MADINAH — The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), in cooperation with its strategic partners, is working on a major facelift of the Historic Area in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. According to the plan, the Historic Area in Al-Sur District will be renovated and developed into a major tourism landmark with preserving all its traditional and heritage features, in a way keeping pace with the international standards and criteria, according to a report in Al-Riyad newspaper. The Historic Area is full of heritage buildings dating back to several decades. The facelift is being carried out while preserving all the features of the area in the cultural and social life of the people of Yanbu. There is an ancient commercial center in this historic neighborhood, located in the southern part of the city. The center houses several multi-storied ancient buildings, which are unique with their rare features of architectural heritage. These buildings were made of sea stones with wooden frames and roofs with date palm trunk. There are several famous heritage buildings in the Historic Area, and these included Bait Al-Babteen, Bait Al-Khateeb, Bait Jabarti, and Souk Allail. The SCTNH is keen on showcasing the distinctive heritage and architectural features of the Historic Area in the old Al-Sur District with its traditional coastal buildings. The name Al-Sur was attributed to the walls built in this area of the city. The first wall in Yanbu was constructed more than five centuries ago. It was called Al-Sur, which means a wall surrounding a particular area. The historic district was named after the wall, which was repaired in 1126 Hijri. In 1303 Hijri, another wall was built which had two gates — one for people and one for vehicular traffic. Another small gate was also located in the western part of the town. The SCTNH is also working on refurbishing the seafront of Yanbu port. As part of this, public squares for festivals and events will be constructed. There will also be zones for hotels, food court, fish market, port for fishing boats, maintenance center for boats, showrooms for fishing equipment, recreation area and an ice plant. The SCTNH embarks on this plan as part of massive facelift of historic ports located on the northern Red Sea coasts including Al-Wajh, Umlaj and Duba.
