The lattice balconies
Hejazi woodwork on the facade.
Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0
Al-Matbouli House Museum is a private museum in Al-Balad, the heart of historic Jeddah, in a three-storey house with Hejazi wooden lattice balconies. It is one of the more intimate experiences in the old town, taking you into a family home that has kept its furnishings and belongings, rather than formal galleries, and giving an idea of merchant life in old Jeddah. A merchant family built it, and sources differ on its age: some place it in the 17th century, and photo captions give 1613, while others describe a restored late 19th-century merchant's home. It later became a store of the region's heritage and now runs as a private museum. It lies within historic Jeddah, which is on the World Heritage List. From outside you notice the white building, brown lattice balconies and carved wooden door. Inside are decorated wooden ceilings, finely carved plaster walls and panels, and traditional sitting rooms with green and red couches. The rooms display old gramophones, antique furniture and local objects. There is no access to the roof. Ask the keepers for an explanation if one is available. The house is 200 m from Naseef House and the Al-Shafei Mosque and 400 m from the Historic Jeddah site in a straight line, so it fits easily into a walk. Late afternoon is best, when the heat eases and the lanes come alive, but hours are not fixed, so ask around before you arrive.
Hejazi woodwork on the facade.
Panels and walls with fine patterns.
Old gramophones and antique furniture.
Al-Qumusani Alley, Al-Balad, Jeddah
Naseef HouseThe best-known and historically the most important house in old Jeddah — built b2 minutes walk4.5
Al-Shafei MosqueOne of Jeddah's oldest mosques, in the Harat al-Mazloum quarter of Historic Jedd2 minutes walk
Historic Jeddah — Al-BaladThe historic quarter that was the entire walled city of Jeddah, on the UNESCO Wo5 minutes walkSources differ, with some saying the 17th century and others the late 19th, and we know of no final documented date.
Naseef House is the larger, better-known landmark, while Al-Matbouli is a smaller private museum focused on family life and belongings. You can see both on one walk.