Bab Makkah

One of the surviving historic gates that once pierced the wall around old Jeddah, marking the road that led toward Mecca. The wall was demolished in the twentieth century as the city expanded, but the gate area retains its name and remains a busy threshold to the old town. Around it spread markets and traditional shops selling spices, textiles and household goods. As a point where pilgrims historically entered the walled city on their way inland, the gate carries strong associations with Jeddah's role as a port of arrival for Mecca.