Riyadh: The gates of Jeddah's historic wall once served as vital gateways for pilgrims, merchants, caravans, and goods. They played a key role in regulating movement in and out of the city as Jeddah grew in prominence, both as a port welcoming pilgrims bound for Makkah and as a thriving commercial hub along the Red Sea and Indian Ocean trade routes.

According to Saudi Press Agency, built to protect the city from threats approaching by land and sea, the wall was reinforced with towers and defensive structures and surrounded by a protective moat. Originally, it featured seven gates, including Bab Makkah, Bab Sharif, and Bab Al-Madinah, which connected to the route leading toward Madinah.

As commercial activity expanded and transportation methods evolved, an additional gateway, known as Bab Jadid, was introduced to accommodate vehicles, bringing the total number of gates to eight.

In 1947, the wall was removed as Jeddah expanded. However, some of its historic gates, most notably Bab Makkah and Bab Jadid, have endured as witnesses to the city's former entrances-passages once crossed by pilgrims and merchants-and as landmarks preserved in the memory of its old neighborhoods and traditional markets.