JEDDAH, 27 April — The historic Al-Balad district of Jeddah wore a festive look on Thursday night. The occasion: Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed’s first official visit to the area.
Hundreds of the city’s officials and leading citizens turned up at Jeddah’s best preserved old building, Naseef House, in the heart of Al-Alawi souq.
The Makkah governor was given a tour of the area in a buggy. Leading the procession were dancers dressed in traditional clothes and headgear and playing folk music. Accompanying them were men carrying artifacts on their heads, including models of ships, all symbolizing the city’s rich heritage.
On arrival, Prince Abdul Majeed was led into Naseef House, where a model of the Old Jeddah restoration plan was displayed. Sami Nawar, director at the Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department, explained to the governor the progress made in the restoration and preservation of the Balad district.
During his tour — his first to the Old City — the governor was taken to a number of old buildings which are in the process of being renovated. The focus was a building in the Harat Al-Sham area, recently gutted by a fire but already three-quarters restored to its former glory.
The preservation of Old Jeddah is a priority for the government and generous budgets have been allocated to finance beautification projects, such as pedestrian areas paved with marble, open spaces landscaped and planted with trees, the erection of traditional street lamps, and a network of modern utilities installed underground.
Nawar told Arab News later that his department presented its 10-year project plan and requested a SR20 million budget for the purpose.
“The prince strongly supported the plan and personally donated SR2 million toward the project,” he said.
According to Nawar, the plan will be realized in two phases, each lasting five years.
The plan envisages the classification of all the buildings in the Old City. “More than 200 buildings are yet to be classified,” he said, adding: “The prince strongly opposes the demolition of old buildings, however dilapidated they are.”
Nawar added that the first phase of the plan will cover restoration or total rebuilding of over 100 buildings, aside from renovation of most of the walls, gates and foundations of the old structures.
“The department’s plan is to convert the Old City into a tourist attraction. We hope to provide 5,000 jobs to Saudis who will be involved in all aspects of the plan. They will participate in the renovation, run the shops and restaurants, and take charge of all tourist-related jobs. In fact, we are proposing the establishment of a training school for Saudis to enhance their skills and capability in all these departments,” he added.
Nawar, a native of Jeddah, has his department based in an old Municipal Office building tucked behind Naseef House.
Majdi Darwish, director of the Balad sub-municipality, told Arab News that 453 historical buildings in the area had been identified for preservation. They cover a one square kilometer area that includes Bab Sharief and Bab Makkah.
All buildings in the Old City are now protected against demolition by government order. In 1990, the Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department was established. The department was given a clear mandate of protecting and preserving the city’s cultural heritage by integrating traditional methods with modern materials and ensuring the skills required handed down to the next generation. The creation of the department was a delight for all craftsmen whose knowledge and skills of traditional Arabic crafts had become redundant as the houses fell into disuse.
The Naseef House is a showcase of the project. Built in 1881 by Omar Afandi Naseef as his private quarters, it was and remains the most impressive building in the heart of Old Jeddah.
The department was given the job of restoring Naseef House in 1994 after it had remained shut for several years. Today it is open every evening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. According to Darwish, the Naseef House alone gets over 500 visitors daily during holidays.
