The coral-stone facade of Beit Al-Matbouli and its carved wooden rawasheen in Historic Jeddah at dusk

Historic Jeddah · Al-Balad

Beit Al-Matbouli

Where history has stayed alive for more than four centuries

Contact usBook your visit
Opening hours
Daily 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Location
Historic Jeddah – Al-Sham district
Tour length
45 minutes
Ticket
SAR 25 per person
Three arched views inside Beit Al-Matbouli: a wooden staircase, a corridor with a traditional robe, and an interior majlis

The house's story

A house that kept the spirit of Historic Jeddah

Beit Al-Matbouli was built in 1613 in the heart of Historic Jeddah — Al-Balad — and is among the oldest houses still standing there today, holding on to the details of authentic Hijazi architecture and to the social life Jeddah was once known for.

Across more than four centuries the house witnessed the city's trade and cultural life, sheltered successive generations, and reflected the customs and ways of living that shaped Hijazi society.

Today the house has been carefully conserved as a living heritage landmark, opening its doors so visitors can discover the wooden rawasheen, the majlis rooms, the corridors and the architectural details that tell the story of Historic Jeddah.

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The visit

A walk through the house and its stories

Move through the rooms of Beit Al-Matbouli and discover the Hijazi architecture and the way of life that defined Historic Jeddah across the centuries.

  • Collections & stories

    A brass coffee dallah and cups on a wooden table inside Beit Al-Matbouli

    Meet the old possessions and everyday objects that carry the stories of the families who lived inside the house.

  • Rawasheen & architecture

    A carved wooden roshan on the facade of a Hijazi house in Historic Jeddah

    Study the carved wooden rawasheen, the ornament and the details that ventilated the house and kept it private.

  • The Hijazi majlis

    An interior majlis with heritage seating and warm lighting in Beit Al-Matbouli

    Discover the traditional reception rooms that welcomed guests and embodied Hijazi generosity.

  • UNESCOWorld Heritage Site · Al-Balad
  • 1613Year built
  • 400 +Years of history

Space rental

Heritage spaces for your occasion

We host events and meetings in an authentic heritage setting — from the wide diwan to the more intimate majlis rooms — at hourly rates with a short minimum booking.

First floor

  • The Maqad: a heritage corridor with red seating and warm hanging lights

    The Maqad

    An excellent room for private hospitality

    • Area:4.86 × 3.45 m
    • Capacity:10 people
    • Minimum:2 hours minimum
    • Rate:SAR 230 / hour
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  • The Youth Maqad: contemporary high seating inside the heritage house

    The Youth Maqad

    An excellent room for shoots and try-outs

    • Area:2.85 × 2.77 m
    • Capacity:6 people
    • Minimum:2 hours minimum
    • Rate:SAR 180 / hour
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  • The Diwan: a spacious majlis with stone walls, a wooden ceiling and patterned green seating

    The Diwan

    An excellent room for receptions and talks

    • Area:9.10 × 5.30 m
    • Capacity:40 people
    • Minimum:2 hours minimum
    • Rate:SAR 700 / hour
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Second floor

  • Beit Mahmoud Matbouli: a hall under a carved green timber ceiling, laid with a long table for hospitality

    Beit Mahmoud Matbouli

    An excellent room for shoots and try-outs

    • Area:5 × 3.80 m
    • Capacity:20 people
    • Minimum:2 hours minimum
    • Rate:SAR 400 / hour
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  • Beit Abdulaziz Matbouli: a white-walled heritage room with blue patterned floor seating and an old shuttered window

    Beit Abdulaziz Matbouli

    An excellent room for private hospitality and meetings

    • Area:8.10 × 3.65 m
    • Capacity:24 people
    • Minimum:2 hours minimum
    • Rate:SAR 500 / hour
    BOOK NOW

Third floor

  • Beit Asaad Matbouli: a raised majlis behind a carved wooden arch, approached by timber steps

    Beit Asaad Matbouli

    An excellent room for photography sessions

    • Area:10.30 × 4.10 m
    • Capacity:15 people
    • Minimum:2 hours minimum
    • Rate:SAR 350 / hour
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All rates are quoted before VAT.

The entrance of Beit Al-Matbouli with its stone step and ornamented wooden door

The museum experience

A tour through the floors

Your visit to Beit Al-Matbouli begins with the craft of Hijazi architecture and the interiors of an old Jeddah house — a tour of roughly forty-five minutes across two floors that recount traditional daily life and the house's tradition of hospitality.

The ground-floor corridor of Beit Al-Matbouli with white walls and wooden doors

Ground floor

Visitors begin with the diwan, the maqad, the youth maqad and the sirdab, where traditional daily life and authentic Hijazi hospitality are presented.

  • The Diwan
  • The Maqad
  • Youth Maqad
  • The Sirdab
A first-floor hall with heritage seating and framed pictures on the wall

First floor

The first floor tells the life of Grandmother Nafisa Nashshar, with the sleeping rooms, the store room and the halls where she received her children and the family gathered.

  • Sleeping rooms
  • Store room
  • The halls

An experience from the heart of Historic Jeddah

Why visit Beit Al-Matbouli?

Discover a house with more than four centuries behind it, study the details of Hijazi architecture and its heritage collections, and enjoy an experience that carries Jeddah's stories and its own kind of hospitality.

  • 400 years of history
    A house that tells Jeddah's story across the centuries.

  • Authentic Hijazi architecture
    Rawasheen and architectural details found nowhere else

  • Collections & stories
    Heritage pieces that recount life in the past.

  • Saudi hospitality
    Coffee and dates in a warm Hijazi setting

Frequently asked

Questions visitors ask

  • Beit Al-Matbouli was built in 1613 — more than four centuries ago — making it one of the oldest surviving houses in Historic Jeddah.

  • Beit Al-Matbouli is a Hijazi heritage house more than 400 years old in Historic Jeddah (Al-Balad), Saudi Arabia. Built in 1613, it is one of the oldest houses still standing in the city and a conserved example of traditional Hijazi architecture.

  • It stands in Historic Jeddah, known as Al-Balad — a UNESCO World Heritage site in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

  • Rawasheen are the projecting, carved wooden windows that front Hijazi houses such as Beit Al-Matbouli. They provided privacy, natural ventilation and shade from the sun, and have become a visual emblem of Historic Jeddah.

  • The house was built chiefly from coral stone quarried from the Red Sea, together with carved wooden rawasheen, ornamented timber ceilings and generous reception rooms — hallmarks of traditional Hijazi architecture.

  • Yes. Beit Al-Matbouli is a conserved cultural landmark in Historic Jeddah (Al-Balad), open to visitors drawn to history, architecture and photography. Entry is SAR 25 (children under 8 free) and the tour takes about 45 minutes. Opening hours are 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM to 11:00 PM; on Fridays the house receives visitors in the evening only.

The facade of Beit Al-Matbouli with its wooden rawasheen across three floors

An invitation to visit

Whether you come for history, architecture, culture or photography, or you are looking for something exceptional during your stay in Jeddah, Beit Al-Matbouli invites you to discover a world of stories, traditions and architectural craft stretching across more than four centuries.

Book your museum tour