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John Leech (caricaturist)

John Leech (29 August 1817 – 29 October 1864) was a British caricaturist and illustrator. He was best known for his work for Punch, a humorous magazine for a broad middle-class audience, combining verbal and graphic political satire with light social comedy. Leech catered to contemporary prejudices, such as anti-Americanism and antisemitism and supported acceptable social reforms. Leech's critical yet humorous cartoons on the Crimean War helped shape public attitudes toward heroism, warfare, and Britons' role in the world.

Leech also enjoys fame as the first illustrator of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. He was furthermore a pioneer in comics, creating the recurring character Mr. Briggs and some sequential illustrated gags.

Early life
John Leech was born in London. His father, a native of Ireland, was the landlord of the London Coffee House on Ludgate Hill, "a man", on the testimony of those who knew him, "of fine culture, a profound Shakespearian, and a thorough gentleman." His mother was descended from the family of Richard Bentley. Like his father. Leech was skillful at drawing with a pencil, which he began doing at a very early age. When he was only three, he was discovered by John Flaxman, who was visiting, seated on his mother's knee, drawing with much gravity. The sculptor admired his sketch, adding, "Do not let him be cramped with lessons in drawing; let his genius follow its own bent; he will astonish the world"—advice which was followed. A mail-coach, done when he was six years old, is already full of surprising vigour and variety in its galloping horses. Leech was educated at Charterhouse School, where William Makepeace Thackeray, his lifelong friend, was a fellow pupil, and at sixteen he began to study for the medical profession at St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he won praise for the accuracy and beauty of his anatomical drawings. He was then placed under a Mr Whittle, an eccentric practitioner, the original of "Rawkins" in Albert Smith's Adventures of Mr Ledbury, and afterwards under John Cockle; but gradually he drifted into the artistic profession. His nickname also being "Blicky" stuck with him during his life, and he used that name to sign some of his works.

Artistic career

He was eighteen when his first designs were published, a quarto of four pages, entitled Etchings and Sketchings by A. Pen, Esq., comic character studies from the London streets. Then he drew some political lithographs, did rough sketches for Bell's Life, produced a popular parody on Mulready's postal envelope, and, on the death of Dickens illustrator Robert Seymour in 1836, unsuccessfully submitted his renderings to illustrate The Pickwick Papers.

In 1840 Leech began his contributions to the magazines with a series of etchings in Bentley's Miscellany, where George Cruikshank had published his plates to Jack Sheppard and Oliver Twist, and was illustrating Guy Fawkes in feebler fashion.

In company with the elder master Leech designed for the Ingoldsby Legends and Stanley Thorn, and until 1847 produced many independent series of etchings. These were not his best work; their technique is imperfect and we never feel that they express the artist's individuality, the Richard Savage plates, for instance, being strongly reminiscent of Cruikshank, and The Dance at Stamford Hall of Hablot Browne.

In 1845 Leech illustrated St Giles and St James in Douglas William Jerrold's new Shilling Magazine, with plates more vigorous and accomplished than those in Bentley, but it is in subjects of a somewhat later date, and especially in those lightly etched and meant to be printed with colour, that we see the artist's best powers with the needle and acid.

Among such of his designs are four charming plates to Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843), the broadly humorous etchings in the Comic History of England (1847–1848), and the still finer illustrations to The Comic History of Rome (1851) —which last, particularly in its minor woodcuts, shows some exquisitely graceful touches, as witness the fair faces that rise from the surging water in Cloelia and her Companions Escaping from the Etruscan Camp.

Among his other etchings are those in Young Master Troublesome or Master Jacky's Holidays, and the frontispiece to Hints on Life, or How to Rise in Society (1845)—a series of minute subjects linked gracefully together by coils of smoke, illustrating the various ranks and conditions of men, one of them—the doctor by his patient's bedside—almost equalling in vivacity and precision the best of Cruikshank's similar scenes.

Then in the 1850s come the numerous etchings of sporting scenes, contributed, together with woodcuts, to the Handley Cross novels by Robert Smith Surtees.

Lithographic work
Leech's lithographic work includes the 1841 Portraits of the Children of the Mobility, an important series dealing with the humorous and pathetic aspects of London street "Arabs", which were afterwards so often and so effectively to employ the artist's pencil. Amid all the squalor which they depict, they are full of individual beauties in the delicate or touching expression of a face, in the graceful turn of a limb. The book is scarce in its original form, but in 1875 two reproductions of the outline sketches for the designs were published—a lithographic issue of the whole series, and a finer photographic transcript of six of the subjects, which is more valuable than even the finished illustrations of 1841, in which the added light and shade is frequently spotty and ineffective, arid the lining itself has not the freedom which we find in some of Leech's other lithographs, notably in the fly leaves, published at the Punch office, and in the inimitable subject of the nuptial couch of the Caudles, which also appeared, in woodcut form, as a political cartoon, with Mrs Caudle, personated by Brougham, disturbing by untimely loquacity the slumbers of the lord chancellor, whose haggard cheek rests on the woolsack for pillow.

Wood engraving
It was in work for the wood-engravers that Leech was most prolific and individual. Among the earlier of such designs are the illustrations to the Comic English and Latin Grammars (1840), to Written Caricatures (1841), to Hood's Comic Annual, (1842), and to Albert Smith's Wassail Bowl (1843), subjects mainly of a small vignette size, transcribed with the best skill of such woodcutters as Orrin Smith, and not, like the larger and later Punch illustrations, cut at speed by several engravers working at once on the subdivided block.

It was in 1841 that Leech's connection with Punch began, a connection which subsisted until his death, and resulted in the production of the best-known and most admirable of his designs. His first contribution appeared in the issue of 7 August, a full-page illustration—entitled Foreign Affairs of character studies from the neighbourhood of Leicester Square. His cartoons deal at first mainly with social subjects, and are rough and imperfect in execution, but gradually their method gains in power and their subjects become more distinctly political, and by 1849 the artist is strong enough to produce the splendidly humorous national personification which appears in Disraeli Measuring the British Lion.

About 1845 we have the first of that long series of half-page and quarter-page pictures of life and manners, executed with a hand as gentle as it was skilful, containing, as Ruskin has said, "admittedly the finest definition and natural history of the classes of our society, the kindest and subtlest analysis of its foibles, the tenderest flattery of its pretty and well-bred ways", which had yet appeared.

In addition to his work for the weekly issue of Punch, Leech contributed largely to the Punch almanacks and pocket-books, from Once a Week between 1859 and 1862, to The Illustrated London News, where some of his largest and best sporting scenes appeared, and to innumerable novels and miscellaneous volumes besides, of which it is only necessary to specify A Little Tour in Ireland (1859). This last piece is noticeable as showing the artist's treatment of pure landscape, though it also contains some of his daintiest figure pieces, like that of the wind-blown girl, standing on the summit of a pedestal, with the swifts darting around her and the breadth of sea beyond.

Public exhibition
In 1862 Leech appealed to the public with a very successful exhibition of some of the most remarkable of his Punch drawings. These were enlarged by a mechanical process, and coloured in oils by the artist himself, with the assistance and under the direction of his friend John Everett Millais. Millais had earlier painted a portrait of a child reading Leech's comic book Mr Briggs' Sporting Tour, itself said to have been founded on Leech's own visits to Millais, whose favorite shooting and fishing grounds are reproduced in a great number of the drawings.

Character
Leech was a rapid and indefatigable worker. Samuel Hole said he observed the artist produce three finished drawings on the wood, designed, traced, and rectified, "without much effort as it seemed, between breakfast and dinner". The best technical qualities of Leech's art, his precision and vivacity in the use of the line, are seen most clearly in the first sketches for his woodcuts, and in the more finished drawings made on tracing paper from these first outlines, before the chiaroscuro was added and the designs were transcribed by the engraver. Turning to the mental qualities of his art, it would be a mistaken criticism which ranked him as a comic draughtsman. Like Hogarth he was a true humorist, a student of human life, though he observed humanity mainly in its whimsical aspects,

The earnestness and gravity of moral purpose which is so constant a note in the work of Hogarth is indeed far less characteristic of Leech, but there are touches of pathos and of tragedy in such of the Punch designs as the Poor Man's Friend (1845), and General Février turned Traitor (1855), and in The Queen of the Arena in the first volume of Once a Week, which are sufficient to prove that more solemn powers, for which his daily work afforded no scope, lay dormant in their artist.

