"Directly west of Bab Makkah, on the edge of the historic Souq Al Alawi, sits the privately owned Matbouli House Museum. A beautiful example of a traditional Hejazi merchant’s home, it’s now been tastefully converted into a museum.

Constructed from Red Sea coral and featuring stunning wood-latticed mashrabiyyahs at the front of the building, this is a place to take your time. Wander beneath its uneven ceilings, and up the winding stairwell into rooms carefully fitted out with antiquated local artefacts, where authentic glimpses of traditional Al Balad life await."