The meeting was held as part of Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed’s program to develop and promote the city.

The meeting considered a study that claimed there were 62 arbita homes in Jeddah, mostly located in the historic area and around it.

The study called for including these homes in the master map of the city and also for preparing separate files with photographs for each one of them, specifying its exact location and present condition.

Based on the engineering study, the meeting concluded that 12 of these arbita were not suitable for accommodation, were disused and in need of complete refurbishment.

The study said 23 of the arbita were in acceptable condition and being occupied. They only needed some repair work and maintenance, it said.

According to the study, another 23 arbita were in good condition and were either occupied by beneficiaries or rented to investment companies.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawa and Guidance is supervising 11 of these arbita while welfare societies are supervising 12 and the rest (39) are under the supervision of philanthropists.

The council called for initiating an electronic program on the Internet to record the data of the occupants and asked for devising the necessary designs for the destroyed and unused arbita according to the technical guide for the repair of historic houses.

The council said the repairing of arbita should be done by specialized contractors after consultation with the Jeddah municipality and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. "The arbita that are currently in good condition should have the necessary utilities including emergency exits, lifts, electricity and sanitary facilities," the council said.

The council also reviewed a study prepared by the program’s health committee to sponsor the old and rehabilitate the disabled. It called for preparing complete data on disabled people in the city and providing free medication to disabled children.

The council also called for coordination among government departments and the charity organizations providing services to the disabled to prevent duplication of services provided.

In its first meeting in the new Hijra year, the council recommended the establishment of a special center for autism.