The purity and manliness of Leech's own character are impressed on his art. We find in it little of the exaggeration and grotesqueness, and none of the fierce political enthusiasm, of which the designs of James Gillray are so full. Compared with that of his great contemporary, George Cruikshank, his work is restricted both in compass of subject and in artistic dexterity.

In popular culture
Leech was played by Simon Callow in the 2017 film The Man Who Invented Christmas which depicts the 1843 writing and production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Death
He died at his home in London on 29 October 1864 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

title: John Leech (caricaturist)


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Jeddah

Jeddah, alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda (Jidda, ), is a port city in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, located along the Red Sea coast in the Hejaz region. Jeddah is the commercial center of the country. It is not known when Jeddah was founded, but Jeddah's prominence grew in 647 when the Caliph Uthman made it a travel hub serving Muslim travelers going to the holy city of Mecca for Islamic pilgrimage. Since those times, Jeddah has served as the gateway for millions of pilgrims who have arrived in Saudi Arabia, traditionally by sea and recently by air.

With a population of about 3,751,722 people as of 2022, Jeddah is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest city in Hejaz, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia (after the capital Riyadh), and the ninth-largest in the Middle East. It also serves as the administrative centre of the OIC. Jeddah Islamic Port, on the Red Sea, is the thirty-sixth largest seaport in the world and the second-largest and second-busiest seaport in the Middle East (after Dubai's Port of Jebel Ali).

Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca Sharif, the holiest city in Islam, 65 km to the east, while Medina, the second-holiest city, is 360 km to the north. Economically, Jeddah is focusing on further developing capital investment in scientific and engineering leadership within Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East. Jeddah was ranked fourth in the Africa, MiddIe East, and 'stan countries region in the Innovation Cities Index in 2009.

Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia's primary resort cities and was named a Beta world city by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC). Given the city's close proximity to the Red Sea, fishing and seafood dominate the food culture unlike other parts of the country. In Arabic, the city motto is "Jeddah Ghair", which translates to "Jeddah is different".

Etymology and spelling
There are at least two etymologies of Jeddah, according to Jeddah Ibn Al-Qudaa'iy, the chief of the Quda'a clan. The more common account has it that the name is derived from جدة Jaddah, the Arabic word for "grandmother". According to folk belief, the Tomb of Eve, considered the grandmother of humanity, is located in Jeddah.

The Maghrebi traveler Ibn Battuta visited Jeddah during his world trip in around 1330. He wrote the name of the city into his diary as "Jiddah".

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other branches of the British government formerly used the older spelling of "Jedda", contrary to other English-speaking usages, but in 2007, it changed to the spelling "Jeddah".

T. E. Lawrence felt that any transcription of Arabic names into English was arbitrary. In his book Revolt in the Desert, Jeddah is spelled in three different ways on the first page alone.

On official Saudi maps and documents, the city name is transcribed "Jeddah", which is now the prevailing usage.

Pre-Islam
Traces of early activity in the area are testified by some Thamudic inscriptions that were excavated in Wadi Briman (وادي بريمان), east of the city, and Wadi Boweb (وادي بويب), northwest of the city. The oldest Mashrabiya found in Jeddah dates back to the pre-Islamic era.

Some believe that Jeddah had been inhabited before Alexander the Great, who had a naval expedition to the Red Sea, by fishermen in the Red Sea, who considered it a center from which they sailed out into the sea as well as a place for relaxation and well-being. According to the Ministry of Hajj, Jeddah has been settled for more than 2500 years.

Excavations in the old city have been interpreted as that Jeddah was founded as a fishing hamlet by the Yemeni Quda'a tribe (بني قضاعة), who left central Yemen to settle in Makkah after the collapse of Marib Dam in Yemen in 115 BC.

Under the Caliphates
Jeddah first achieved prominence around A.D. 647, when the third Muslim Caliph, Uthman Ibn Affan, turned it into a port making it the port of Makkah instead of Al Shoaib port southwest of Mecca.

The Umayyads inherited the entire Rashidun Caliphate including Hejaz and ruled from 661 to 750. In 702, Jeddah was briefly occupied by pirates from the Kingdom of Axum. However, Jeddah remained a key civilian harbor, serving fishermen and pilgrims travelling by sea for the Hajj. It is also believed that Sharifdom of Mecca, an honorary Viceroy to the holy land, was first appointed in this period of the Islamic Caliphate. Jeddah has been established as the main city of the historic Hijaz province and a historic port for pilgrims arriving by sea to perform their Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

In 750 in the Abbasid Revolution, the Abbasids successfully took control of almost the whole Umayyad Empire, excluding Morocco (Maghrib) and Spain (Al-Andalus). From 876, Jeddah and the surrounding area became the object of wars between the Abbasids and the Tulunids of Egypt, who at one point gained control of the emirates of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Hejaz. The power struggle between the Tulunid Governors and the Abbasids over Hejaz lasted for nearly twenty-five years, until the Tulunids finally withdrew from Arabia in 900.

In 930 AD, the main Hejazi cities of Medina, Mecca and Taif were heavily sacked by the Qarmatians. It is probable, though not historically confirmed, that Jeddah itself was attacked by Qarmatians.

Soon after, in early 935, the Ikhshidids, the new power in Egypt, took control of the Hejaz region. There are no historical records that detail the Ikhshidid rule of Hejaz. At this point in time, Jeddah was still unfortified and without walls.

The Fatimids, Ayyubids, and Mamluks

In 969 AD, the Fatimids from Algeria took control in Egypt from the Ikhshidid Governors of Abbasids and expanded their empire to the surrounding regions, including The Hijaz and Jeddah. The Fatimids developed an extensive trade network in both the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea. Their trade and diplomatic ties extended all the way to China and its Song Dynasty, which eventually determined the economic course of Tihamah during the High Middle Ages.

After Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1171, he proclaimed himself sultan of Egypt, after dissolving the Fatimid Caliphate upon the death of al-Adid, thus establishing the Ayyubid dynasty. Ayyubid conquests in Hejaz included Jeddah, which joined the Ayyubid dynasty in 1177 during the leadership of Sharif Ibn Abul-Hashim Al-Thalab (1094–1201). During their relatively short-lived tenure, the Ayyubids ushered in an era of economic prosperity in the lands they ruled and the facilities and patronage provided by the Ayyubids led to a resurgence in intellectual activity in the Islamic world. This period was also marked by an Ayyubid process of vigorously strengthening Sunni Muslim dominance in the region by constructing numerous madrasas (Islamic schools) in their major cities. Jeddah attracted Muslim sailors and merchants from Sindh, Southeast Asia and East Africa, and other distant regions.

In the year 1258, after the fall of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Empire, to the Mongols, Hejaz became a part of the Mamluk Sultanate.

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, having found his way around the Cape and obtained pilots from the coast of Zanzibar in AD 1497, pushed his way across the Indian Ocean to the shores of Malabar and Calicut, attacked fleets that carried freight and Muslim pilgrims from India to the Red Sea, and struck terror into the surrounding potentates. The Princes of Gujarat and Yemen turned for help to Egypt. Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri accordingly fitted out a fleet of 50 vessels under the Governor of Jeddah, Hussein the Kurd (aka. Mirocem). Jeddah was soon fortified with a wall, using forced labor, as a harbor of refuge from the Portuguese, allowing Arabia and the Red Sea to be protected.

Ottoman Empire

In 1517, the Ottoman Turks conquered the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria, during the reign of Selim I.

