History of Jeddah

The historical city of Jeddah is situated in Saudi Arabia, on the coast of the Red Sea. The history of Jeddah can be traced back to 2,500 years ago when it was formed as a small fishing village. The city became prominent only in 647 A.D when the fishing village was transformed into a port by the then Muslim caliph Othman ibn Affan. The port was made for the benefit of the Hajj pilgrims to reach the holy city of Mecca. Jeddah, for centuries remained main city for the transportation of the Hajj pilgrims. The main city of the historic Hejaz Province was Jeddah. The Jeddah travel guide remains incomplete without the history of Jeddah.

The History of Jeddah changed in the 16th century. During this period the Ottoman Turks conquered and fortified Jeddah with stone walls. The city of Jeddah remained under the Turks till 1915. Hence the Turkish influence on the various aspects of the city can be felt. The architecture of the city manifests the main influence. The Jeddah history took a turn during the First World War. The existing Turkish Empire faced revolts from the Ottoman Commanders of Jeddah, the Sharifs of Hejaz. The Sharifs took the initiative to form a single unified Arab state. The proposed Arab state was planned to cover a huge distance from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen. But the history of Jeddah witnessed a rather different incident. In 1924, King Ibn Sa'ud conquered Jeddah along with Mecca and Medina. The Sharif Hussein Bin 'Ali Al Hashem was dethroned and he fled to Cyprus. He finally settled in Amman in Jordan and his descendant's acquired the Hashemite royal family status.

Jeddah came under the rule of Sa'ud Dynasty. Ibn Sa'ud who was the Sultan of Najd also added the title King of Hijaz along with the previous one. In the consequent periods, the history of Jeddah city and its importance in the peninsular politics was minimized. The subdivision of the historic province of Hejaz into many smaller provinces took place. As a result of that Jeddah came under the Makkah province with Mecca becoming the provincial capital.

The history of Jeddah and its impact on the city can be felt in the traditional buildings and merchant houses. The history of Jeddah city went through many major changes. The only thing that remained constant is that Jeddah still persists to be the principal gateway to the holy Islamic city of Mecca. The Jeddah Corniche and the Jeddah Fountain are major tourist attractions. Presently Jeddah is considered to be the main commercial hub of Saudi Arabia.