Eve's Tomb

Walled site believed by some to mark the grave of Eve

A walled cemetery in Al Balad, traditionally said to contain the grave of Eve. The story is medieval — recorded by Ibn Battuta, among others — but the site has always been controversial, and what remains is a flat stretch of concrete inside an old enclosure. The actual location of the supposed tomb is no longer marked.

For non-Muslims the site is mostly closed and there is little to see. The interest is more in the story than the visit. The cemetery is in the south of Al Balad; ask in the old town for the Al Maqbarah district.

things to do sight
A story
The name Jeddah is sometimes translated as 'grandmother' in Arabic, and local tradition has long held that the city is named for Eve — the mother of humanity — and that her grave lies here. The Saudi religious authorities sealed the site under concrete in 1975 to discourage what they consider un-Islamic veneration.