The Ottomans rebuilt the weak walls of Jeddah in 1525 following the defense of the city against the Lopo Soares de Albergaria's Armada at the Siege of Jeddah (1517). The new stone wall included six watchtowers and six city gates. They were constructed to defend against the Portuguese attack. Of the six gates, the Gate of Mecca was the eastern gate and the Gate of Al-Magharibah, facing the port, was the western gate. The Gate of Sharif faced south. The other gates were the Gate of Al-Bunt, Gate of Al-Sham (also called Gate of Al-Sharaf), and Gate of Medina, facing north. The Turks also built The Qishla of Jeddah, a small castle for the city soldiers. In the 19th century, these seven gates were minimized into four giant gates with four towers. These giant gates were the Gate of Sham to the north, the Gate of Mecca to the east, the Gate of Sharif to the south, and the Gate of Al-Magharibah on the seaside.

Jeddah became a direct Ottoman Eyalet, while the remaining Hejaz under Sharif Barakat II became a vassal state to the Ottoman Empire eight years after the Siege of Jeddah in 1517. The Portuguese attempted to attack the port again in 1541, but were repelled.

Parts of the city wall still survive today in the old city. Even though the Portuguese were successfully repelled from the city, fleets in the Indian Ocean were at their mercy. This was evidenced by the Battle of Diu. The Portuguese soldiers' cemetery can still be found within the old city today and is referred to as the site of the Christian Graves.

Ahmed Al-Jazzar, the Ottoman military man mainly known for his role in the Siege of Acre, spent the earlier part of his career at Jeddah. In Jeddah in 1750, he killed some seventy rioting nomads in retaliation for the killing of his commander, Abdullah Beg, earning him the nickname "Jezzar" (butcher).

On 15 June 1858, rioting in the city, believed to have been instigated by a former police chief in reaction to British policy in the Red Sea, led to the massacre of 25 Christians, including the British and French consuls, members of their families, and wealthy Greek merchants. The British frigate HMS Cyclops (1839), anchored at port, bombarded the city for two days in retaliation.

First Saudi State and Ottoman–Saudi War
In 1802, Nejdi forces conquered both Mecca and Jeddah from the Ottomans. When Sharif Ghalib Efendi informed Sultan Mahmud II of this, the Sultan ordered his Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali Pasha to retake the city. Muhammad Ali successfully regained the city in the Battle of Jeddah in 1813.

World War I and the Hashemite Kingdom

During World War I, Sharif Hussein bin Ali declared a revolt against the Ottoman Empire, seeking independence from the Ottoman Turks and the creation of a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen.

King Hussein declared the Kingdom of Hejaz. Later, Hussein was involved in a war with Ibn Saud, who was the Sultan of Nejd. Hussein abdicated following the fall of Mecca, in December 1924, and his son Ali bin Hussein became the new king.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

A few months later, Ibn Saud, whose clan originated in the central Nejd province, conquered Medina and Jeddah via an agreement with Jeddans following the Second Battle of Jeddah. He deposed Ali bin Hussein, who fled to Baghdad, eventually settling in Amman, Jordan, where his descendants became part of its Hashemite royalty.

As a result, Jeddah came under the sway of the Al-Saud dynasty in December 1925. In 1926, Ibn Saud added the title King of Hejaz to his position of Sultan of Nejd. Today, Jeddah has lost its historical role in peninsular politics after Jeddah fell within the new province of Makkah, whose provincial capital is the city of Mecca.

From 1928 to 1932, the new Khuzam Palace was built as the new residence of King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah. The palace lies south of the old walled city and was constructed under the supervision of the engineer Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden. After 1963, the palace was used as a royal guest house; since 1995, it has housed the Regional Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography.

The remaining walls and gates of the old city were demolished in 1947. A fire in 1982 destroyed some ancient buildings in the old town center, called Al-Balad, but much is still preserved. A house-by-house survey of the old districts was made in 1979, showing that some 1000 traditional buildings still existed, though the number of structures with great historic value was far less. In 1990, a Jeddah Historical Area Preservation Department was founded.

The modern city has expanded wildly beyond its old boundaries. The built-up area expanded mainly to the north along the Red Sea coastline, reaching the new airport during the 1990s and since edging its way around it toward the Ob'hur Creek, some 27 km from the old city center.

In October 2021, Saudi authorities, led by Mohammad bin Salman, initiated a large-scale demolition and eviction plan in neighborhoods in the southern part of Jeddah to make way for the Jeddah Central Project, a revitalization project under Saudi Vision 2030. The demolitions affected 558,000 people in more than 60 neighborhoods. Amnesty International confirmed through official documents that some of the residents were notified about evictions only 24 hours before, while others were between 1–6 weeks. In some cases "evacuate" was written on the buildings, while the state media and billboards informed others about the demolitions to others. Saudi state media claimed the majority of affected neighborhoods were "rife with diseases, crime, drugs and theft" and home to predominantly undocumented immigrants. In January 2022, Saudi authorities announced a compensation scheme that accounted for 47% of those evicted.

Geography

Jeddah is located in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal plain (called Tihamah). Jeddah lies in the Hijazi Tihama (تهامة الحجاز) region which is in the lower Hijaz mountains. Historically, politically and culturally, Jeddah was a major city of Hejaz Vilayet, the Kingdom of Hejaz and other regional political entities according to Hijazi history books. It is the 100th largest city in the world by land area.

Climate
Jeddah features an arid climate (BWh) under Koppen's climate classification, with a tropical temperature range. Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, Jeddah retains its warm temperature in winter, which can range from 15 C at dawn to 28 C in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are extremely hot, often breaking the 40 C mark in the afternoon. Summers are also quite steamy, with dew points often exceeding 80 F, particularly in September.

Rainfall in Jeddah is generally sparse, and usually occurs in small amounts in November and December. Heavy thunderstorms are common in winter. The thunderstorm of December 2008 was the largest in recent memory, with rain reaching around 3 in. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was 9.8 C on February 10, 1993. The highest temperature ever recorded in Jeddah was 52.0 C on June 22, 2010, which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Saudi Arabia.

Dust storms happen in summer and sometimes in winter, coming from the Arabian Peninsula's deserts or from North Africa. Occasionally, the dust storms accompany thunderstorms.

Economy

Jeddah has long been a port city. Even before being designated the port city for Mecca, Jeddah was a trading hub for the region. In the 19th century, goods such as mother-of-pearl, tortoise shells, frankincense, and spices were routinely exported from the city. Apart from this, many imports into the city were destined for further transit to the Suez, Africa, or Europe. Many goods passing through Jeddah could not even be found in the city or even in Arabia.

All of the capitals of the Middle East and North Africa are within two hours flying distance of Jeddah, making it the second commercial center of the Middle East after Dubai.

Also, Jeddah's industrial district is the fourth largest industrial city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jubail and Yanbu.

King Abdullah Street

King Abdullah Street is one of the most important streets in Jeddah and runs from King Fahd Road by the waterfront in the west of Jeddah to the eastern end of the city. It is famous for hosting numerous corporate offices and commercial developments. It will be near the HSR Entrance in Jeddah central train station which connects Jeddah with Makkah, AL-Madinah, and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). And it also has the second tallest flagpole in the world at a height of 170 m (558 ft). This road also faced a catastrophe in 2011 when it was submerged with rainwater.

Tahliyah Street

Tahaliyah Street is an important fashion and shopping street in central Jeddah. It contains many upscale departments and high fashion brands stores as well as boutiques. It has been renamed "Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz Road" by the government, but this official name is not widely used. It also has many fine dining options.

Madinah Road
Madinah Road is a historically significant street in Jeddah. It links the Southern districts with the North and contains the Main offices of several companies and showrooms. The northern end of the road links to the King Abdul Aziz Int'l Airport, which is a contributing factor to heavy traffic on this road at most times during the day.

Religious significance

Most citizens are Sunni Muslims. The government, courts, and civil and criminal laws enforce a moral code established by Shari'ah. A very small minority of Saudi citizens are Shia Muslims, and there is also a large foreign workforce.

The city has over 1,300 mosques. The law does not allow other religions' buildings, books, icons, and expressions of faith. However, private religious observance not involving Muslims nor offending public order and morality is tolerated.

Since the 7th century, Jeddah has hosted millions of Muslim pilgrims from all over the world on their way to Hajj. This merge with pilgrims has a major impact on the society, religion, and economy of Jeddah.

