Authorities shut down a well-known roadside rest stop along the Jeddah-Makkah highway early Wednesday morning for violating hygiene and safety standards, according to a source.

The Al-Ruhaili rest stop, about 20 km east of downtown Jeddah, has been operating for more than 25 years.

“The entrance from the highway to the rest stop was blocked with barricades when I tried to go in for a cup of coffee on my way to work,” said Ahmad Talbi, who commutes daily to his job at King Khaled National Guard Hospital in Umm Al-Salam. The rest stop area was unusually empty except for police cars, a few private vehicles, and parked trucks, he said.

The large facility with its shopping areas, restaurants, coffee shops, international fast food chains, gas station, mosque and restrooms did not maintain hygiene and safety standards, an official source, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.

The closure forms part of the government’s attempts to ensure rest stops in the Jeddah governorate abide by health and safety regulations.

Authorities warned the rest stop management last August about the violations. It was given a three-month grace period to fix the situation.

The decision to close the rest stop was taken by a group of government officials representing the ministries of Islamic affairs and endowment, health, municipal and rural affairs, labor, and transport.

Officials from the Civil Defense, the road police, and the Passports Department were also involved.

The rest stop will be closed until it rectifies the situation.

Many people have long complained about the security situation at the rest stop because of the large number of foreign beggars, including women and children of African origin allegedly trafficked from Yemen into the country.

“They repeatedly and violently knock on your car door asking for money,” one woman blogged. “I have seen men disguised in women’s clothes begging at this rest stop. They don’t act or walk like women,” she said.

“Some of them live in the mountains nearby, making a living by begging at this popular stop,” another blogger said, when commenting on the closure of the area.

“It is a very disorganized and crowded area with cars moving (in and out) in almost every direction. The time has come to make sure things work properly at this commercial hub,” he said.