Saudi Hijaz Deep Heritage Tour: Jeddah Al-Balad UNESCO, Mecca, Medina, Tabuk, Yanbu and Farasan Islands

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The Hijaz stretches along western Saudi Arabia for roughly 1,800 km of Red Sea coastline, home to about 8 million people across a band of mountains, lava fields, ancient oases and reef-fringed harbours. This is the original heartland of Arabia. The two holiest cities in Islam sit here. The trade routes that once carried frankincense between Yemen and Damascus passed through these wadis. Coral stone houses with carved wooden screens still stand in old harbour towns. The diving on the Red Sea coast ranks with anything in Egypt or Sudan, and far fewer boats are working the reefs.

Most travellers arrive through Jeddah, which has been the doorway for pilgrims heading to Mecca for 1,300 years. Even visitors not on Hajj or Umrah find a region that rewards slow travel. You can spend a morning inside a UNESCO old town, an afternoon on a fountain-lined corniche, and the next week working north through volcanic valleys to a 6,000-year-old oasis or south to an archipelago of 84 islands almost no one has heard of.

Jeddah Al-Balad - UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014

Al-Balad is the historic core of Old Jeddah, inscribed by UNESCO in 2014 as the Historic Jeddah, Gate to Makkah. The site was founded in the 7th century when Caliph Uthman ibn Affan designated Jeddah the official port for pilgrims sailing to Mecca, and it has played that role ever since.

The architecture here is unique in the Arabian Peninsula. Builders quarried coral blocks from the Red Sea and stacked them into multi-storey merchant houses, then fitted the upper floors with rawasheen, the carved wooden lattice windows that catch the sea breeze and shield interiors from the sun. Around 600 of these traditional houses still stand. Bayt Nassif, where King Abdulaziz stayed when he entered Jeddah in 1925, is open as a museum. Bayt Matbouli and Bayt Al Sharbatly are also worth the time. The lanes around Souq Al Alawi smell of cardamom and oud, and trade in spices, textiles, gold and incense the way they have done for centuries.

Walk Al-Balad in the early morning before the heat builds, then again after sunset when the lights come on across the coral facades and the cafes fill up. Entry to the district is free.

Modern Jeddah - Corniche, fountain and floating mosque

The Jeddah Corniche runs for around 30 km along the Red Sea waterfront and is the city's main outdoor gathering place. The King Fahd Fountain, anchored offshore in front of the royal palace, shoots seawater 312 metres into the air, making it the tallest fountain of its kind in the world. It is visible across most of the bay and is lit at night.

Further north, the Al-Rahma Mosque, completed in 1985 and known as the Floating Mosque, sits over the water on pillars so that at high tide it appears to float on the Red Sea. Non-Muslim visitors can photograph it from the corniche. The corniche itself is open to everyone and is best at sunset, when families spread out picnics and the heat finally breaks.

Mecca - closed to non-Muslims, open to pilgrims

Mecca, about 70 km inland from Jeddah, is the holiest city in Islam and is closed to non-Muslims by law. Roads into the haram boundary are clearly signed and policed. Muslim travellers come for Umrah year-round and for Hajj during Dhul Hijjah, when around 4 million pilgrims gather at the Masjid al-Haram, the Grand Mosque, which encloses the Kaaba.

The mosque has been expanded repeatedly and now covers around 400,000 square metres, with capacity for over 2 million worshippers during peak periods. The Kaaba, draped in its black kiswa, sits at the centre of the courtyard. Performing tawaf, seven circuits of the Kaaba, is the central rite of both Hajj and Umrah. The well of Zamzam, sa'i between Safa and Marwa, and the stoning at Mina all happen within or adjacent to the haram.

If you are travelling on Hajj or Umrah, book through a licensed operator and obtain the correct visa. The Saudi e-visa does not grant access to Mecca or Medina for non-Muslims.

Medina - the Prophet's Mosque and the first mosque in Islam

Medina, around 450 km north of Mecca, is the second holiest city in Islam and is also closed to non-Muslims within its haram boundary. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, holds the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad and is the destination for most pilgrims after Mecca. The green dome over the burial chamber is one of the most recognised images in the Islamic world. The mosque now covers around 400,000 square metres and can hold over a million worshippers when extended.

On the southern outskirts of Medina is Quba Mosque, founded by the Prophet himself in 622 AD and considered the first mosque in Islam. The current building dates from a 1986 expansion but the site is the original. Mount Uhud, where the Battle of Uhud was fought in 625 AD, is on the northern edge of the city and is open to all visitors regardless of faith.