Cuisine

Jeddah's multi-ethnic citizenry has influenced Jeddah's traditional cuisine.

Some dishes are native to the Hejaz, like Saleeg and Mabshūr (مَبْشُور) is a white-rice dish, cooked in broth, often made with chicken instead of lamb meat. Jeddah cuisine is popular as well and dishes like, Foul, Shorabah Hareira (Hareira soup), Mugalgal, Madhbi (chicken grilled on stone), Madfun (literally meaning "buried"), Magloobah, Kibdah, Manzalah (usually eaten at Eid ul-Fitr), Magliya (a local version of falafel) and Saiyadyia which can be acquired in many traditional restaurants around the city, such as Althamrat, Abo-Zaid, Al-Quarmooshi, Ayaz, and Hejaziyat.

Some were imported from other Saudi regions like Kabsa from Najd, Arīka (عَريكة) and Ma'sūb (مَعْصُوب) from the southern Saudi region. Other Dishes were imported from other cultures through Saudis of different origins, like Mantu, Yaghmush (يَغْمُش) and Ruz Bukhāri (رُز بُخاري) from Central Asia, Burēk and Šurēk and Kabab almīru (كباب الميرو) from Turkey and the Balkans, Mandi from Yemen, Mutabbag (مُطَبَّق) from Yemen-Malaysia, Biryāni and Kābli (كابلي) rice dishes from South Asia.

The most popular local fast-food chain, begun in 1974, is Albaik, with branches in Jeddah and the neighboring cities of Makkah, Madinah and Yanbu. Their main dish is broasted (broiled and roasted) chicken, commonly known by Jeddawis as "Broast", and a variety of seafood. The popular fast food chain recently opened branches in Riyadh. Dammam, Buraidah, Bahrain, and Dubai in the UAE.

Open-air art

During the oil boom in the late 1970s and 1980s, there was a focused civic effort led by the then city's mayor Mohamed Said Farsi to bring art to Jeddah's public areas. As a result, Jeddah contains a large number of modern open-air sculptures and works of art, typically situated in roundabouts. Sculptures include works by Jean/Hans Arp, César Baldaccini, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Joan Miró, Hubert Minnebo and Victor Vasarely. They often depict traditional Saudi items such as coffee pots, incense burners, palm trees, etc. Islamic tradition prohibits the depiction of living creatures, especially the human form, and there has affected the art. These include a giant geometry set, a giant bicycle, and a huge block of concrete with several cars protruding from it at odd angles and a monumental sculpture by Aref Rayess called "Swords of God (Soyuf Allah)". At the interchange between Al-Madinah Road, King Abdulaziz Road, and Prince Abullah Al-Faisal Road, there are large sculptures of camels that are the center of a very dangerous roundabout. The camel bodies are not full; they are broken up to prevent it portraying living creatures, which is against Wahhabi belief.

Museums and collections
There are about a dozen museums or collections in Jeddah, with varied educational aims and professionalism. These include the Jeddah Regional Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography run by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums, the Jeddah Municipal Museum, the Nasseef House, the Humane Heritage Museum, the private Abdul Rauf Hasan Khalil Museum and the private Arts Heritage Museum.

Red Sea International Film Festival
Jeddah has been selected as a place for the annual Red Sea International Film Festival that was held in 2020.

Jeddah International Book Fair
Jeddah hosts an annual international book fair called Jeddah international book fair. It is the second largest book fair in Saudi Arabia, and it was first held in 2015. The book fair is held annually in early December.

Jeddah Season
Jeddah Season is a part of the Saudi government's Saudi Seasons initiatives that aims at launching a high-level tourism activities in Saudi Arabia. The first version of the season has been held in June–July 2019. Around 150 activities and events have been organized in five destinations in Jeddah. As Saudi Seasons 2019 aims at shedding the light on the diverse Saudi culture and heritage. Jeddah was chosen because it is one of the most culturally-rich Saudi cities with a history that spans over 3,000 years. Most of Jeddah Season's events and activities have been held at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah's historical area, Al-Hamra Corniche, and the Jeddah Waterfront. Jeddah Season aims to make Jeddah the most preferred tourist destination in the world and the best season of Saudi Seasons.

Media
Jeddah is served by four major Arabic-language newspapers, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Madina, Okaz, and Al Bilad, as well as two major English-language newspapers, the Saudi Gazette and Arab News. Okaz and Al-Madina are the primary newspapers of Jeddah and some other Saudi cities, with over a million readers; their focus is mainly local.

Internet blogs specifically informative of the locality are abundant in Jeddah, catering mostly to the widespread expatriate population. Of these are constituted websites that have garnered international acclaim for informativeness, such as Jeddah Blog, the recipient of the Bronze Expat Blog Award in 2012 and the Gold Award in 2013 and is among Feedspot's Top 100 Middle East blogs. Other amateur websites catering to specific topics in the region exist as well.

Jeddah represents the largest radio and television market in Saudi Arabia. Television stations serving the city area include Saudi TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al Ekhbariya, the ART channels network and hundreds of cable, satellite, and other specialty television providers.

The Jeddah TV Tower is a 250 m high television tower with an observation deck.

Accent
The Jeddah region's distinctive speech pattern is called the Hejazi dialect; it is among the most recognizable accents within the Arabic language.

Old Jeddah

The Old City known as Al-Balad with its traditional multistory buildings and merchant houses, that often still belong to the families that inhabited them before the oil-era, has lost ground to more modern developments. Nonetheless, the Old City contributes to Hejazi's cultural identity. Since it has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status, in 2014, several traditional buildings have been restored and made open to the public. In 2019, the Saudi crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, has issued a royal decree that orders The Ministry of Culture to restore 50 historical buildings in Jeddah. Several historic mosques from different eras are located in al-Balad, as well as one of oldest museums in the city, called Bayt Naseef or Naseef house, displaying local furniture and interior design of the past 150 years, approximately.

Resorts and hotels
The city has many popular resorts, including Durrat Al-Arus, Al-Nawras Mövenpick resort at the Red Sea Corniche, Crystal Resort, Radisson Blu, The Signature Al Murjan Beach Resort, Al Nakheel Village, Sands, and Sheraton Abhur. Many are renowned for their preserved Red Sea marine life and offshore coral reefs.

Consulates
One of two consulates of the United States of America in Saudi Arabia is located in Jeddah, along with the consulates for 67 other countries such as Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, France, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Italy, Russia and Mainland China. Some of the other consulates present include, countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League states.

Historical Jeddah
Historical Jeddah is situated on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. From the 7th century AD, it was established as a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, channeling goods to Mecca. It was also the gateway for Muslim pilgrims to Mecca who arrived by sea. These twin roles saw the city develop into a thriving multicultural center, characterized by a distinctive architectural tradition, including tower houses built in the late 19th century by the city's mercantile elites, and combining Red Sea coastal coral building traditions with influences and crafts from along the trade routes.

Within a defensive wall that was built during Ottoman rule, the old city of Jeddah, Al-Balad, was divided into districts, or Haras, where business and trade centered around traditional souks, or market places, and khans, covered markets that were generally connected to shops.

Harrat Al-Mathloum (District of the Wronged)
Located in the North East, this district was named after Abdulkarim Al-Barzangi, a Hijazi rebel who was crucified by the Ottomans, some of its landmarks are:

 * Dar Al-Qabil
 * Dar Al-Ba'ashin
 * Dar Al-Sheikh
 * Al-Shafi'i Mosque The oldest mosque in town, its minaret was built in the 13th century, and its pillars date back to Ottoman rule.
 * Mosque of Uthman bin Affan Also called the Ebony Mosque because of its two ebony pillars, it was mentioned in the writings of Ibn Battuta and Ibn Jubayr.
 * Al-Mia'mar Mosque An old mosque built in the 17th century.
 * Souq Al-Jama One of the oldest markets in town.

Harrat Al-Sham (The Levantine District)
Located in the north and named after its orientation, some of its landmarks are:

 * Dar Al-Sadat
 * Dar Al-Serti
 * Dar Al-Zahid
 * Dar Al-Banajah
 * Al-Basha Mosque

Built by Bakr Basha, the governor of Jeddah in 1735.

