The Role of Urban Transformation in Saudi Arabia’s Nation-building: The Case of al-Balad, Jeddah

Abstract

The built environment of Jeddah’s Historic District, known as al-Balad, has undergone significant transformations since the mid-19th century, shaped by several rounds of conservation. Drawing on fieldwork and existing scholarship, this article argues that the urban transformation of al-Balad is the outcome of state- building and nation-building processes in Saudi Arabia. In turn, al- Balad ’s transformation has deeply impacted Saudi Arabiaʼs nation-building. Although the rapid modernization and urbanization process sidelined serious efforts to conserve al-Balad , triggering profound changes in the district, the renewed emphasis on national identity and the rise of an indigenous “Saudi” culture in the early 21st century has repositioned al-Balad from a site of socio-economic changes into a source of cultural symbols.