HAAS

I had planned to visit the ancient rock art in the Ha’il region, 90 km northwest of the city of Ha’il, the rock art is up to 10.000 years old. But according to Google the UNESCO-site was temporarily closed. I reached out to companies who provide tours to the rock art and they answered there were no tours available. I assumed in the summer season the desert was simply too hot for a visit. I diverted my plans to the port city of Jeddah. Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah, is another UNESCO World Heritage site.

When early on in Islam Mecca became an important religious city. Jeddah became the port of Mecca during the reign of the 3rd Caliph Othman ibn Affan. After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 Jeddah flourished like never before. The Suez Canal linked Europe and Asia with modern steamboats. The merchants of Jeddah built multi-storey decorated houses, which still exist today. It is clear the old city center is still being renovated. Some older buildings are boarded-up behind fences marked “Ministry of Culture”.

The people of Jeddah love their cats. There are cats feeder stations all over the place.

Modern Jeddah is still very much a merchant city. The amount of shops is impressive. The main import partner of Saudi-Arabia is China, which shows. Roaming the streets were groups of men from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, all in national attire. The whole scene reminded me of Deep Space 9 space station.

The first night I had some trouble finding a restaurant because in the ancient part of the city there is little food to find. I had to walk for a bit to find an Indian restaurant, which caters for Indian migrant workers. It was incredible cheap for 3 euro including a can of cola and a bottle of water. Around the corner was the Bangladesh Store. These neighbourhoods are populated by mostly male migrant workers from Asia. You don’t see Saudis or women.

الجمعه Friday

My second day in Jeddah was a Friday. This meant that in the morning everything was closed. On Friday families have lunch together and it is only after lunch businesses start opening. This posed a problem for my breakfast. After searching all streets I found a convenience store. But they only had processed food of the worst kind. Because I was very hungry I settled for a couple of cheese puffs. A cat begged for a piece of my cheese puff but I deemed cheese puffs too unhealthy for a cat.

Then I really wanted to drink coffee, but again, no open coffee place to be found. While walking I met a man from Yemen and he took the task upon himself to find a coffee place for me. He asked many guards along the way and we finally found a hidden place in a worn down apartment block. The little shop also sold bread rolls. I tried to pay for his bread roll but he refused. We sat together while I drank my coffee. When we parted ways I was happy I could give him a small bottle of water, which he first refused, but he took the bottle after I pressed him to take it. It was all very polite.

Some parts of ancient Jeddah are beautifully green. And again, cats all around.

Jeddah Central Fish Market

The fish market of Jeddah is one of the best I ever visited. The fish is so fresh some are still alive. It is also a great place to shelter from the heat. When I wanted to eat lunch I looked for a fish restaurant. I was told I had to buy a fish and bring it to the restaurant. A young guy in his twenties went along in my search for a fish.

The restaurant had only two ways of preparing fish: frying or grilling. I needed a fish suitable for one of the two methods. I was told hamor هَامُّوْر, was the best fish for deep frying. Hamor is a type of grouper. Next to the hamor were harid, which is a parrotfish. I decided to buy two hamor instead of one. The weight was one kilo so I paid 40 riyal.

After paying for the fish they needed to be cleaned. There is a special fish cleaning service at the fish market. The price you pay is based on the weight of the fish and I only paid a couple of riyal.

Dhuhr midday prayer time

After my fish were cleaned the guy helping me got a bit agitated. Apparently he realised it was almost prayer time, and the kitchen would be closed very soon. We ran through the fish market with my freshly cleaned fish but were just too late. I had all day so I didn’t mind. At one point he seemed to suggest we were going to pray together but I thought: how can I pray with a fish? I waited in the restaurant and hoped my fish stayed cold enough not to spoil. In the end the prayer lasted just over half an hour.

After prayer the guy came back for me to help me navigate the ordering proces. Frying the fish cost 15 riyal and the sayadia (=fishermans catch) rice cost 12 riyal, a total of 27 riyal or about 6,75 euro. Before I could pay, the guy took out his phone and paid for me. I was a little stunned. I invited him to eat together but he had to get back to work and he disappeared.

Back in the old center I stumbled upon this Sobia سوبيا bar. This sobia is made from barley, cinnamon, cardamon and sugar. It ferments naturally and the taste is sweet-sour.

The rest of the day I just lingered in historic Jeddah. I drank fresh cane juice mixed with lime juice. When the sun set and it became dark I had a bright yellow Arabic coffee and I was happy in my new Saudi sandals. I bargained for 60 percent of the original price and I wondered if it was a good deal or not.

I couldn’t find a Saudi restaurant so I went for a nasi rendang from Sumatra. Jeddah is a great destination. I feel that in ten years time there might be too many tourists but for the moment the place does not feel crowded.