Harrat Al-Yemen (The Yemeni District)

Located in the south and is also named after its orientation, its landmarks include:

 * Beit Nasseef By far the most famous site in the old town, it was built in 1881 for Omar Nassif Efendi, governor of Jeddah at the time, and served as the royal residence of King Abdulaziz after conquering the city.
 * Dar Al-Jamjoom
 * Dar Al-Sha'araoui
 * Dar Al-Abdulsamad
 * Dar Al-Kayal
 * Beit Al-Matbouli
 * Beit Al-Joghadar

Harrat Al-Bahar (The Seafront District)
Located in the southwest, some of its landmarks are:

 * Dar Al-Nas
 * Dar Al-Radwan
 * Dar Al-Nimr

Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum
Founded by Sheikh Abdul Raouf Khalil in 1996, this museum not only presents the rich Islamic cultural heritage of the city but also its pre-Islamic history that goes back to 2500 years; it traces the various civilizations that inhabited the region. Located in the downtown district, it boasts of large collection of items and artifacts belonging to the Ottoman Turks and the fishermen tribes who were the first inhabitants of the region.

King Fahd's Fountain

King Fahd's Fountain was built in the 1980s, can be seen from a great distance and, at 312 m, is the highest water jet in the world according to the Guinness World Records. The fountain was donated to the City of Jeddah by the late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, after whom it was named.

Al-Rahmah Mosque

Sometimes referred to as the floating mosque because of it being built above water, this fascinating mix of the old architecture and the new was built in 1985. It is a popular spot among tourists and natives looking to lounge by the seaside.

King Abdullah Sports City
King Abdullah Sports City is a multi-use stadium used mostly for association football. It opened in 2014 north of Jeddah and has a full capacity of 62,241 spectators. It is the largest stadium in Jeddah, and the second-largest in Saudi Arabia.

King Saud Mosque
Built in 1987 by Egyptian architect Abdel Wahed El Wakil, King Saud Mosque is the largest mosque in the city, displaying beautiful Islamic architecture.

NCB Tower
Built in 1983 and believed to be the highest tower in Saudi Arabia during the 1980s, with a height of over 235 m, the National Commercial Bank was Saudi Arabia's first bank.

IDB Tower

The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC, now the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), convened 18 December 1973. The bank officially began its activities on 20 October 1975.

Jeddah Municipality Tower
This is the headquarters of the metropolitan area of Jeddah. The municipality's new building is going to be not only Jeddah's tallest but is also going to dethrone the Burj Khalifa.

This proposed tower, formerly known as the Kingdom Tower, is being built in Jeddah by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and will stand 1 km tall. Upon its completion, it will be the tallest skyscraper in the world. The building has been scaled down from its initial 1.6 km proposal, since the ground proved unsuitable for a building that tall, to a height of at least 1000 m (the exact height is being kept private while in development, similar to the Burj Khalifa), which, at about one kilometer (1 km), would still make it by far the tallest building or structure in the world to date, standing at least 568 ft taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Construction began in April 2013 and there was steady progress, but in January 2018, building owner JEC halted structural concrete work with the tower about one-third completed due to labor issues with a contractor following the 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge. JEC had said they planned to restart construction in 2020. In September 2023 MEED reported that the construction of the tower had restarted. Completion is expected in 2029.

King Road Tower
King Road Tower is a commercial and office building, the external walls of which are used to show commercials. The building also has a helipad on its roof. King Road Tower has the largest LED display in the world on its walls.

Al Jawharah Tower
Al Jawharah Tower is a residential high-rise; it became the third-tallest structure in Jeddah when completed in 2014.

Jeddah Flagpole

The King Abdullah Square on the intersection of Andalus Road with King Abdullah Road had the world's tallest flagpole. It is 171 m high and the Saudi flag atop it weighs 570 kg. On the 84th Saudi Arabia National Day, September 23, 2014, the flagpole hoisted a huge Saudi flag before a crowd of thousands. The flagpole succeeded Dushanbe Flagpole as the tallest flagpole in the world until 26 December 2021, when the Cairo Flagpole in Cairo, Egypt was erected at a height of 201.952 m (662.57 ft).

Entrance of Mecca
Bab Makkah, also known as Makkah Gate, is a limestone coral gateway that leads into the historic Al-Balad district of Jeddah.

The Mecca Gate, named the "Quran Gate", is located 60 km outside Jeddah on the Makkah Mukkarram road of the Jeddah - Mecca Highway. It is the entrance to Mecca and the birthplace of Muhammad. The gate signifies the boundary of the Haram area of the city of Mecca, where non-Muslims are prohibited to enter. The gate was designed in 1979 by Egyptian architect Samir Elabd for the architectural firm IDEA Center. The structure is that of a book, representing the Quran, sitting on a rehal, or book stand.

Jeddah waterfront
The new waterfront was inaugurated in November 2017, by Makkah Governor, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. It spans an area of 730 km2 on the Red Sea. It has many facilities including swimming beaches, huts, floating marina dock, washrooms, restaurants, parks, dancing fountains, playgrounds, and access to wifi.

This project of developing the Jeddah Waterfront has been awarded the Jeddah Innovation Award of the year 1439H in the field of government innovation, by the Jeddah Governorate.

Schools, colleges and universities

, Jeddah had 849 public and private schools for male students and another 1,179 public and private schools for female students. The medium of instruction in both public and private schools is typically Arabic, with emphasis on English as a second language. However, some private schools administered by foreign entities conduct classes in English. These include 10+ Indian schools following the CBSE board of education system, several Pakistani and Bangladeshi schools as well. , Jeddah also had four Philippine international schools, with two more scheduled to open shortly afterward.

Jeddah's universities and colleges include the following:

 * King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences
 * King Abdulaziz University
 * King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
 * University of Jeddah
 * Arab Open University
 * Dar Al-Hekma College
 * Effat University
 * University of Business and Technology (UBT)
 * Teacher's College
 * Jeddah College of Technology
 * Jeddah Private College
 * College of Health Care
 * College of Telecom & Electronics
 * College of Community
 * Private College of Business
 * Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies
 * Batterjee Medical College
 * Prince Sultan College of Tourism
 * Prince Sultan Aviation Academy
 * Islamic Fiqh Academy
 * Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing
 * Saudi German Institute for Nursing

Jeddah is also home to several primary, intermediate and secondary schools such as:

 * Jeddah Knowledge International School
 * American International School of Jeddah
 * Italian international school
 * Jeddah International School
 * Zahrat Al-Sahraa International school (ZSIS)
 * Cedar International School
 * British International School of Jeddah (Continental, BISJ)
 * German International School Jeddah
 * Al-Thager Model School
 * International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ)
 * Pakistan International School Jeddah (PISJ)
 * Talal International School Jeddah (TISJ)
 * DPS Jeddah Al-Falah International School
 * International Philippine School in Jeddah
 * Jeddah Japanese School
 * Korean International School of Jeddah (KISJ; 젯다한국국제학교)
 * Al-Waha International School
 * Beladi International School Jeddah
 * Al-Afaq International School
 * Manarat Jeddah Schools
 * Gharnatah International School
 * New Al Wurood International School Jeddah [NAWIS]
 * Bangladesh International School Jeddah (BISESJ)
 * Bader International School
 * Arab international school
 * Nobles International School (NIS)
 * Dauha Al Uloom International School (DAUISJ)
 * Al-Fath Schools
 * Al-Aqsa Private Schools
 * Dar Al-Fikr Schools (DAF)
 * Al-Fanar School Jeddah
 * Dar Al-Thikr Schools
 * Hala International School (HIS)
 * Jeddah International Turkish School (JITS)
 * Jeddah Prep and Grammar School (JPGS)
 * Al Hamraa Girls' School
 * Building Blocks (private school)
 * Dar Jana International School (DJIS)
 * Al Mawarid International School Jeddah [AMIS]
 * Pioneer International School
 * Duaa International School Jeddah (DISJ)
 * Jeddah Private School (JPS)
 * Nhaond School
 * Number 18 High School
 * Number 25 Secondary School
 * Tuletelah High School
 * Bangladesh International School And College (Bangla Section) Jeddah (BISCJ)
 * Al-Afkar International School
 * Waad Academy School
 * Al Kon International School

Libraries
The central library at King Abdulaziz University (main branch) is a five-story building that has a large collection of Arabic and English language books, rare books, and documents as well as access to several online databases. It is open for public access and allows the borrowing of books after requesting a library card. Saturdays are dedicated to female visitors.

