THE GATEWAY: AN INTERPRETATION CENTER FOR HISTORIC JEDDAH

Abstract

'The city is a 'shadow' of the former thriving, prosperous place it used to be.' Historic Jeddah also known as the 'Gateway to Mecca', situated in downtown Al-Ba lad, is one out of the five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia which still goes unnoticed. This walled city was significant for acting as a mid-stop for pilgrims going to Mecca from sea while also being the major port for ocean trade routes. Jeddah was considered as the microcosm of the Muslim world, where there was an intermix of people living, socializing, and exchanging goods together. Connectivity to the seashore is what lead to the old city's prominence. With time, the old city has lost its crucial link with its harbor along with the trading axis having survived less well than the pilgrimage axis. This has led to the walled city being underestimated or underutilized. The purpose of the thesis is to revive the old city through creation of synchronous transitional forms that help people mix well along with the opportunity to experience an enhanced essence of the Arab culture which will help in better understanding of the city's former role and influence