—the traditional, political heart and the commercial wheeling and dealing hub bursting with an eclectic art and food scene. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. Delhi and Mumbai. Washington and New York. Beijing and Shanghai.

In Saudi Arabia, it is Riyadh and Jeddah. But Jeddah is not just different from the country’s capital in the arid Najd desert. It is different from the whole peninsula. A difference it celebrates with a self-congratulatory pat.

Hugging 30 kilometres of azure blue waters along the Red Sea coastline, Jeddah has been a major port on the Indian Ocean trade routes and the official gateway to the holy city of Mecca since the 7th Century. The city got an extra boost after the Suez Canal opened in 1869, bringing with it an influx of steamboats from Europe on their way to India and Asia and vice versa. More business. More pilgrims. A role it still carries out diligently.

People from all walks of life, from across the world, continue to land on its shores everyday just as they have done for 1,400 years. The result is a city with a rich heritage shaped by Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and even Western influences.

Here are five ways to experience the Ghair in Jeddah. These five ways are also the reasons why Jeddah needs to be on your Saudi Arabia bucket-list. What say? Continue reading →