Jeddah: Al Balad, the old town loop

From the Al Mahmal car park on the western edge of Al Balad, walk east into the old town to Naseef House, then through Souk Al Alawi (سوق العلوي), the market lane, past the House of the Baeshen Family and on north to Shortabily House (بيت الشربتلي), before looping back through the lanes to the car park. The streets are a maze, so keep a map. Al Balad is the old centre of Jeddah, inscribed by UNESCO in 2014 as Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah; many of its coral-stone houses have carved wooden balconies called rawashin, and some are in poor repair.

It is a 4.5 km loop on the flat (28 m of ascent); allow about 1¼ hours, far longer if you stop. The grade is Easy: pedestrian streets, lanes and a few roads with traffic. OpenStreetMap marks the Al Mahmal car park as charged.

Jeddah is hot and humid in the warm months: walk in the cooler months, early or after sunset, and carry water. Dress in loose clothing that covers the elbows and knees, as the UK government advises across Saudi Arabia, and ask for consent before photographing people.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.