Living in Jeddah

Jeddah is one of the most beautiful cities in Saudi Arabia and is known locally as the "Bride of the Red Sea". For more than 1 200 years, it has been a centre for trade and commerce. Now, it is also an active industrial city with the main Saudi seaport on the Red Sea, and is considered the gateway to the Two Holy Mosques at Makkah and Madinah.  In addition, Jeddah boasts an impressive line-up of sports and recreational activities, with facilities for swimming, football, fishing, horse riding, golf, scuba diving, etc.

By any standard, Jeddah has become a beautiful city to drive through at night, thanks to its 80 kilometres-long Corniche along the Red Sea. This is the city's most important achievement in engineering and civic design and is a major attraction for visitors.  Modern, brightly lit shopping centers add to its evening persona and are very popular with both residents and visitors.  All well-known franchises are represented in these centers, which lend an exciting, 'international flavour' to life in Jeddah.

One of the greatest perks of living in Jedda, is that you have access to private beaches.  You have the choice of relaxing by the water, to take in the salt sea air, sampling restaurant fare, or walking on the pier to view the ocean.  As it rarely rains in Jeddah, it's always safe to plan ahead for a relaxing day out in the sun for your day off.

Living in Jeddah can open many doors of opportunity for travel and adventure.  Within the country of Saudi Arabia those with an interest in coral reef diving, desert trekking and camping or natural history, will find something of interest around the next corner or in the next valley. Caving, visiting Nabatean tombs, following the Hijaz railway or wandering through abdandoned Turkish forts are all possible. Saudi Arabia has one of the largest milk producing operations and one of the largest enclosed wildlife reserves in the world, and both are accessible from Jeddah.

Jeddah is particularly well-situated for people wishing to explore countries which they would not normally consider visiting in their homeland.  Jeddah can be considered a hub for travel to Dubai and the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Cyprus and Turkey. Many African and European countries as well as India and Asia, and thus a myriad of different cultures, are within acceptable travelling distances if you wish to visit them.