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Jeddah
Jeddah lies in western Saudi Arabia on
the Red Sea. It began as a fishing village over 2,500 years ago. It
first achieved prominence in 647 A.D., when the Muslim caliph Uthman
ibn Affan turned it into a port for pilgrims making the hajj to
Mecca. It has a population of about 3.4 million.
It is thought that the name is derived from jaddah, the Arabic word
for "grandmother," because in the Arabic tradition, the tomb of Eve,
grandmother of all humanity, is located in Jeddah. The supposed tomb
was concreted-over by the religious authorities in 1975, as some
Muslim pilgrims were praying to Eve there, which is strictly against
Islam.
Jeddah is the gateway to the millions
of pilgrims on their way to
Mecca and
Medina
for the
annual hajj. It is served by King Abdulaziz International Airport
with its modern Hajj Terminal.
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