[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Hijazi houses of Historic Jeddah" ids="27583,27579,27580,27582,27581"]
Shahd Alhamdan
THE 10-day Jeddah heritage festival Kunna Kida (We were like this), which is coming to a close at the city’s old quarter, this year featured a larger space, several plays about life in old Jeddah and open houses of Hijazi families that tourists can visit.
In the open museum, there are many houses from Hijazi families that have unique stories, histories and designs.
According to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage website, Dar Al-Naseef, Dar Al-Jamjoom in Haret Yemen, Dar Al-Baeshen, Dar Al-Gable, Al Shafi’e Mosque in Haret Al-Mazloom, Dar Al-Banaja, and Dar Al-Zahid in Haret Al-Sham are some of the oldest and most famous buildings in whole of Saudi Arabia.
Some of these houses are more than 30 meters tall, durable and in a good condition, even after the passage of several decades since they were built. Four of the houses are a must-see for those visiting the festival.
Abdullah Matbouli House
There are two houses in Historic Jeddah from Matbouli’s family. One of these houses was recently opened to the public after restoration. Tariq Matbouli, one of the heirs to the house, said it was closed for around 20 years. Before that the house was rented to private tenants.
“The building is around 350 years old. This is the only house in Jeddah that has arches similar to Al-Meamar Mosque in style. The house was closed until Prince Mishal Bin Majed said during a visit to the old city that this house should be renovated and opened so people have a chance to see what is inside. Prince Sultan Bin Salman said this house would be a great gallery in Historic Jeddah because of its ideal location and space,” he said.
Matbouli said his grandfather used to be the sheikh of the city’s grain traders, and would meet traders and other guests in the hall of the house. The house had a separate access for visitors, in addition to the main access door, which was separated into two parts because the owner had two wives.
“The hall was for meeting with grain traders and other people. In this hall, my grandfather used to weigh the grain bags, check and stamp them for trade. During times of war, the house was used as a warehouse to store grains,” he said.
Matbouli was born in the house and lived five years of his boyhood in it. He explained that life was different then and people cared about each other.
He recalled once incident from his childhood that showed how people trusted each other at the time. One of his neighbors had beaten him, and he went his father complaining. Instead of consoling him, his father gave him a smack. He said his father believed that if the neighbor had acted in a rash manner, it was only because his son had done something wrong.
Naseef House
The Naseef House is probably the most famous place in Historic Jeddah. King Abdulaziz, during his stays in the city, had used it as his royal residence and would meet guests at this house.
The four-story house has around 106 rooms, and according to one of the tour guides, Ameen, the house is around 155 years old.
Ameen said the steps of the house’s stairs were small but wide at the same time so that livestock and other animals could be used to carry foodstuffs to the kitchens in the upper floors.
Today, the house is not only a museum open to the public, but is also a venue for exhibitions and lectures.
Nour Wali House
This house was built by Mahmood Al-Sabban and then bought by the Al-Ashour family. In 1944, Abdulqader Nour Wali bought the house, which is located in the Al-Yemen quarter. The house is unique because of the building’s construction style and design.
Al-Balad House
This house for a period housed the British Embassy in Jeddah, and during the Abdulmajeed Shobokshi period, the house was the headquarters for the Directorate of Police. The building now belongs to the Bajunaid family.
