Mesmerizing Ramadan night at Jeddah museum

The amazing architecture of the Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum takes us on an astonishing journey back to the Jeddah of the old days where wooden carvings dominated most of the urban architecture, especially doors and windows.

A three-day event, “Ramadan Night,” was held at the square around the museum from May 28 to May 30.

The museum includes many buildings with a number of yards in front of each building. All the facilities were opened for the first time to the public.

The event helped recapture traditional Saudi Ramadan nights and included a bazaar, traditional foods, the call of mesaharati and the call of Saqqa, as in the old days, and Hijazi folk songs.

Mohamed Said, head of the organizers of the event, told Arab News: “The aim of the event was to portray the Saudi heritage and how our ancestors used to live and it also brought back stories of the past.”

He said we made efforts to help people relive those past experiences related particularly to Ramadan like the traditional cuisine, Saqqa, Masahraty and Balilah man.

Katia, a visitor from Ukraine, who has been in Jeddah for the past three days, told Arab News: “The decorations of this place are just like a fairytale. It is very attractive. I was actually waiting for the opportunity to come here as I heard that it is not open every day to the public. I am in love with the place.”

Adel Abu Laban, a “Balilah man” who has been working in this job for more than 20 years, told Arab News: “I have a huge audience for my Balilah and I believe such events will help people get more attached to their tradition.”

Balilah is a popular dish in Arab societies, especially in Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Hijaz. It consists mainly of boiled chickpeas and cumin and cubed pickles with vinegar and spices as desired. Balilah is often sold in the streets in popular neighborhoods and in Ramadan.