As we approach our dock in Jeddah, we see a very large industrial port all around us. It makes sense when we realize Jeddah is the major crossroads of commerce in Saudi Arabia. Shipping in and out of Jeddah is major and at every level from cars to textiles, to camels. 
Most importantly, this is the gateway to Mecca (above painting), the heart of Islam. Every year, over 3 million faithful Muslims make the pilgramage to Mecca and most of them come by ship to Jeddah to to then continue the 100 mile trek to Mecca. In the Islamic faith, all Muslims must, if at all possible, attend the Hajj in Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Based on the Islamic calendar, in 2009 the Hajj was at the end of our November. We are here in Jeddah and saying this is "the crossroads" is an understatement.
We got our appropriate attire on, got our passports, and started the day out on our motorcoach tour of Jeddah. We had to be on a tour here - no independent travel or even a shuttle bus into the city! Our fabulous Shore Excursion Manager, James, was hard at work making sure we got on our correct coach. 
We found ours and our great guide for the day and off we went into Jeddah.
We didn't see anything really unusual about Jeddah until we saw some very strange architecture and modern artwork along the streets. As we were driving into the city, we passed a new shopping center nearing completion and thought we were back in the shipyard. No, we were 5 miles into the city and there it was, a big ship to soon be a shopping center! At first glance, we may have found The Ark? In any case, this is an exclamation point on Jeddah and the importance of shipping to this city! There were several Shore Excursions being offered by Crystal Cruises today and most were only half day. Most included a camel market, old souk, fish market, and a drive along the corniche. The full day tour included all of these plus the beautiful museum. 
We decided to pass on the fish and the camels and go on the "Artistic Jeddah" tour and see the magnificent Abdul Rauf Khalil Museum and out front we walked past a magnificent miniture city where Judy wanted our world traveling, "Coco" to examine. 
Consisting of 10,000 items reflecting Jeddah's history, the museum is divided into three sections: Old Saudi heritage, the Ottoman Empire, and European development. 
We went into the courtyard and visited with our guide about more of the history of the Museum. 
The outside of the Museum with its alleyways and corridors was very picturesque with an elaborate decorative design over the entire Museum. Our friend, Jessica Stockwell, whom we introduced yesterday in our post, so vividly described this to us and once we were there, we knew we had made the right choice of tours!. Upon returning to the Crystal Serenity, we were sorry to hear from so many passengers that this was not one of their most popular ports-of-call on our world cruise. Once again, this was the largest group of Americans and other nationalities that Jeddah has ever seen outside of the millions passing through Jeddah on their way to Mecca. For basic sightseeing of Jeddah, there are limitations. But we agree that the immigration at the pier took way too long - almost a half hour in both directions. On the return, the ladies had to go through a separate room to be "patted down" which was not pleasant. This was similar to the procedure in Iran. 
Women can not drive in Saudi Arabia and the Religious Police were out in force. You can see men picking up their children from school and also in the grocery stores with women not able to drive. For our women aboard ship, most were somewhat intimidated with the requirement of wearing the traditional Hijab (headscarf) and Abaya (long black gown to be worn over a proper outfit), or face the religious police. For photography, just like Iran, we did not know which buildings were off limits for photography and you could not take pictures of anyone without their permission. This made it tricky when you were trying to get a good image of a street or souk scene. As for alcohol, we had to lock up all bottles on the ship before entering the harbor. Yes, this country is "dry"! And the Saudis want more tourists? From our prospective, they have a long way to go before they are even close to improving tourism. We are discussing this fact with Jessica who is very involved with the emphasis on improved tourism. Unfortunately, traditional customs of Wahabe Islam will not change in the forseeable future and tourism will most likely take a back seat for years to come.
As for us, we loved Jeddah and the Saudis! They were very friendly and were most welcoming. To date, we have found all of the countries on our world cruise itinerary have been most hospitable and have open arms for Americans including Iran and Saudi Arabia!
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