A History of Jeddah: The Gate to Mecca in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

[المستشار الصحفى]

الصحف المصرية والعربية

Ulrike Freitag’s A History of Jeddah: The Gate to Mecca in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries is a seductively charming urban history of the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, popularly known as the “Bride of the Red Sea” or the “Gate to Mecca”. While cities such as Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo are well known for their grand histories, Saudi cities rarely receive the same attention. When they are talked about, it is often only in the context of pilgrimage to Mecca, leading some to crassly conclude that the Gulf kingdom has no real history prior to the discovery of oil. But as works like Freitag’s show, this is simply untrue, and a vibrant history awaits to greet those prepared to […]

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