Jeddah
جِدَّة | |
|---|---|
Traditional architecture in Historic Jeddah Historic Jeddah City Center | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: The Bride of the Red Sea | |
| Motto: Jeddah Is Different | |
  Jeddah Location of Jeddah within Saudi Arabia | |
| Coordinates: 21°32′36″N 39°10′22″E / 21.54333°N 39.17278°E | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Region | Mecca |
| Established | 6th century BC |
| Government | |
| • Governorate Mayor | Saleh Al-Turki[1] |
| Area | |
• City | 1,600 km2 (600 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,793 km2 (692 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,485 km2 (959 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
• City | 3,751,722 |
| • Density | 2,300/km2 (6,100/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total | $235.6 billion[3] |
| • Per capita | $48,500 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (Arabia Standard Time) |
| Postal Code | 5 digit codes beginning with 21 (e.g. 21577) |
| Area code | +966 12 |
| HDI (2021) | 0.871[4] – very high |
| Website | jeddah |
| Official name | Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah |
| Criteria | Cultural: ii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 1361 |
| Inscription | 2014 (38th Session) |
| Area | 17.92 ha |
| Buffer zone | 113.58 ha |
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Jeddah (English: /ˈdʒɛdə/ JED-ə), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda (/ˈdʒɪdə/ JID-ə; Arabic: جِدَّة, romanized: Jidda, Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [ˈ(d)ʒɪd.da]), is the largest city in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located along the Red Sea coast in the Hejaz region. Jeddah is the commercial center of the country. It is not known when Jeddah was founded, but Jeddah's prominence grew in 647 when the Caliph Uthman made it a travel hub serving Muslim travelers going to the holy city of Mecca for Islamic pilgrimage. Since those times, Jeddah has served as the gateway for millions of pilgrims who have arrived in Saudi Arabia, traditionally by sea and recently by air.[5][6]
With a population of about 3,751,722 people as of 2022, Jeddah is the largest city in Makkah Province,[7] the largest city in Hejaz, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia (after the capital Riyadh), and the ninth-largest in the Middle East. It also serves as the administrative centre of the OIC. Jeddah Islamic Port, on the Red Sea, is the thirty-sixth largest seaport in the world[8] and the second-largest and second-busiest seaport in the Middle East (after Dubai's Port of Jebel Ali).
Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca Sharif, the holiest city in Islam, 65 kilometers (40 mi) to the east, while Medina, the second-holiest city, is 360 kilometers (220 mi) to the north. Economically, Jeddah is focusing on further developing capital investment in scientific and engineering leadership within Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East.[9] Jeddah was ranked fourth in the Africa, MiddIe East, and 'stan countries region in the Innovation Cities Index in 2009.[10]
Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia's primary resort cities and was named a Beta world city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC). Given the city's close proximity to the Red Sea, fishing and seafood dominate the food culture unlike other parts of the country. In Arabic, the city motto is "Jeddah Ghair", which translates to "Jeddah is different".
- ^ "Saleh Al-Turki, mayor of Jeddah". arabnews.com. Saudi Research & Publishing Company. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "Population". Statistical Yearbook 50 (2014). Central Department Of Statistics & Information. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
- ^ "TelluBase—Saudi Arabia Fact Sheet" (PDF). tellusant.com. Tellusant, Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Subnational HDI – Global Data Lab".
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah Sharif". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
- ^ "Jeddah Hooked on Fishing". Arab News. 2006-03-04. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
- ^ "Mecca Region (Saudi Arabia): Places in Governorates - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
- ^ "Top 50 World Container Ports | World Shipping Council". www.worldshipping.org. Archived from the original on 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
- ^ "'Jeddah has the potential to become a Knowledge City'Saudi Arabia - Zawya". Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "2thinknow Innovation Cities™ Emerging 11 Index 2009 - Middle East, Africa and Former USSR States | 2009". Innovation-cities.com. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2011-04-17.