King Abdul Aziz Public Library is a philanthropic institution that was founded and supported by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, chairman of its board of directors. Established in 1985, the library was officially opened by the King on 27 February 1987. It emphasizes Islamic and Arabic heritage and history of the Kingdom. The library is divided into three branches (men's, women's, and children's).

The limited number of libraries is criticized by the public. As a result, King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has approved the King Abdullah Project for the Development of Public Libraries, and approximately SAR150 million is budgeted to be spent.

In April 2014, Prince Mishaal Ibn Abdullah Abdulaziz opened a new public library in Jeddah by Makkah Governor, under the name of King Fahd Public Library.

King Fahd Public Library was built over an area of 17000 m2 within the main Campus of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah. it includes a diverse collection of books and reference material classified into three sections to meet the needs and wants of a wide range of readership. Spaces have been set apart for youths, children and women.

Sports

Jeddah is the home of two large and well-known football clubs, Al-Ittihad Club and Al-Ahli Saudi FC. Both teams play their league matches at King Abdullah Stadium, which is located in the northern part of Jeddah near King Abdulaziz Airport. It will be the host city for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup. The city is also home to the 2015 Saudi Arabian basketball Champion Al-Ittihad Jeddah, which plays its home games in the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Basketball Arena.

On 5 November 2020, it was announced that Jeddah will host the 21st round of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a street circuit, winding through the Jeddah Corniche along the Red Sea, north of the main part of the city. The race debuted on 5 December 2021, and is scheduled to be held in the city until 2030. In the 2022 edition of the race, Mexican driver Sergio Pérez achieved his maiden pole position at his 215th race, becoming the driver with most races before a pole position.

Airport

Jeddah is served by King Abdulaziz International Airport. The airport has four passenger terminals. One is the Hajj Terminal, a special outdoor terminal covered by large white tents, which was constructed to handle the more than two million pilgrims who pass through the airport during the Hajj season. The Southern Terminal is used by Saudia and Flynas (both based in Saudi Arabia), while the Northern Terminal serves foreign airlines. A plan for the extension of the airport is being developed. The Royal Terminal is a special terminal reserved for VIPs, foreign kings and presidents, and the Saudi royal family. A portion of the airport, King Abdullah Air Base, was used by Coalition B-52 heavy bombers during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Before King Abdulaziz Airport opened in 1981, Kandara Airport served Jeddah. It was at Kandara, a neighborhood very near the town center. However, the old Jeddah airport experienced heavy congestions, especially during Hajj seasons. After the airport became defunct, the area was redeveloped for housing.

Seaport

Jeddah Seaport is the 40th busiest seaport in the world. It handles the majority of Saudi Arabia's commercial movement.

In 2017, Jeddah Seaport handled 4,309,765 TEUs and in the year 2018 handled 4,215,248 TEUs.

Jeddah is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to the Upper Adriatic region with its rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe.

Road and rail

Highway 40, which begins in Jeddah, connects the city to Mecca, Riyadh and Dammam on the east coast. Jeddah does not have any rapid transit system, but the Haramain High Speed Rail Project provides a connection to Mecca and Medina. There is a contracted plan to build an extensive light metro system known as the Jeddah Metro, throughout the city, originally by 2020. Jeddah's main highways run parallel to each other.

Issues and challenges
The city is challenged by pollution, weak sewage systems, a weak storm drain system that led to massive floodings, heavy traffic, epidemics, and water shortages.

Pollution and environment
Air pollution is a problem for Jeddah, particularly on hot summer days. The city has experienced bush fires, landfill fires, and pollution from the two industrial zones in the north and the south of the metropolitan area. A water treatment factory and the seaport also contribute to water pollution. Much of the seafront, however, is considered to be safe and clean. Ramboll has acted as Environmental Consultant on the Jeddah Environmental Impact Assessment as well as the Jeddah Environmental Social Masterplan.

Terrorism
At mid-day on 6 December 2004, militants loyal to the regional affiliate of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, launched an attack on the U.S. Consulate, killing five employees. The group was led by Fayez ibn Awwad Al-Jeheni, a former member of the religious police. Two of the other assailants were subsequently identified by Saudi authorities as residents of Jeddah's Al-Jamia suburb and other slums on Saudi Arabia's increasingly urbanized west coast. Buildings were attacked, hostages taken and used as human shields, targetting both Americans and non-Americans alike. Despite enduring a protracted siege, the chancery/consular section of the building was never penetrated. Closed-circuit video feeds documented that the Saudi security personnel assigned to protect the facility fled when the vehicle holding the terrorists pulled up to the front gate and ran past the Delta barrier. Inside the compound, however, an armed Saudi security guard employed by the embassy shot and killed one of the five terrorists before being fatally shot himself.

The attackers spread and ignited a flammable liquid on the front of the chancery building, and opened fire on the front doors, both of which actions did not have any penetrating effect. The Consulate's U.S. Marines released tear gas in front of the chancery building, but the terrorists had already left that location. More than an hour later, Saudi special forces made it through traffic and, along with others from their unit who arrived in a helicopter, fought to retake the compound. In the final shootout, two of the terrorists were killed, with another dying later in hospital, one militant was captured alive. Four Saudi special forces and a further ten hostages were wounded in the crossfire.

The five U.S. Foreign Service employees killed in the terrorist attack were Ali Yaslem Bin Talib, Imad e-Deen Musa Ali, Romeo de la Rosa, Mohammed Baheer Uddin, and Jaufar Sadik, were nationals of Yemen, Sudan, Philippines, India and Sri Lanka, respectively.

The attack underscored the ongoing vulnerabilities of Westerners to threats, terrorist actions, and the environs. In a communiqué posted in online publications such as Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad) and Mu'askar al-Battar (Al-Battar Training Camp), Al-Qaeda hinted at the symbolic nature of the U.S. Consulate attack, stating: "Know that the Mujahideen are determined to continue on their path, and they will not be weakened by what has happened to them."

Terrorist activities have persisted from 2004 to the present day. In 2004, there was an unsuccessful shooting attack on a U.S. Marine visiting the Saudi American Bank and an attempt to simultaneously explode car bombs at Saudi American Bank and Saudi British Bank branches in Jeddah on the anniversary of the 2001 "9-11" terrorist attacks on the U.S. On 26 August 2012, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced that terrorists were arrested in Jeddah who had been preparing explosives for attacks within the kingdom.

In 2022, the Houthis launched a missile attack to an Aramco facility near the Jeddah circuit, where the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was held.

Traffic
Roads and highways within and exiting the city are frequently clogged with traffic. Mass transit is rare and planning is nascent; most Jeddawi adults have at least one car. Days immediately preceding and following the holy days are particularly noisome and cost hundreds of thousands of person-hours because of traffic jams.

The Saudi Gazette reports that there is a plan in the works to tackle the traffic issue. A reported three billion Saudi Riyals will be put into constructing flyovers and underpasses in an effort to expedite traffic. The plan is scheduled to take about five years from its start to finish.

Sewage
Prior to the construction of a waste treatment plant, Jeddah's wastewater was disposed of by either discharge into the sea or via absorption into deep underground pits. However, even with the ever-increasing population, the original sewer system has hardly been expanded. The original plant cannot cope with the amount of waste inundating it daily. As a result, some untreated sewage is discharged directly into the sea and the entire northern part of the city remains completely unconnected to the sewage system, instead of relying on septic tanks. This has been responsible for a large number of sewage tankers.

In late 2011, a storm drainage system was built in the south Jeddah area (similar to that of the Los Angeles storm drain) to reduce the risk of floods.

