General
It is said that a favourite pastime for locals is shopping as they love to browse at malls and department stores as they have the finest products and of course for the air conditioning. Shopping in the Saudi Arabia should be on the bucket list of things to do.
Jeddah offers shopping opportunities galore. In a multitude of shopping malls, arcades and along the shopping streets and avenues you will find goods for everyday life as well as luxury brands.
However, shopping opportunities are often scattered throughout the city and assigned to specific districts. Pedestrian zones for shopping, as they are known in Europe, do not exist (probably already for purely climatic reasons), although the souq streets make an exception to this in part. . So you have to rely on cabs or driving services if you want to visit more than one mall or more than one souq.
The Al Rawdah Quarter
The Al Rawdah neighbourhood in central Jeddah, amidst residential buildings, is considered one of the most important shopping (and business) districts; the neighbourhood is framed by the following streets:
- King Abdullah Street in the more southern part of the city, which is one of the main streets of Jeddah, running in a west/east direction
- Tahliyah Street, which is a major shopping street in the center of Jeddah. It houses many upscale department stores and fashion brands as well as boutiques. It has been renamed “Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Street” by the government, but this official name has apparently not yet caught on.
- Madinah Road, which runs north/south connecting the southern parts of the city to the north and connects to King Abdulaziz International Airport in the north.
Malls
Among the more significant malls often mentioned is Boulevard Plaza, which offers luxury shopping experiences with international brands.
Red Sea Mall in the north is often cited as the mall with the largest food court and the tallest indoor fountain (but no longer in operation as of March 2022).
Ana Ghair is a combination of a small mall and a concept store, Khayyat Center for international luxury brands, Mall of Arabia is one of the largest malls, Al Salaam Mall with numerous international brands. Many malls have been around for a decade or even longer.
Concept stores for local and international designs, products, clothing and jewellery include Makeen Space, Grey Collective, Crate and Homegrown Market.
Souqs (Bazaars)
Souks are traditional Arabian marketplaces with products beautifully decorating the alleyways. You have the choice from a great assortment of local products such as spices, leather merchandise, perfumes, and many other items. Jeddah’s historic markets are an inseparable part of the local cultural life.
A frequently recommended souq is Al Shatee, popular with both locals and tourists. Souq Shatee in the northwest is one of Jeddah’s most famous markets and is located on King Abdulaziz Road. It features a number of regional stores as well as some of the most famous showrooms in the world.
Another well-known local market located in Al-Safa neighbourhood, Souq Al-Murjan, formerly called “Syrian Market” due to Syrian the goods sold from ancient Syrian merchants, offers local and imported goods, esp. Abayas, tableware, Bekhoor (incense) and perfumes.
Furthermore, the souq streets in Al Balad are worth mentioning. You can find more about this in the Al Balad chapter.
