A visitor to the old city of Jeddah will no doubt be impressed by the unique architecture there. This is a section of the city that is completely different from what visitors usually see in modern Jeddah. The area’s unique quality is derived from its narrow streets and lanes as well as its traditional houses. It is true that a renovation process has been going on for quite some time. Many of the old houses that were on the point of collapse have now been restored and are being carefully maintained. The hanging balconies with wood-covered windows and the horizontally embedded wooden beams have all been restored and returned to what they originally were.
One important fact we must understand is that preserving the old part of the city should not be done for the sake of maintaining the houses and monuments for people to come and look at them as if they were lifeless entities. What is needed is the breathing of life into this unique heritage for all to enjoy and benefit from. Jeddah’s architectural heritage is not just composed of stone and wood, narrow alleys and a variety of buildings. More important than all this is the human element, the individuals and families who used to give the place its glamour and splendor through their interaction with their surroundings. The question here is what benefit do we stand to gain from the jewel known as “Old Jeddah” if the entire area surrounding it is a cluster of half-collapsed buildings located in the most expensive part of the city and occupied by the poorest group of foreign laborers?
It is the wistful longing for this old place — which has been deserted by its original inhabitants — that make us keep it while closing our eyes to the serious economic, social and urban discrepancies in the most valuable neighborhood in our city.
Those of us who were born and spent their childhoods in that place but moved elsewhere with the expansion of the city, feel attracted to the place every time we happen to find ourselves there. We feel sad whenever recalling how it felt seeing the sun slowly slipping into the sea and night spreading darkness across a town slowly coming to life as its vibrant marketplace began to teem with movement. Our sadness increases when we see their lovely neighborhood being taken over by people speaking every language on earth except the language of the original inhabitants. Every thing feels and smells differently, the air, the food, the songs. The feeling of being part of the place suddenly ceases to exist. Because we love Old Jeddah, or what is left of it, we want to see it rescued from its current miserable state. That is attainable by rehabilitating it economically, socially and culturally. That is not a difficult job. All we need is proper planning and determination.