Floods

On 25 November 2009, heavy floods affected the city and other areas of Makkah Province. The floods were described by civil defence officials as the worst in 27 years. , 77 people were reported to have been killed, and more than 350 were missing. Some roads were under a meter (three feet) of water on 26 November, and many of the victims were believed to have drowned in their cars. At least 3,000 vehicles were swept away or damaged. The death toll was expected to rise as flood waters receded, allowing rescuers to reach stranded vehicles.

On 26 January 2011, again, heavy floods affected the city and other areas of Makkah Province. The cumulative rainfall exceeded the 90 mm recorded in four hours during the 25 November 2009 flash floods. Streets including Palestine Street, Madinah Road, and Wali Al-Ahad Street were either flooded or jammed with traffic. Cars were seen floating in some places. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told local newspaper Arab News that East Jeddah was swamped and floodwater was rushing west towards the Red Sea, turning streets into rivers once again.

On 17 November 2015, heavy floods affected the city. Streets affected by the flood include Palestine Street, Madinah Road, and many others. Cars were seen burning, and many trees fell as a result of the violent flood. Three deaths were also reported. Two of the fatalities (including a child) were hit by lightning while crossing a street.

On 21 November 2017, heavy floods affected the city once more and Jeddah Islamic Port stopped operations for about three hours. Jeddah police received 11,000 phone calls on 911 from people enquiring about alternative roads and weather conditions. There were 250 reports of electrocution. Five people were electrocuted, two died.

On 24 November 2022, heavy floods affected Jeddah. Jeddah was heavily damaged from the flood and cause more than thousands of cars to be damaged by the flood and caused power outage to most of the city and the flood was approximately 1-2 meters high. As a result, flights were delayed, schools were closed, and two people were killed.

Districts
Metropolitan Jeddah comprises 137 districts (transliterated from Arabic):

 * 1) Al-Murjan (The Coral)
 * 2) Al-Basateen (The Orchards)
 * 3) Al-Mohamadiya (Of Mohammed)
 * 4) Ash-Shati (The Beach)
 * 5) An-Nahda (The Renaissance)
 * 6) An-Naeem (The Bliss)
 * 7) An-Nuzha (The Excursion)
 * 8) Az-Zahraa (from Fatima Az-Zahraa)
 * 9) As-Salamah (The Safety)
 * 10) Al-Bawadi
 * 11) Ar-Rabwa (The Hill)
 * 12) Al-Safa
 * 13) Al-Khalidiya (Of Khalid)
 * 14) Ar-Rawdha (The Medow)
 * 15) Al-Faysaliya (Of Faisal)
 * 16) Al-Andalus (Andalucia)
 * 17) Al-Aziziya (Of Aziz "Abdulaziz")
 * 18) Ar-Rihab (The Vast Expanse)
 * 19) Al-Hamraa (The Red or Alhambra)
 * 20) Mosharafa
 * 21) Ar-Ruwais
 * 22) Ash-Sharafiya (Of The Shareef)
 * 23) Bani Malik
 * 24) Al-Woroud (The Flowers)
 * 25) An-Naseem (The Breeze)
 * 26) Al-Baghdadiya Ash-Sharqiya (Of East Baghdad)
 * 27) Al-Amariya (Of Ammar)
 * 28) Al-Hindawiya
 * 29) As-Saheifa
 * 30) Al-Kandra
 * 31) As-Sulaimaniya (Of Sulaiman/Solomon)
 * 32) Al-Thaalba (The Foxes)
 * 33) As-Sabeel (The Path)
 * 34) Al-Qurayat
 * 35) Gholail
 * 36) An-Nozla Al-Yamaniya
 * 37) Al-Nozla Ash-Sharqiya
 * 38) Al-Taghr (The Stoma)
 * 39) Al-Jamaa (The University; due to its proximity to King Abdulaziz University)
 * 40) Madayin Al-Fahad (The Cities of Fahad)
 * 41) Ar-Rawabi
 * 42) Al-Wazeeriya (The Ministerial)
 * 43) Petromin
 * 44) Al-Mahjar (The Stone Pit)
 * 45) Prince Abdel Majeed
 * 46) Obhour Al-Janobiya (South of the Obhur Bay)
 * 47) Al-Marwa
 * 48) AL-Fayhaa
 * 49) King Abdul Al-Aziz University
 * 50) Al-Baghdadiya Al-Gharbiya (Of West Baghdad)
 * 51) Al-Balad (The City)
 * 52) Al-Ajwad
 * 53) Al-Manar
 * 54) As-Samer
 * 55) Abruq Ar-Roghama
 * 56) Madinat As-Sultan
 * 57) Um Hablain
 * 58) Al-Hamdaniya
 * 59) Al-Salhiya
 * 60) Mokhatat Al-Aziziya
 * 61) Mokhatat Shamal Al-Matar
 * 62) Mokhatat Ar-Riyadh
 * 63) Mokhatat Al-Huda
 * 64) Braiman
 * 65) Al-Salam
 * 66) Al-Mostawdaat
 * 67) Al-Montazahat
 * 68) Kilo 14
 * 69) Al-Harazat
 * 70) Um As-Salam
 * 71) Mokhtat Zahrat Ash-Shamal
 * 72) Al-Majid
 * 73) Gowieza
 * 74) Al-Gozain
 * 75) Al-Kuwait
 * 76) Al-Mahrogat
 * 77) Al-Masfa
 * 78) Al-Matar Al-Gadeem (old airport)
 * 79) Al-Bokhariya
 * 80) An-Nour
 * 81) Bab Shareif
 * 82) Bab Makkah
 * 83) Bahra
 * 84) Al-Amir Fawaz
 * 85) Wadi Fatma
 * 86) Obhour Shamaliya
 * 87) At-Tarhil (deportation)
 * 88) Al-Iskan Al-janoubi
 * 89) At-Tawfeeq
 * 90) Al-Goaid
 * 91) Al-Jawhara
 * 92) Al-Jamoum
 * 93) Al-Khumra
 * 94) Ad-Difaa Al-Jawi (Air Defense)
 * 95) Ad-Dageeg
 * 96) Ar-Robou
 * 97) Ar-Rabie
 * 98) Ar-Rehaily
 * 99) As-Salmiya
 * 100) As-Sanabil
 * 101) As-Sinaiya (Bawadi)
 * 102) Industrial City (Mahjar)
 * 103) Al-Adl
 * 104) Al-Olayia
 * 105) Al-Faihaa
 * 106) Al-Karanteena
 * 107) Al-Ajaweed
 * 108) Al-Ahmadiya
 * 109) Al-Mosadiya
 * 110) East Al-Khat As-Sarei
 * 111) Kilo 10
 * 112) King Faisal Navy Base
 * 113) Kilo 7
 * 114) Kilo 45
 * 115) King Faisal Guard City
 * 116) Kilo 11
 * 117) Thowal
 * 118) Kilo 13
 * 119) Al-Makarona
 * 120) Al-Layth
 * 121) Al-Gonfoda
 * 122) Rabegh
 * 123) Kilo 8
 * 124) Kilo 5
 * 125) Kilo 2
 * 126) Al-Mokhwa
 * 127) National Guard Residence
 * 128) As-Showag
 * 129) Air Defense Residence
 * 130) Al-Morsalat
 * 131) Ash-Shoola
 * 132) Al-Corniche
 * 133) Al-Waha
 * 134) Mokhatat Al-Haramain
 * 135) Kholais
 * 136) Al-Rhmanya
 * 137) Wadi al batin
 * 138) AL MADINAH
 * 139) JUDAYYIADAT ARAR
 * 140) AS SALWA
 * 141) al huda

Twin towns – sister cities
Jeddah is twinned with:

 * 🇹🇷 Adana, Turkey
 * 🇪🇬 Alexandria, Egypt
 * 🇰🇿 Almaty, Kazakhstan
 * 🇯🇴 Amman, Jordan
 * 🇦🇿 Baku, Azerbaijan
 * 🇧🇩 Chittagong, Bangladesh
 * Dubai, United Arab Emirates
 * 🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey
 * 🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia
 * 🇵🇰 Karachi, Pakistan
 * 🇲🇾 Kuching, Malaysia
 * 🇪🇸 Marbella, Spain
 * 🇹🇲 Mary, Turkmenistan
 * Oran, Algeria
 * 🇰🇬 Osh, Kyrgyzstan
 * 🇧🇬 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
 * 🇮🇩 Surabaya, Indonesia
 * 🇹🇼 Taipei, Taiwan
 * 🇹🇳 Tunis, Tunisia

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Talk:Dill

Expansion request: Medical uses
What were the ancient medical uses? Has the effectiveness for those uses been scientifically investigated? -- Beland 22:47, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

 * The aroma of dill leaf as an inhalant blocks the smell of urine from the skin in persons with multiple sclerosis. There are no other medicinal uses.  76.212.128.2 (talk) 20:47, 14 December 2010 (UTC)

Freeze-dried dill
I edited the passage on freeze-drying a bit, as the following statement in the previous version appeared a bit strange:

 * "Dill leaves must be used fresh, as they lose their flavour rapidly if dried; even freeze-dried dill leaves have very little flavour. It is thus necessary to grow a supply of plants, rather than store the leaves."

