Their story has been mentioned in the texts of all divine religions. After they ate the fruit of the prohibited tree, God asked them to leave their paradise. Famous historian Tabri cited Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) as saying that Eve later arrived in Jeddah, a city that is named after her, the grandmother of humanity. Bin Ishaq and the people of the Torah agree with him. It is well known that Adam and Eve met at the Plain of Arafat, near Makkah, after 200 years of separation. She lived long after the death of Adam, and most historical facts indicate that she is buried in Jeddah.

Unfortunately, most residents of this great city are unaware of this history, especially the new generation, which could lead to the vanishing of Jeddah's history like the city's check dam.

Many people have written about Jeddah's problems, such as the lack of a proper sewerage system or the lack of environmentally sustainable development. And unfortunately this neglect is happening in one of the world's richest countries.

Catastrophes fall on this city, one after another, inflicting physical and mental damage to the residents — not only to the city's poor but also the rich; the only difference between them being the degree of damage they suffer. 

We have also seen a blame game with parties concerned, trading accusations in the wake of every calamity.

Hundreds of people died in flooding on the black Wednesday of Nov. 25, 2009. This year, hundreds of thousands of others have become victims. But as Muhammad Al-Suhaimi pointed out, people are busy seeking punishment of officials rather than a solution to the problem. It is not an easy task like building a 15-story hotel in China in six weeks using readymade blocks.

The second black Wednesday of the Jan. 26 flooding affected almost everyone in Jeddah without exception. Many precious lives were lost. People suffered moral and material damage. Years of hard work by many was swept away by the floods. Ensuing diseases that have already spread and those that have yet to appear add to this suffering and loss.

But despite these tragedies, the people of Jeddah prove their patriotism and national spirit by rising to bravely confront these crises. Following the most recent flood, there were people who opened their homes to shelter the victims, thus becoming unofficial Civil Defense rescuers. We saw thousands of volunteers, men and women, helping people in trouble, including patients, the elderly, women and children. They collected donations in cash and kind, and distributed the aid among the most-affected flood survivors.

Jeddah — established in 647 by Caliph Othman bin Affan to be the port to receive pilgrims, which stood firm against Portuguese naval forces in 1516 — is now a moaning city. We don't know whether it is breathing its last or whether it will be able to retain its vitality. It has the potential to compete with major world cities such as Tokyo, Paris, London and New York, being the economic and tourism capital of Saudi Arabia and the gateway to the two holy mosques, welcoming millions of Haj and Umrah pilgrims from around the world every year.

There are differences of opinion on what history will write about Jeddah in our current era. Some believe it is a city in decline, while there are others, like me, who believe it is a city with a great history, especially the history of Eve, and that it will remain steadfast despite catastrophes and crises. I believe that only time will answer these apprehensions.