Balad charm won’t let traders relocate

Author: 
Galal Fakkar | Arab News
Publication Date: 
Sun, 2009-09-13 03:00

JEDDAH: A number of Jeddah businessmen and trading families still prefer to have their offices in the Balad area (downtown) despite the suffocating congestion and the difficulty in reaching their offices on time especially during Ramadan; this despite the fact they have buildings in other parts of Jeddah. More than 30 business families in Jeddah in addition to a number of merchants, traders and industrialists have their homes at the luxurious residential quarters in the northern area of the city but yet they retained their offices in downtown.

They have their own explanation as to why they still kept their offices in the crowded Balad. Most of them have grown up with the siblings of other traders, who made up the majority of the inhabitants at the time, and that is one reason that the majority still hold on to their offices in Balad. But it is the ambience of the area that keeps these big families rooted in Balad.

Many of the downtown places, buildings and streets have been named after famous family traders. They include: the Naseef Tower, Qabil Street and others.

It is not unfamiliar to see in Balad, an area of about three square miles, modern offices of businessmen and famous Jeddah merchants close to historic houses and mosques along with modern malls, old souks and shopping centers.

In the evenings, when the lights go up, you will see the names of the shops side by side with the names of the headquarters of the trading families such as Bughshan, Zainal, Alireza, Fakhri, Gazzaz, the National Commercial Bank and others.

Mahmoud Fakhri has his company’s headquarters built in old Jeddah. Many other famous Jeddah families also have their offices in old Balad. They include: Bataraf, Bin Mahfouz, Al-Dhakir and others whose trading activities have extended to many parts of the world.

Fakhri, is still conducting his business from his firm’s headquarters on King Abdul Aziz Street in Balad for more than 40 years though he is living in Mushrifa district in the north of Jeddah. “It takes me more than an hour to reach my offices in Ramadan and the same time to go back,” he said.

Fakhri said his three sons, Abdullah, Mamoun and Al-Muhandis have set up their companies in the outskirts of Jeddah near the airport, but added, he still preferred to go to Balad every day. “I have strong emotional links with Balad,” he said. He explained that many of the Jeddawi trading families prefer to keep their offices and shops in Balad because they “have strong emotional links with the area which has seen their emergence as businessmen.”

“Balad has a different taste, a different flavor not only for its residents but for the visitors as well,” Fakhri said. “You will find traditional and modern markets side by side.

“The Balad area is a small replica of Jeddah. It has all the city’s values and traditions especially in seasons like Ramadan and Haj,” Fakhri said. Muhammad Abdul Hameed Bukhari, a young businessman from Jeddah, has maritime companies based in Balad. “I continued the activities of my ancestors. I cannot move from Balad,” he said.

Bukhari said Balad is near the seaport and is a gateway to Makkah, Madinah and other Saudi cities and towns. “The traffic congestion has become a daily enjoyment for me,” he added.Muhammad Salim Bughshan said his company is headquartered in the Queen’s Building in Balad and houses many international companies.

“My family is so attached to the Balad district that we will never be able to quit (Balad area),” he said. Bughshan said he is happy to receive his visitors from outside the Kingdom in his offices downtown so as to give them “ a taste of history and traditions.”

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