For nearly a decade it stood on Jeddah’s North Corniche abandoned by all but drug-users, vandals and ghost hunters. The place where violent robberies, burglaries and mysterious fires have occurred, its owner forgot about it long ago.
Built by Abdul Basset Abdul Rahman Bajnaid 30 years ago for his family, this three-story beach house was waterfront property and the Bajnaids’ weekend retreat. At one time, the area was considered to be “the beach”, but as the North Corniche was developed, and the sandy beaches replaced by asphalt roads, this palatial home fell into disuse and disrepair.
Left to the elements and Jeddah’s, at times, destructive youth, stories of pagan rituals, drug overdose deaths and jinn (ghost) sightings circulated in schools and amongst the city’s young about the house.
Over the past few years and up until last year, uninvited visitors crept onto the property throughout the day and night curious to see for themselves. The majority would stand at the rusty metal gates and peer in, hoping for a glance of something paranormal. The more courageous would wander in a little bit further to the entrance, but the sound of the wind howling through the dark open structure kept most from venturing in.
Arab News’ Roger Harrison and I spent the night in it almost two years ago for a feature story. It was indeed a creepy place, the smell of charred wood permeating throughout. On the walls a collage of spray-painted drawings, obscenities, insults and adorations kept us busy as we read throughout the night, our only visitors were a group of curious young men who had come to explore.
To our disappointment (and relief) there were no jinns or anything like that, but the group of young men told us stories of how they had heard that people had died or gone mad in the house. The tales were all subsequently found to be untrue.
For the most part, the only thing that troubled us about the house was its structural integrity. It had suffered fire damage in the past and it had developed some serious cracks. It didn’t strike us as a building one would want to occupy.
During the day however, the house took on a different personality, as the sunshine came through and the blue waters of the Red Sea appeared through the windows to the West. It was this charm that made the original caretaker from 30 years ago decide to move back in.
Forty-three-year-old Ahmad Abdul Minem, from Sudan, is still employed by the Bajnaid family. He spoke with Arab News last week about the history of the house, and how it had come to be in such a state.
“The house was used by the family twice a week for many years. But when the Corniche was expanded and the construction began, it lost some of its charm and was used less and less. Then after the sheikh suffered a serious stroke several years ago, the house was not used at all,” he told Arab News.
The Bajnaid family left Minem at the beach house for a few months, but then brought him to live at the family’s home in the Kandara District where his services were needed.
“A new caretaker, a Bangladeshi, was assigned to the beach house, and everything was fine for a few months, but then the problems started,” Minem said.
One night, a group of young men snuck onto the property and attacked the new caretaker. He was beaten severely, tied-up, robbed and his belongings ransacked. The police were called but no arrests were made. The family believed it to be just a random incident, but they were mistaken. The home was targeted again and again.
“During the first attack, the thieves didn’t get into the house, just into the caretaker’s quarters. They wanted the keys from him for the house, but he didn’t have them, so they left taking only his video player and other things,” said Minem.
No arrests were made, and all was quiet for several months, until the young men returned again to pay the caretaker a second visit.
“This time they beat him more and tied him up. They broke the front door to the house, and for several hours loaded up their car with many of the house’s valuables,” said Minem. “After the second beating, he quit his job and another caretaker was brought in to take his place. But he also was attacked and the house was again robbed. This was too much for the Bajnaids. They decided to seal up the house, and not keep staff there anymore.”
Left unguarded, the house was eventually burglarized several more times and intentionally set on fire twice.
“There was nothing to save anymore, so the family decided to leave the house alone knowing that the property value would rise and would one day be worth more than the losses incurred during its downfall,” Minem said.
Two years ago, when Abdul Basset Abdul Rahman Bajnaid passed away, the family gave the house to Minem to use after his daughter was married.
“They provided the supplies, and I have been slowly rebuilding it bit by bit. There are three families, living here now, including mine. We have sealed up the house and made separate apartments of each floor,” Minem said proudly.
A walk through the house last week, revealed rooms now painted in pastel colors - the smell of charred wood gone. Air conditioning units installed, and walls rebuilt - large windows provide a stunning view of the Corniche and the setting sun over the Red Sea.
I asked Minem if the empty flat he was showing me on the top floor was available for rent. He smiled and said, “No. This one is for my daughter.”
He explained that she had been engaged to a Saudi man from Baha and was supposed to move there with him when they got married. “But when he saw the house, he decided to move here and live in Jeddah instead,” Minem said.
When asked if the new residents, or he himself had experienced anything paranormal or eerie, he said that no one had and that he hoped that everyone would just forget about the house.
“It is just a house that had fallen apart. No one died here. There are no jinns. You have to understand that when this house was built, there was nothing around it but the beach. It was considered far from the city. But now, the city has come to the house and gone beyond it and police patrols go by here regularly,” said Minem.
For added security, one of the house’s residents has bought a dog that now roams the grounds.
