RIYADH — The Saudi Ministry of Culture, represented by the Jeddah Historic District Program, has announced the completion of the project to restore as many as 56 ramshackle buildings in the Historic Jeddah District. This is in implementation of the directives of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman with his generous donation amounted to SR50 million. The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals, which seek to reflect the Arab and Islamic depth of the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The project aimed to highlight the heritage landmarks that the Historic Jeddah District abounds in as a location containing more than 600 heritage buildings, 36 historical mosques, and five main historical markets, in addition to ancient corridors and squares and sites with important historical connotations, such as the ancient waterfront, which was a main route for the Hajj pilgrims. All these will be rebuilt to tell visitors the great story of the Hajj since the dawn of Islam. The Crown Prince has directed the implementation of the project to strengthen and rescue historic Jeddah buildings by five specialized Saudi companies. These companies carried out the work and conducted studies under the supervision of technicians with experience in historical buildings. The project implementation was carried out in accordance with the unique design and distinctive urban structure of the Historic Jeddah District and its unique architectural elements, as some buildings, which belong to Jeddah families, contain archaeological landmarks dating back 500 years.
