Facts and Achievements •
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| The City of Jeddah city and made Jeddah the final source of wealth and prosperity for the people in Makkah. There are different etymologies for the name Jeddah, one of them is a result of the legend that pointed to Eves tomb being located in the city, therefore the meaning of grandmother is derived from the word Jeddah in Arabic. The site of Eve’s tomb and burial ground exists till today and it is known to all Jeddah dwellers. Most historians agree that Jeddah is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was first inhabited 3500 years ago by the tribe of Qudha’a, the second son of Saad Bin Adnan the patriarch of the Arab tribes and the ninth grandfather of the prophet Muhammad. They moved from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula after the Ma›rib dam collapsed in 115 BC. This fact is cited by the medieval historian Yaquut Al-Hamawi in his dictionary of cities and by Anglopis in his book on Jeddah Image of an Arab City written in 1784. Remains that date back to the Stone Age have been found in «Beraiman Valley, and Thamud/Nabatean writings have also been discovered in some of the eastern mountains. In the year 23 AH, the Caliph Uthman Bin Affan established Jeddah as a major commercial city and the main port for receiving pilgrims to the two Holy Mosques. Since that date, this Islamic cultural city has continued to thrive. Today, it has become the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia and Jeddah City is whereof the nation’s food is imported. The city has also witnessed a huge construction boom and its numerous high- rise buildings and ornate architectural designs have attracted the attention of visitors and tourists. Urban city planners have also managed to preserve the ancient architectural heritage of the Old Jeddah” which lies right in the center of this modern metropolis. Its friendly atmosphere and receptiveness to other cultures makes Jeddah different from other regions of Saudi Arabia so much so that the word different, “Ghayr” in Arabic, has become a semiofficial slogan for the city. Indeed, Jeddah represents a unique blend of ancient culture, modern splendor, unique cultural coexistence and promising future. It is truly a wonderful place for academic study and research. The C it y o f J eddah |