Al-Balad: Gateway, Trade, and the Architecture of Survival.

For centuries, Al-Balad was the working heart of Jeddah, a Red Sea gateway shaped by pilgrimage, trade, and constant arrival. Built from coral stone quarried from the sea itself and cooled by timber rawashin, the city evolved to endure heat, density, and movement rather than spectacle. Today, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Al-Balad remains a living urban landscape, where restoration, daily life, and deep history continue side by side.