THE port city of Yanbu, an industry hub located on the Red Sea, is one of the oldest cities in the Kingdom. The city's first district, Al-Suwar, was built about five centuries ago in 1494. It was once the seat of government and played host to a number of ministries and departments.
Thousands of Muslims used to arrive for the pilgrimage in Makkah and Madinah through the Yanbu port.
Yanbu was surrounded by a strong wall with a number of gates including the Iron Gate, the Big Gate, the Vehicles Gate and the Small Gate.
Only about 5,000 people used to live in Yanbu before the modern times when it became one of Saudi Arabia's industrial hubs. It housed more than 800 palaces, homes and mosques.
The old Yanbu homes were distinguished for the Hejazi architecture, with attractive engravings and brilliant engineering forms and structures.
Huge palaces were constructed in Yanbu to hold meetings of rulers and government officials. A large number of people including tribal leaders visited these places almost daily, thus becoming the center of politics and administration for a long period.
Rulers received tribal leaders and VIPs who came from Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Qassim and foreign countries.
Some of the old houses in Yanbu have been razed down as part of government efforts to expand the city. However, it still hosts a number of these huge palace and houses, some of which have been renovated while some others required renovation and rehabilitation.
According to Saudi historian and writer Abdul Kareem Al-Khateeb, the most famous among these palaces is the Qasr Al-Neel (Nile Palace), which is located west of the Yanbu port. It was an endowment property for the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, which is located 225 km north of Yanbu, but the palace was removed in 1970s.
Famous palaces in Yanbu include Dar Ibrahim Bin Awad Basha, who was a judge and commissioner of Yanbu in the middle of 19th century. Located west of the port, this palace used to receive pilgrims from Morocco, Egypt and Palestine. It was razed for the port’s expansion.
The Dar of Mustafa Al-Khateeb, who was an administrative officer, was located in the historical region. It used to receive ministers, princes and VIPs who came to the city. It also received the sons of Makkah Governor Al-Sharief Hussain Bin Ali – Faisal, Abdullah, Zayed and Nouri Al-Sayeed — during the Arab Revolution of 1916. There were towers of pigeons on top of this palace.
Other famous palaces were: Dar of Hamid Al-Khateeb, located in the Rabighi district, Dar of Sheikh Zaki Omar and Al-Hadi, Dar Al-Hadi, which was used as a hotel for pilgrims who come from Egypt. Dar Al-Talhawi, which is located in old Yanbu, hosted Egyptian economists Talaat Basha Harb, Ahmed Basha Yaken in 1932 when they visited Hejaz.
Dar Mustafa Sabeeh, a famous palace located near the camel gate, hosted King Abdul Aziz when he visited Yanbu in 1945. The king was accompanied by his sons. Former Egyptian King Farouk received King Abdul Aziz at this house. That historic meeting was known as the Radwa Summit.
There are many other famous palaces in Yanbu including Dar Al-Badaili, the residence of Yanbu Governor Hamad Al-Eissa. Others were named after Sheikh Mohammed Bin Jaber, Al-Maqdam, Al-Mubasser, Abdullah Ashour Sabeeh, Mohammed Ashour Sabeeh, Mousa Mohammed Al-Khateeb and Mohammed Ahmed Al-Saeedi. The houses of Sheikh Hassan Babtain and Sheikh Hussein Abdul Kareem Khateeb have been renovated by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.
The house of the famous British army officer T.E. Lawrence, better known as the Lawrence of Arabia, was located in Yanbu where he stayed during the Arab Revolution against the Ottomans in 1916. Lawrence’s house is now being renovated by the tourism commission.
Palaces of Ali Hussein Zarie, Al-Jabarti, Al-Darwish, Al-Zamaee in the city are also famous because of their architectural splendor. Al-Jabarti House is now the office of SCTH while Al-Zamaee’s house has been renovated under the supervision of Sheikh Awad Bin Hamid Al-Zamaee.
Other famous old buildings in Yanbu are Shouna, which was a food warehouse; Zaitiya where fuel for post office vehicles was stored; the storage for weapons; Souk Al-Lail, which was made of mud and located in front of the port, and the quarantine building for pilgrims.
Samir Al-Onaini, director of SCTH, spoke highly about Yanbu’s rich heritage and said his organization was working on a major project to develop the historical region of the city. The project includes renovation of some palaces in the region.
“The historical region of Yanbu is a school of heritage. A visit to the region will help young Saudis understand how their forefathers lived,” he told Al-Hayat Arabic daily.
“We expect Yanbu will soon become a major tourist attraction,” he added.
The development project is expected to create new job opportunities for Saudis especially those running cottage industries.
The SCTH has already completed the project’s first phase. “We’ll renovate a number of old palaces and houses in the region gradually. Once all the phases are completed Yanbu will become a major center for tourism,” Al-Onaini pointed out.
Source: http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/513904/SAUDI-ARABIA/Tourism
