Why read A History of Jeddah?

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

Book description

Known as the 'Gate to Mecca' or 'Bride of the Red Sea', Jeddah has been a gateway for pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina and a station for international trade routes between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean for centuries. Seen from the perspective of its diverse population, this first…

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Why read it?

1 author picked A History of Jeddah as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sumanto Al Qurtuby

Author

Jeddah in the western Arabia has long been an entrance for Muslim pilgrims around the world as well as a terminus for global-international trade routes for centuries or even millennia due to its strategic location in the coastal Red Sea. Yet, surprisingly, the region has not been the subject of a serious academic inquiry. Scholars of Saudi Arabia generally focus on Mecca and Medina, two most important pilgrimage sites for Muslims. To my knowledge, this book is the first biography of Jeddah that traces the city's urban history, development, and cosmopolitanism from the late Ottoman period to its contemporary era.…

From Sumanto's list on Islam, travel, and travelers in Arabia.