The old downtown part of Jeddah is home to the oldest bazaars, or souks, in the area. Some of the streets are so narrow that they are closed to traffic altogether, while others are just wide enough for one car to barely pass through. These streets are lined with one small shop after another, all crammed with goods and merchandise at bargain prices. There is often so much merchandise that it is hard to see what is available at the marketplace. Sometimes it hangs from the ceilings or is piled deep from the floors up. These are not the type of shops where little kids can run wild. Customers have to stand outside and point to what they want.

This sculpture looks like it could be an Arabic or oriental alphabet letter, but I’m not sure. It could be made of bronze, but again I’m not sure what kind of metal it is. At any rate, it is interesting looking – especially how it seems to balance at an off-kilter angle, reminding me of an acrobatic act.

I think this sculpture is one of Jeddah’s more beautiful ones. It is quite tall and extremely graceful, as you can see. I don’t have any information I can tell you about it, but I hope you enjoy looking at it!

This sculpture might be known by some other name, but since I don’t know what it is officially called, I have dubbed it the “Flag Bookend Sculpture.” I wouldn’t mind having a set of bookends like this. Some of the sculptures of Jeddah were actually inspired by smaller objects and were recreated into larger than life works of art.

Here is another sculpture of Jeddah, and again, I apologize for not having any specific information about the piece. I couldn’t decide whether it looks more like a totem pole or a computer’s mother board – what do you think? Whatever it is, I think the detail is quite beautiful and intricate. You can also see two other sculptures that I have previously featured on this blog in the background.

Ok, I don’t really know the name of this sculpture, but to me, it looks somewhat like a saguaro cactus, which is native to where I grew up in the desert state of Arizona, so I have dubbed it the “Saguaro Cactus Sculpture.” Sorry I don’t have any information to supply you with about the origins of this piece, but it is one of many works of art in the large open air museum called Al Hamra in Jeddah.

Jeddah is a city in Saudi Arabia that is overflowing with hundreds of pieces of public art, most of them sculptures. Many of the sculptures can be categorized under different themes such as nautical, religious, education, modern, whimsical, industrial, the cosmos, and others. Many of the sculptures I have featured previously on this blog have information available about them, but unfortunately, some of the works of art I have not been able to find out any information on. This sculpture in today’s post is one that I have no information at all about. It is interesting looking, but I have no idea at all what it represents.
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This is a modern sculpture that looks like it is made from steel beams used for construction. Many of the works of art around Jeddah are quite modern.

Alas, yet again I have no particular information about this sculpture. My main reference for finding out information about the various sculptures abounding in Jeddah is a book written by one of the sons of the man whose vision in shaping Jeddah into the city of art that it is. As Jeddah experienced unprecedented growth in the 1970s due to the influx of big bucks from the developing oil industry in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah’s Mayor Mohammed Farsi was instrumental in the plan for turning Jeddah into a magnificent modern city. The book, “Jeddah: City of Art,” was first published in 1991 and, even at that time, did not include all the public art that Jeddah has become famous for. Many pieces have also been added since that time, so gathering data about all the works is sometimes next to impossible. I’ll continue to post many of these sculptures even though I may not be able to supply you with specific information about them.

The City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, traces its history back to about 500 BC as a small fishing village along the Red Sea. Because of its location, Jeddah became the most important commercial center of the region. It is close to Makkah, the holiest city of Islam, and is considered to be the Gateway to Makkah. Millions of religious pilgrims visit the country every year to see Makkah and Madinah, also close by, and most of the pilgrims arrive and leave from Jeddah. Its important strategic position on the Red Sea for trade and tourism has caused the city to be a target for invaders. Consequently during its history, a huge wall was built encircling the whole city for protection against outsiders. There were also several gates along the wall where people could enter and leave the city. These gates were closed at night and no one was allowed in or out. Once oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, the dynamics of Jeddah changed and grew rapidly. The expansion required that the walls and gates be removed to make room for the new growth. Today’s photo features one of several replicas of the old gates of Jeddah that were built as a nod to the city’s history. The large photo above the gate is an old picture of the first king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul-Aziz, who died in 1953. He had many wives and produced many heirs to the throne. Every succeeding king of modern Saudi Arabia has been a son of King Abdul-Aziz.