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Saudi Gazette report
The flyover at Kilo 8 of the Old Makkah Road in Jeddah is well known among the Sudanese community as Jisr Al-Ummal (the workers’ bridge). The bridge serves as a kind of transit point for Sudanese arriving in this Red Sea port city or leaving the Kingdom for home. The stopover helps them meet friends and relatives.
Al-Madinah reporter Saud Al-Eid recently visited “the mini-Sudan” inside Jeddah and gave an account of his impressions about the interesting life under the bridge.
New comers from Sudan visit the place looking for jobs while many undocumented workers go there allegedly to get forged residency cards.
Sudanese truck drivers stop by to have tea or smoke hubble-bubble at the teashop 62-year-old Um Othman runs under the bridge. It gives them an opportunity to discuss politics back home, exchange worries and problems and meet with compatriots.
“When a Sudanese man arrives in Jeddah, he asks about Jisr Al-Ummal to receive career guidance. It’s a kind of employment office,” said Al-Eid.
Um Othman has converted the rough terrain below the bridge into her “five-star” teashop. She prepares the tea in Sudanese style, wooing lots of clients including Saudis to her shop.
“My husband is a truck driver. I obtained his permission to start the small tea stall under the bridge to prepare tea for him and fellow truck drivers. She supplemented her husband’s income to support their eight-member family,” Um Othman said.
As time passed, the teashop started attracting more and more clients, including Saudis and expatriates of other nationalities. Um Othman now earns SR200 to SR350 a day.
The woman refused to take any money from Al-Eid, saying, “We won’t allow our guests to pay”.
Al-Eid was impressed by the Sudanese traditions and the courteous way they welcome people of other nationalities under the bridge.
Jisr Al-Ummal is an easy getaway for many Sudanese workers who come there to relax and forget their worries. They come and meet their compatriots with whom they share their problems and difficulties.
“I feel nostalgic for this place whenever I travel outside Jeddah. Unlike other nationals, we Sudanese enjoy coming over here,” said one frequent visitor.
Al-Eid met a group of drivers who were sitting at the teashop. The men chatted and laughed together, forgetting all their worries and problems, during the small intervals they steal away from their arduous work schedule while earning a decent living for their families back home.
“This is the oldest rendezvous for Sudanese in Jeddah,” said one driver. “Even people in our country know about Jisr Al-Ummal because most Sudanese come to this place seeking jobs. Those of us who came to Jeddah several years ago help them find suitable jobs. Some of these new comers learn new skills assisting their elders in many ways,” he added.
The majority of Sudanese who stop by Jisr Al-Ummal almost daily are truck drivers. “You can also see people engaged in real estate business, running workshops and doing office jobs come over here to meet with their friends and neighbors,” said one driver.
