Jeddah (city): Difference between revisions

Sharif Husayn, who fought for the independence of Arabs, saved Jeddah from the [[Ottomans]]. Since the Wahhabis occupied Mecca in order to dominate [[Hijaz]] in [[Rabi' I]], 1343/October 1924, Jeddah was the center of Sharif Husayn’s government. The city was sieged for one year, it was finally dominated in [[Jumada II]] 1344/December 1925 by the Wahhabi ruler, 'Abd al-'Aziz b. Saud, and eventually the Saudi government was recognized under the Jeddah Treaty on [[Dhu l-Qa'da]] 1345/May 1927, and thus Jeddah was annexed to the Saudi realm.

The large population of the city and the number of [[hajj]] pilgrims have led to the increase of the activity in the 'Abdulaziz International Airport (founded in 1981) and the Jeddah Port. There are many roads in the city with 75 bridges that have facilitated communications. There are tens of governmental and private clinics and hospitals in Jeddah. There are large facilities to sweeten the sea water. The city is one of the largest industrial centers in Saudi Arabia. In addition to the refining installations, there are production lines for iron, steel, marbles, cements, glass, papers, clothes and the like. Many industrial productions, on the one hand, and the ease of import and export, on the other hand, have improved commerce in Jeddah. Moreover, tourism has led to the development of a number of hotels. Iranian pilgrims of [[hajj]] amount to an annual population of 1,000,000. Before Riyadh was chosen as the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Jeddah was the center for the visit of foreign delegates. Jeddah is the center of the [[Organization of the Islamic Conference]].