Saudi Arabia provides Jordan with equipment for airdrop of relief supplies in Gaza    Abha International Airport becomes Saudi Arabia's first silent airport    Lower part of Kaaba's kiswa raised ahead of Hajj    Hajj Ministry stops issuing Umrah permits through Nusuk App for a month    GASTAT: Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports surge 3.3% in Q1 of 2024    Arab leaders approve Riyadh as headquarters of Cybersecurity Ministers Council    Saudi Pro League to hold trophy award ceremony at Al Hilal's Kingdom Arena on Friday    'Hijra': A new cinematic exploration by Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen    9 dead, 54 injured as wind causes stage collapse at Mexico election rally    Biden looks to counter China's influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya    Czech court okays extradition of US murder plot accused    Pure beverages industry company launches the world's first German water treatment technology in cooperation with Krones AG Through its brands IVAL and OSKA    China starts military drills around Taiwan days after island swears in new leader    Court forces Angelina Jolie to release non-disclosure agreements    TCL Electronics introduces the latest QD-Mini LED TV and smart home appliances    Saudi Arabia completes 1st phase of desertification assessment with creating 246 maps    Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad diagnosed with leukemia, presidency announces    Oleksandr Usyk claims undisputed heavyweight title in 'Ring of Fire' match in Riyadh    Jorge Jesus praises Al Hilal's resilience after dramatic last-minute draw in Riyadh Derby    Star golfer Scottie Scheffler arrested over alleged assault on police officer    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Historic Jeddah
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 08 - 2010

Not only those living in Jeddah but everyone in the entire country should be buoyed by the recent announcement that a very serious step toward preserving our history has been taken. The creation of a new municipality to include Jeddah's historic Al-Balad and to be dedicated to the preservation of the historic buildings and atmosphere there will serve to see the many causes of concern transformed into tangible activity.
The new body, the Historic District Municipality, will be in charge of planning and bring their plans to fruition in the area. It will directly oversee the repair, renovation and preservation of the area's historic structures, as well as seek to improve social and cultural activities. The end result should be a culturally vibrant district that will attract the varied population of Jeddah along with increased numbers of foreign visitors, as well.
Such an aggressive step towards preservation has been overdue. Hopefully, the price we have paid while waiting will entail truly serious contemplation of the need to preserve downtown Jeddah and not see it go the way of Jeddah's Corniche, once a sparkling feature of this great city but now almost an alien place to many of the city's inhabitants.
Al-Balad belongs to everyone, just as the Corniche does. The renovations that are about to be undertaken will benefit all of us.
Shopping malls with their vast parking lots will continue to characterize the modern Saudi lifestyle, but the transformation of downtown Jeddah into a historical, cultural and architectural wonderland will create a new and exciting facet to life in the Bride of the Red Sea.
All great cities honor and respect their pasts by preserving the work of those who have gone before. It is about time for the Jeddah municipality to get to work on preserving its own. Not only the upcoming changes to Al-Balad, but also the continuing excavation work that is uncovering ancient history, are also reasons to be optimistic about the city's future. __


Clic here to read the story from its source.