Ramadan atmosphere not complete without visiting Jeddah's al-Balad

By Yasser Al-Ghamdi in Jeddah
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-09-07

[Yasser Al-Ghamdi/Al-Shorfa] Small shops that can be found on the fringes of al-Balad are a popular draw during Ramadan.

During the month of Ramadan, many of Jeddah's residents and visitors spend considerable time in the city's old district. Known as al-Balad, this small area was surrounded by Jeddah's walls in ancient times.

The al-Balad area is a sprawling market containing everything from wholesale and retail goods, from cheap items to expensive global brands. Everything is collected in one spot—food, medicine, clothing, accessories and entertainment. In the past, the market occupied a small part of the area's centre. But as Jeddah expanded, the central al-Balad area became an entire market.

For Jeddah residents, evenings during Ramadan are not complete without visiting al-Balad to walk, shop and enjoy the distinctive Ramadan atmosphere the ancient area offers with its traditional foods, especially kibda (grilled liver) on a skewer and belila (a dish made with whole chick peas), served from stalls that appear each year during Ramadan.

Al-Balad is divided in two by a long road known Souq al-Alawi, where luxurious buildings and shopping centres are located. Various stores and alleys crowded with tiny shops are found at the margins. Between gaps in the road, there are stalls selling unusual items prepared by street vendors from various countries, along with stalls for belila and kibda, which shoppers stop to eat.

Adel Ahmed Bin Abbadi enjoys doing this every year during Ramadan. He said visiting al-Balad and eating kibda and belila is an important part of his Ramadan agenda. "I do not enjoy Ramadan without coming here, eating kibda on the road while watching passers-by," he says.

Abbadi adds, "Visiting al-Balad is important to me. During these days, I meet people whom I do not see all year because of issues that keep us apart. But visiting al-Balad during Ramadan and the kibda and belila stalls and stone-paved alleys brings us together."

Ahmed Al Othman is in his 40s and works at the Saudi Telecom Company. Visiting al-Balad during Ramadan is one of his favourite rituals. He says, "From the very first days of Ramadan, the notion pops in my head to visit al-Balad and eat kibda and belila there."

"Visiting al-Balad during Ramadan is a foregone conclusion in my view and for my acquaintances and friends," he said. "As time passes during the month, I increase my visits to enjoy more moments in al-Balad with its enticing smells, displays and crowds, who come and go along its roads and ancient alleyways."

Saleh Al Ammari, a kibda vendor, rents a site from the municipality for the kibda stand he has owned for more than 20 years. Uncle Saleh, as he is known, acknowledges his growing unease as the end of Ramadan approaches because it means he must leave his stand, put aside his old Jeddah turban, bid farewell to the sight of alleys paved with ancient stones and historic homes, and return to life in the new city, as necessitated by work and family.

Uncle Saleh says, "[Selling kibda here] is not about money because I do not really need this stand. But it is an addiction to the general atmosphere of the place and the smell of kibda—which I can only cook by hand during this time of year—in addition to the enjoyment of seeing the crowds and old faces who return here each year."

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