Bab Makkah

Bab Makkah is one of the gates of old Jeddah's city wall, located on the eastern side of the historic district known as Al-Balad. It was the exit through which travellers, pilgrims and caravans set out for Makkah, and this is the origin of its name.

Jeddah was enclosed by a wall in the early sixteenth century, at the end of the Mamluk period, to protect the town against Portuguese naval attacks in the Red Sea. The wall stood until the 1940s, when it was removed to allow the city to expand. Bab Makkah was later rebuilt on its site.

The gate that stands today is a stone structure with an arched entrance flanked by two towers. Around it extend crowded traditional markets selling grain, spices, dates, fabrics, utensils and everyday goods, and commercial streets lead from it into Al-Balad, with its Hijazi houses and projecting wooden windows. Bab Makkah is one of the landmarks of Historic Jeddah, which is inscribed on the World Heritage List, and a symbol of the city's historic role as the gateway for pilgrims arriving by sea on their way to Makkah.