JEDDAH: An old dagger and some cannonballs are part of a cache of artifacts discovered by municipal employees during efforts to preserve old buildings in Jeddah’s historic center, which is home to hundreds of old homes dating as far back as the 14th century.
Adnan Addas, head of the historical area’s structure development department, said the city would deliver the recovered items to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) to confirm the age of the items, which are believed to be from the 19th century.
Addas said the items might have been personal belongings because they were found in houses that were used to host pilgrims.
He said renovation activities revealed evidence of older structures. “The emerging signs indicate that there might be old structures buried underground,” he said.
He noted that regulations require a thorough archaeological survey before any renovation work is carried out in the area to ensure older structures and artifacts are not destroyed. “Items that are found will be displayed in museums,” he said.
Addas said the retrieved items indicate that the historical area has a lot more buried treasures that are waiting to be discovered. Jeddah is at least 2,000 years old, founded as a fishing community and later becoming a port of call for Makkah-bound pilgrims after the rise of Islam. But the city remained relatively small well into the mid 20th century. Most of its urban growth has occurred since the late 1960s, and findings related to the city’s history are within the boundaries of the old city, known as the Balad.
The Council of Ministers has approved an SCTA proposal to procure historic buildings owned by citizens. The SCTA is also considering refurbishment loans to private owners of old buildings that could be developed into tourism sites.
