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See also:JIDDA (also written JEDDAH, DJIDDAH, DJEDDEH)
, a See also:town in See also:Arabia on the Red See also:Sea See also:coast in 21° 28' N. and 390 10' E
.
It is of importance mainly as the See also:principal landing See also:place of pilgrims to See also:Mecca, from which it is about 46 m. distant
.
It is situated in a See also:low sandy See also:plain backed by a range of hills 10 m. to the See also:east, with higher mountains behind
.
The town extends along the See also:beach for about a mile, and is enclosed by a See also:wall with towers at intervals, the seaward angles being commanded by two forts, in the See also:northern of which are the See also:prison and other public buildings
.
There are three See also:gates, the See also:Medina See also:gate on the See also:north, the Mecca gate on the east, and the See also:Yemen gate (rarely opened) on the See also:south; there are also three small posterns on the See also:west See also:side, the centre one leading to the See also:quay
.
In front of the Mecca gate is a rambling suburb with shops, See also:coffee houses, and an open See also:market place; before the Medina gate are the See also:Turkish See also:barracks, and beyond them the See also:holy place of See also:Jidda, the See also:tomb of " our See also:mother See also:Eve," surrounded by the principal See also:cemetery
.
The tomb is a walled enclosure said to represent the dimensions of the See also:body, about 200 paces See also:long and 15 ft. broad
.
At the See also:head is a small erection where gifts are deposited, and rather more than See also:half-way down a whitewashed See also:dome encloses a small dark See also:chapel within which is the See also:black See also:
The See also:outer suburbs are merely collections of brushwood huts
.
The bazaars are well supplied with See also:food-stuffs imported by sea, and See also:fruit and vegetables from Taif and See also:Wadi Fatima
.
The See also:water See also:supply is limited and brackish; there are, however, two sweet See also:wells and a See also:spring 71 m. from the town, and most, of the houses have cisterns for storing See also:rain-water
.
The See also:climate is hot and See also:damp, but See also:fever is not so prevalent as at Mecca
.
The See also:harbour though inconvenient of See also:access is well protected by coral reefs; there are, however, no wharves or other See also:dock facilities and See also:cargo is landed in small Arab boats, sambuks
.
The See also:governor is a Turkish kaimakam under the vali of See also:Hejaz, and there is a large Turkish See also:garrison; the sharif of Mecca, however, through his See also:agent at Jidda exercises an authority
practically See also:superior to tnat of the See also:sultan's officials
.
Consulates are maintained by See also:Great See also:Britain, See also:France, See also:Austria, See also:Russia, See also: The See also:average number of pilgrims arrivin(by sea exceeds 50,000, and in 1903—1904 the See also:total came to 74,600 . The changed status of the See also:port See also:oils shown in its trade returns, for while its exports decreased from £250,000 in 188o to £25,000 in 1904, its imports in the latter See also:year amounted to over £1,400,000 . The adverse See also:balance of trade is paid by a very large export of specie, collected from the pilgrims during their stay in the See also:country . |
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