While dried dill indeed tends to lose most of its flavor, freeze-drying is obviously superior to regular drying. While it can’t beat fresh sill of course, freeze-dried dill preserves the flavour much better for at least some 2 months. --AAikio 18:17, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Drug
I've found information about the seeds used for a specific drug. Can some verify this?

Here is *unverified* information I've found:

DILL -- _Amethum graveolens._ Family Ubelliferae (Carrot family). Material: Oil from seeds. Usage: Oil is ingested. Active Constituents: Dillapiole (non-amine precursor of 2,3- dimethoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine [DMMDA-2]). Effects and contraindications: See PARSLEY. Supplier: Spice section of grocery stores; herb dealers, MGH. Viable seeds; B, FM, G, NK, RCS.

I removed some citation-less "facts"
''==Alternative Cultural Use== Oil from the seeds can be ingested as a psychoactive substance. It contains Dillapiole a non amine precursor of 2,3-dimethoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine [DMMDA-2. The effect is uncertain but it is told to be good against stomachach in smaller amounts''

"Antidismatrabateon Estrelles Magnus"
I've taken this out as it is not a genus name. Peucedanum graveolens (L.) C.B.Clarke is a genuine alternative to Anethum graveolens, but the only references I can find to Antidismatrabateon Estrelles Magnus are one to here, and one to a copy of here. Peridon (talk) 22:01, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Confusing trival naming in the journal abstract
Another related compound of Dillapiole can be easily confused with--222.64.19.192 (talk) 10:39, 28 July 2009 (UTC) For sure, the cited articles need to be fully accessed to clearify the confusion, if one can--222.64.19.192 (talk) 10:39, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

Using trival names in academic journal abstracts, with the absence of an approved naming system or identifiers, is not a professional conduct anyway--222.64.19.192 (talk) 10:48, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

more examples of unprofessional abstracts http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/284/8/5352 --222.64.209.30 (talk) 03:31, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/284/8/4806 --222.64.209.30 (talk) 03:32, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

herb of the year
maybe this should be added to the article? http://www.iherb.org/hoy.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.8.251.46 (talk) 14:36, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

Flower Description
I think flower description in section "Growth" may be improved by replacing "small umbels" with "compound umbels", which better describes inflorescence of Apiaceae in general. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.45.12.68 (talk) 14:22, 18 June 2012 (UTC)

Too large a paragraph
The paragraph "In Poland, where dill is called 'koper'," needs to be broken up into 2 or 3 paragraphs, it is enormous, and hard on the eyes to read. Stopde (talk) 12:28, 5 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I agree with your comment that the paragraph beginning "In Poland" is much too large. A few days ago I edited the entire article to improve the writing style, making corrections in syntax, word usage, and punctuation.  I did a little more of that kind of editing today, and I also saw your comment.  I re-read that long paragraph and I had several thoughts:  1) Does the information in this paragraph apply only, or even mainly, to Poland?  Earlier, it was stated that dill is widely used in quite a few countries.  I'm wondering if narrowing the culinary use to Poland as is done in this paragraph is really necessary.  Perhaps one or two special notes about the use of dill in Polish cooking could be noted, while the other culinary uses could apply to many, or all, of the countries mentioned earlier (and the phrase "In Poland" would then be deleted or changed).  Someone who knows about the use of dill in the cooking of those various countries could answer that question best.  2) The information about culinary uses of dill in this long paragraph is interesting.  I'm wondering if the total number of words could be reduced if the list of culinary uses were arranged in a bulleted (or numbered) list of phrases rather than sentences in paragraph form.  I don't mind putting the information in that form if there is some agreement that that would be an improvement.

 * I searched for a logical place to break the paragraph as it is now. Perhaps "In southeastern Poland" (or whatever it is; I don't have it in front of me now) is one possible place.  But if the other changes I suggested above are made, this decision of where to break the paragraph would be moot.  What do you think?CorinneSD (talk) 23:39, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Dill in Poland
According to the article dill is used for 'Borsht' in Poland. Well, i'm from Poland and i have never seen dill being used in any of the two common borsht varieties (in poland we have white and red barszcz (borsht) ). What we do have is "Zupa koperkowa", which is simply 'Dill soup'. It is a soup based on stock, dill and milk/cream. Often a cubed potato is added. The soup is usually not acidic (regular milk/cream is used and not sour cream) which, in my opinion, makes is explicitly not a 'borsht'. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.87.238.229 (talk) 12:10, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm glad to see your comment. Would you mind reading my response to the previous comment about the large paragraph that begins "In Poland..."?  Can all, or most, of the information in that paragraph apply to all, or most, of the countries that use dill in cooking?  Does the information apply only to Poland?  Do you have any ideas on how to either make the paragraph more concise (fewer words), apply it to more countries than just Poland (if correct), or break the paragraph up (into logical divisions) into two or three smaller paragraphs?CorinneSD (talk) 23:46, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
 * my Polish Canadian family certainly put lots of dill in its red barszcz, as well as in koperkowa 142.177.187.188 (talk) 15:43, 20 July 2024 (UTC)

Culinary use
I've been editing the whole article on dill to improve the style of the writing, sentence structure, word usage and punctuation. In the section headed "Culinary use" I wonder whether the fifth paragraph is really necessary. It mentions that dill is used in pickles and even provides a definition of pickles, which I don't think is necessary here. The use of dill to flavor pickles is mentioned above, I believe in the 3rd of those short paragraphs. Is the word "eponymous," which contains a link, so important that this sentence (which seems redundant) deserves its own paragraph? Would anyone object to deleting this one-sentence paragraph? (If "eponymous" is important, it can be inserted into the sentence mentioning pickles in the 3rd paragraph.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by CorinneSD (talk • contribs) 23:11, 19 July 2013 (UTC) CorinneSD (talk) 23:25, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Bad link
The note for the reference for companion planting (note 8) is a dead link. GeorgeIIIFan (talk) 10:58, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Works for me. Rothorpe (talk) 20:24, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

History of dill cultivation and use?
It would be helpful if somebody could add a paragraph about the history of dill cultivation. How early do we think it was cultivated? Where?

The "Etymology" coverage is limited
Dill or Dilli or Dillia spelling among others is used throughout many parts of the earth, Africa the Far east middle east, the South Pacific, the Baltic region (Latvia, Sweden etc.) W. Europe (Scotland) It didn't cover all aspects like its supposed to. Just a biased lens. Otherwise why even bother posting such a section? 76.167.193.57 (talk) 07:06, 16 October 2022 (UTC)

Dill not sole Anethum species?
It looks like World Flora Online and Plants of the World Online have listed several other species under the Anethum genus:
 * A. involucratum Korovin
 * A. patulum L. ex B.D.Jacks.
 * A. theurkauffii Maire

Are there any outside sources that can verify these species' existence & listing? -- Mat Kiyan (talk) 03:38, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

Dill chips?
These are very popular in Canada and not limited to Sweden 142.177.187.188 (talk) 15:38, 20 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Dill