Coral-stone houses on the Red Sea
Jeddah has long been the gateway for pilgrims travelling to Mecca, and its old town, Al-Balad, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of tall coral-stone houses with carved wooden rawasheen balconies. Its souks and lanes are best in the evening. The Corniche runs for kilometres along the Red Sea, where King Fahd's Fountain shoots water high above the sea. The coast north and south of the city offers diving and snorkelling on coral reefs.