Tabuk - northern Hijaz mountains and the 6,000-year-old oasis

Tabuk Province occupies the far north-west of Saudi Arabia and is the focus of major tourism investment. The area is part of the country's bid for the 2029 Asian Winter Games and a longer-term 2036 Winter Olympics ambition centred on the Trojena resort in the Sarawat Mountains, where winter temperatures drop below freezing.

Al-Disah Valley, about 250 km from Tabuk city, is a deep canyon of red and yellow sandstone with palm groves, springs and rock formations that resemble parts of Wadi Rum on the Jordanian side of the border. Tayma, around 260 km south-east of Tabuk, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited oases in the world, with archaeological evidence of settlement going back roughly 6,000 years. Babylonian king Nabonidus made Tayma his capital for a decade in the 6th century BC. The old well, Bir Haddaj, and stretches of the original city wall are still visible.

Mada'in Saleh, formally Hegra and now part of AlUla, is the country's first UNESCO site and lies just south of Tabuk Province.

Yanbu - Red Sea diving capital of the Hijaz

Yanbu sits on the Red Sea coast roughly 350 km north of Jeddah and is the best base for diving in the Hijaz. The reefs off Yanbu are healthy, lightly visited and home to soft coral walls, wrecks and pelagics including reef sharks, eagle rays and turtles.

The Iona wreck, a cargo ship that sank in 1988, is one of the signature dives, with depths from 6 to 28 metres and the entire vessel intact and coral-covered. The Seven Sisters reef, Abu Galawa and the dives off Sharm Yanbu offer wall and drift diving in clear water with visibility regularly above 25 metres. The Sharm Sea Resort and several smaller dive operators run day boats and liveaboards. Yanbu Old Town, on the harbour, has a smaller version of the coral-stone heritage seen at Al-Balad and is worth a half-day walk.

Farasan Islands - 84 islands in the southern Red Sea

The Farasan Islands lie about 50 km off the coast of Jizan in the far south of the Hijaz, reached by a free government ferry from Jizan port that takes around 90 minutes. The archipelago consists of 84 islands, of which only Farasan Al Kabir and Sajid are inhabited, with a combined population of under 20,000.

The islands are a protected area for Arabian gazelles, breeding seabirds and the annual run of parrotfish that draws fishermen from across the kingdom each spring. Beaches are empty by Red Sea standards, the water is shallow and turquoise, and the snorkelling along the fringing reefs is excellent. On Farasan Al Kabir, the Al Qassar village preserves manazil, traditional coral-stone family compounds, some over 200 years old. The Najdi Mosque, with its distinctive stucco mihrab, and the ruined Ottoman fort above the harbour are the main built sights. There is a handful of guesthouses and one mid-range hotel, so plan ahead.

Practical Information

Best time to visit: November to March, when daytime highs in Jeddah and the coast sit between 25 and 30 degrees C and the desert interior is comfortable. April to October pushes 40 degrees C and above on the coast, with high humidity. Diving on the Red Sea is good year-round, with the best visibility from March to May.

Currency: Saudi riyal (SAR). The riyal is pegged to the US dollar at around 3.75 SAR. Cards are accepted in cities and resorts; carry cash for souqs, the Farasan ferry area and rural Tabuk.

Languages: Arabic is the official language. English is widely understood in Jeddah, Medina (where signed for pilgrims), Tabuk's tourism zones and at dive operators in Yanbu. In Farasan and rural Tabuk, English is limited and basic Arabic phrases help.

Visas: A Saudi tourist e-visa is available online to citizens of around 60 countries and covers Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Farasan, AlUla and most of the kingdom. It does not permit entry to Mecca or non-Muslim entry to the Medina haram. Pilgrimage visas are separate and arranged through licensed operators.

Dress: Modest dress is expected throughout the Hijaz. Women no longer need an abaya in public but loose clothing covering shoulders and knees is the norm. Men should avoid shorts in religious areas and souqs.

Getting around: Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport is the main entry point, with direct flights from Europe, Asia and Africa. Domestic flights link Jeddah to Medina, Tabuk, Yanbu and Jizan. The Haramain high-speed rail runs Jeddah to Medina via Mecca in around two hours. Car hire is straightforward for non-religious areas; international licences are accepted with a tourist visa.

Prayer times: Shops and restaurants close for around 20 to 30 minutes at each of the five daily prayers. Plan accordingly, especially for souq visits and meals.

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