History of Jeddah

Previously Jeddah was a small fishing village around 2,500 years back, by 647 A.D. this city was turned into a port by a Muslim Caliph Othman Ibn Affan.  This port was made because of the facility and benefit provided to Hajj Pilgrims who want to reach the holy city of Mecca. From many centuries Jeddah was the main city through which people travel and reach to Mecca for Hajj purpose. Jeddah is an important city of Hejaz Province. You must get the information about the history of Jeddah through travel guide could be beneficial for you otherwise your trip will remain incomplete.

During 16th century, the history of Jeddah was changed, Ottoman Turks have occupied and conquered with stone walls during this period. Till 1915 this city was remained under the Turks. Because of this you can feel Turkish influence on the various aspects of the city. Main influence among all is the architecture looks found in the city. During the First World War this history of Jeddah took turn. Turkish Empire faced the revolution from the commanders of Ottoman of Jeddah whose name is Sharifs of Hejaz; he is the person who has taken the first step to form this place a single united Arab state. Future plans of Arab state were to cover whole distance from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen, but they faced a different incident. King Ibn Sa'ud conquered Jeddah in 1924 along with the Holy cities which are Mecca and Medina. During this incident Sharif Hussein Bin 'Ali Al Hashem was overthrown and he flown to Cyprus. He then finally got settled in Amman in Jordan and his royal family status was acquired by his descendants.

At one point Sa’ud Dynasty has taken Jeddah under his rule. Ibn Sa'ud added title of King of Hijaz, along with the one which was his previous title, the Sultan of Najd. These situations resulted in the decrease of importance of Jeddah city. After this, subdivision of this Hejaz province took place and divided into many small provinces, which results in that Jeddah came under the Makkah province which also became the provincial capital.

Traditional Buildings and Merchant houses will reflect the history of Jeddah and its impact on the city. Jeddah has faced many changes throughout its history. But the one thing which has never changes is that Jeddah is still the city which is the principal gateway to reach the holy Islamic city of Mecca. Major tourists’ attractions in Jeddah are Jeddah Corniche and the Jeddah Fountain. Nowadays Jeddah has become the main commercial hub of Saudi Arabia.