Jeddah’s lighthouse marks the entrance to the city’s port, a reminder of the Red Sea’s long role in connecting western Arabia to regional trade routes. (Source: Shutterstock)
Long before oil tankers dominated the Gulf and desert cities reached for the clouds, it was the Red Sea that anchored Arabia’s place in the world. For centuries, the narrow but strategic waters off the western coast of what is now Saudi Arabia served as arteries of global exchange; not just of goods, but of ideas, cultures, and people. The ports of Jeddah and…
