Jeddah’s Azure Canvas: The Living History of the Middle Corniche
As the sun dips below the horizon, it melts into the Red Sea, casting a fiery glow upon the waters off the coast of Jeddah. Against this spectacular backdrop, a single, powerful plume of water erupts skyward, a liquid monument defying gravity. This is King Fahd’s Fountain, the world’s tallest, and its nightly ascent is the pulse of the city. It rises from the heart of the Middle Corniche, a stretch of shoreline that is far more than a park; it is a sprawling, living gallery, a testament to a city’s audacious dream, and the very soul of modern Jeddah. To walk its length is to trace a story of art, faith, and ambition, etched between the desert sands and the turquoise sea.
For centuries, Jeddah was known as the “Bride of the Red Sea,” its ancient port a bustling gateway for pilgrims on their sacred journey to Makkah and Medina. Its old town, Al-Balad, was a labyrinth of coral-stone houses and fragrant souks, contained within protective walls. But the discovery of oil in the 20th century unleashed a wave of transformation that would forever reshape the city’s destiny. As petrodollars fueled unprecedented growth in the 1970s and 1980s, Jeddah began to look outward, beyond its historic walls, to the vast, untapped potential of its coastline.
The Visionary’s Gallery: Forging a Shoreline of Art
The story of the modern Corniche is inextricably linked to one man: Dr. Mohammed Said Farsi. As the mayor of Jeddah from 1972 to 1986, Farsi was not merely an administrator but a man of profound artistic vision. An engineer by training with a doctorate in urban planning, he saw Jeddah’s sprawling, sun-drenched coastline not as an empty space, but as a magnificent, miles-long canvas. He envisioned an open-air museum for the people, a democratic space where world-class art could be encountered by anyone taking an evening stroll, free from the formal confines of a gallery.
With unwavering determination and a keen eye, Mayor Farsi embarked on an ambitious project that would turn the world’s artistic gaze towards Saudi Arabia. He commissioned and acquired hundreds of sculptures from both international masters and pioneering Arab artists. Soon, the roundabouts and seaside promenades of Jeddah were populated by monumental works that were as bold as they were unexpected. Along the Middle Corniche, a bronze sculpture by the British master Henry Moore, Oval with Points, sat in quiet contemplation of the sea. Not far away, a whimsical piece by the Spanish surrealist Joan Miró added a splash of playful color, while a towering stabile by the American innovator Alexander Calder sliced through the sky with its elegant, abstract forms. Perhaps most striking was Le Pouce (The Thumb), a giant bronze thumb by the French sculptor César Baldaccini, a quirky and beloved landmark.
Farsi did not neglect the rich artistic heritage of the Arab world. He championed Egyptian artists like Mahmoud Mofeed and Mustafa Senbel, whose works brought a distinct regional identity to the collection. This grand endeavor, known as the Jeddah Sculpture Museum, was a radical act of cultural curation. It introduced modern and abstract art to the public on an unprecedented scale, transforming the city’s waterfront into a dialogue between global modernism and local identity. For a generation of Jeddawis, growing up alongside these magnificent, sometimes perplexing, works of art was a formative experience, embedding a unique artistic sensibility into the city’s DNA.
Icons on the Water: Fountains and Faith
While the sculptures provided the artistic soul of the Corniche, two other landmarks would soon define its skyline with breathtaking scale. In 1985, a gift from the late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud gave the city its most iconic symbol. Blasting saltwater from the Red Sea at over 375 kilometers per hour, King Fahd’s Fountain soars to a height of over 312 meters (1,024 feet), making it taller than the Eiffel Tower. It is a marvel of engineering, a singular, majestic jet of white against the deep blue of the sky and sea. By day, it is a shimmering symbol of power and ingenuity; by night, illuminated by hundreds of spotlights, it becomes a celestial beacon, visible from almost every corner of the sprawling city. It represents the taming of the elements—a fountain of saltwater in a land defined by its search for freshwater.
Just a short distance up the coast, another architectural jewel completed in the same year offers a serene counterpoint to the fountain’s raw power. The Al-Rahmah Mosque, often called the “Floating Mosque,” rests on brilliant white stilts driven into the seabed. At high tide, the waters of the Red Sea rise to conceal its foundations, creating the magical illusion that the entire structure is hovering gracefully upon the water’s surface. Its gleaming white dome and slender minaret reflect in the turquoise water, a tranquil vision of faith and beauty. For both pilgrims and residents, it is a place of profound peace, where the call to prayer mingles with the gentle lapping of the waves, seamlessly blending the spiritual with the natural world.
A Rebirth in Green: The Jeddah Waterfront Transformation
Over the decades, the salt-laden sea air took its toll on the priceless sculptures, and the Corniche itself was in need of a renewal to match the city’s continuing growth. In the 2010s, a monumental project began to reimagine and revitalize this beloved public space. The result is the modern Jeddah Waterfront, a stunning 4.5-kilometer park built upon the historic foundation of the Middle Corniche. This was not merely a renovation but a complete rebirth.
Today, the waterfront is a lush, vibrant expanse of manicured lawns, swaying palm trees, and shaded pavilions. The old, narrow sidewalks have been replaced by expansive, interlocking stone promenades designed for walking, jogging, and cycling. Three new swimming bays, protected by shark nets, invite residents to cool off in the calm Red Sea waters, a rare luxury in a city-center location. A long, wooden pier juts far out into the sea, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the city skyline and the endless water. The park is alive with the sounds of families picnicking on the grass, children laughing in the meticulously designed play areas, and friends chatting at waterfront cafes.
The precious sculptures that Mayor Farsi brought to the city have been painstakingly restored by the organization Art Jameel and thoughtfully repositioned throughout the park, their cultural importance re-centered for a new generation. They now stand amid fountains, gardens, and interactive installations, continuing the dialogue between art and the public that began nearly half a century ago. The Jeddah Waterfront is the modern fulfillment of Farsi’s original dream: a truly world-class public space that celebrates nature, art, and community in equal measure.
From Seaside Strolls to Modern Souks
The life of the Corniche extends beyond the park’s edge, flowing into the commercial and social hubs that pulse nearby. The experience of Jeddah is one of contrasts—the open, breezy freedom of the coast and the cool, climate-controlled comfort of its grand shopping malls. A short drive from the waterfront lies the Red Sea Mall, one of the city’s largest and most popular social anchors. It serves as a modern-day souk, a sprawling indoor piazza where Jeddawi families and expatriates alike gather to shop, dine, and socialize.
Inside, the corridors are lined with a familiar gloss of global brands, from fashion giants like Zara and Massimo Dutti to technology hubs like the Apple Store and electronics superstores. Yet, it remains distinctly Saudi. The food courts offer a dizzying array of choices, from American fast-food chains to restaurants serving authentic Mandi and Kabsa, beloved staples of Arabian cuisine. It is in these spaces that one can observe the dynamic blend of tradition and modernity that defines contemporary Saudi life. A visit to the Corniche followed by an evening at a place like the Red Sea Mall is to experience the full spectrum of Jeddah’s social rhythm—the serene contemplation of the sea followed by the vibrant energy of commerce and community.
To stand on the Jeddah Middle Corniche today is to stand at a confluence of narratives. It is to feel the sea breeze that has carried pilgrims and merchants for millennia. It is to witness the legacy of a mayor who dared to turn his city into a gallery under the sun. It is to marvel at monuments of faith and engineering that pierce the sky and float on water. And it is to join the joyful, everyday life of a city that has embraced its shoreline as its greatest public treasure. This is not just a park; it is Jeddah’s front porch, its masterpiece, and its heart, forever open to the sea and to the world.
