Jeddah Historical Area ready for Ramadan

RAMADAN ATTRACTION: Women shop for traditional lanterns known in Arabic as "fanous", sold during Ramadan, at a market in Jeddah Historical Area on Friday. (AFP)

JEDDAH: The Jeddah municipality has made special arrangements to receive visitors and tourists to the Historical Area during the holy month of Ramadan.
"The arrangements include bus trips and volunteers monitoring movement of vehicles, visitors and shops," said Sami Nawwar, director of culture and tourism in the Jeddah municipality.
A contract has been signed between the secretary of Jeddah and a company to transport visitors, including elders and the disabled, he told local media.
Nawwar, who is also in charge of the Jeddah Historical Area, said an exhibition of photos of the city dating back to more than 80 years is one of the attractions. He said the Bait Amir Al-Bahr (House of the sea prince) will also be opened temporarily for visitors and tourists.
“We have customized a uniform for those working in the Historical Area. About 70 employees, working in the morning and evening shifts, will be keeping a close watch on the place and the shops and stalls. The uniform is with historical theme,” he said.
Nawwar said the restoration and rehabilitation project of Al-Shafi’i Mosque has been completed, in addition to other mosques. “We also finished renovating the buildings of Al-Naseef with 30 historical and heritage shops. The municipality also finished the repairs on a number of buildings located on the historical pilgrimage route,” he said.
Nawwar said that about 500 permits have been granted to establish stalls for popular foods, perfumes, sweets and garments.
“The total number of buildings included in the protection program inside the historical area stands at 706. A total of 1,886 historical buildings exist in the area, of which 606 are made from sea mud, stone and timber,” he added.