Yanbu’ al Bahr also known simply as Yanbu, Yambo or Yenbo, is a major Red Sea port in the Al Madinah province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers north-west of Jeddah. The population is 188,430 (2004 census). A large number of the residents are foreign expatriates working in the oil refineries and petrochemical industry, mostly from Asia, but there are also large numbers from the Middle East and Europe.
The city is divided into three villages, about 15 minutes drive by car away from each other.The Downtown (often called Al-Balad) is the actual city and has most of the population. Most of the people dwelling here are lower-class and less educated Saudi Arabians, as well as lower-class Asians, lower-class Arabs, Turks, and some Eastern Europeans. Most of the restaurants here are lower class and cater to the various ethnic groups in the area.
The area contains a few international chain restaurants, as well as some coffee shops. Parts of the city, particularly on the edge of the city, are starting to modernize, as new shopping centers as well a new shopping mall are being built. The area as a whole, however, has a rather old, worn out feel to it. Currently, the government is attempting to improve the old and historical part in Yanbu downtown, as many historical buildings are located there. Many, unfortunately, are in a serious state of disrepair.
Al-Nakheel (The Palms) is the older part of the city, where mostly farms would be found. Any residents here are exclusively Saudi Arabian.Yanbu Al-Sina’iya (literally “the industrial Yanbu”), is the industrial city, established beginning in 1975. It has modern residential architecture and business facilities. This is the area of all the major refineries and petrochemical installations and is still undergoing major growth.
The industrial city has a residential section called the Royal Commission, whose residents are mostly upper-class Saudi Arabians, upper-income non-Saudi Arabs, upper-income Asians, Europeans, Americans, and other Westerners. It has amenities such as many international chain restaurants, as well as a shopping mall, supermarkets of various sizes, hospitals, banks, and coffee shops.The Movenpick Hotel, Yanbu’s newest and most luxurious hotel, is located here, as is The Cove, a gated residential housing compound built around a large private lagoon. It has a more modern, clean, and more organized feel to it than the Downtown area. It is also greener.
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