JEDDAH - THE GRANDMOTHER
The first time I read a city being referred to as “grandmother”, I did a double take. Whoever named a city “Grandmother”? I have not told you why it came up as “grandmother “when I searched Google for a certain city.
Now I will tell you why. I was actually doing a research on the city of Jeddah and the first thing you usually do is search on the internet. I was searching the net using the search term “Saudi Arabia tourism”. However, I was not searching on normal Google. Clever I was searching on Saudi Arabia Google. The search page was all in Arabic and I had to get Uncle Google to translate it so I could read it! Once translated, I clicked on a site and up came a list of cities, one of which was “Grandmother”.
The word “grandmother” in Arabic is “Jeddah”. What had actually happened during the translation was that the Arabic city of Jeddah automatically translated to “Grandmother”. In addition, I learnt something new; why Jeddah is called Grandmother. Legend has it that our universal grandmother, “Eve”, is buried here at Hawa cemetery, although it is out of bounds for non-Muslims. The cemetery forms part of Jeddah Tourism, and is a historic archaeological site of Old Jeddah.
JEDDAH – THE BRIDE
Nicknamed as the “Bride of the Red Sea”, a name that glorifies her even more, Jeddah is a beautiful city. She is surrounded by the Red Sea, which has the most beautiful variety of marine life, fauna, flora, and shallow reefs, the perfect place to divers to revel in the beauty of the underworld.
Jeddah Tourism offers scuba diving, water sports and sea diving along the Obhur area, ensuring that the tourists have a memorable marine experience.
The Bride of the Red Sea has several unique jewels in her crown, which include a walk along the spectacular Corniche, the historic architecture of Sharbatly house, the floating mosque and a state-of-the-art football stadium at King Abdullah Sports City, Al-Jawhara, to name a few.
JEDDAH – THE CITY OF LIFE
Jeddah is not only the second largest city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it is also the commercial and entertainment capital of the Kingdom. Apart from aquatic entertainment, tourists can visit many things whilst in Jeddah from the traditional Arabic markets to the ultra modern shopping malls such as the Red Sea Mall. An insight to the typical Arabic culture and history is offered by its many museums and heritage centres.
Other forms of entertainment in Jeddah include amusement parks, gardens and desert escapes like the Wabha Crater. Other well known sightseeing spots include the Bicycle Square, Lantern Roundabout and Globe Roundabout.
Night entertainment in Jeddah pulsates with throbbing energy, glitz and glamour, with its many clubs and party hot spots. The city boasts a number of bars, clubs and discotheques for those who want to spend the night dancing away. However, Jeddah also has quiet nightly where you can go to the theatre or watch a movie. In a nutshell, you will not be bored with lack of activity in Jeddah, whether it is during the day or night.
With so many jewels in her crown, Jeddah is truly a beautiful bride not only to behold but also to cherish for the rest of your life. Make her yours.