Saudi authorities have issued evacuation notices to 16 neighbourhoods in Makkah, instructing residents to hand over the keys to their homes and leave the areas. The move is being described as the second-largest displacement operation in the Hejaz after the clearance of districts in Jeddah, an initiative widely referred to as “Jeddah Demolitions”.
The 16 neighbourhoods form part of a wider list of 66 districts included in a redevelopment and demolition plan that is expected to be implemented gradually at a rate of around 12 neighbourhoods per year.
The areas targeted so far are:
▪️ Al-Jumayzah
▪️ Al-Khansa
▪️ Al-Husayniyah
▪️ Jabal Khandamah
▪️ Southern Al-Zahra
▪️ Central Al-Zahra
▪️ Al-Taysir
▪️ Rei Bakhsh
▪️ Bir Al-Ghanam
▪️ Al-Lihyaniyah
▪️ Al-Sard
▪️ Southern Al-Akayshiyah
▪️ Al-Safwah
▪️ Al-Ji‘ranah
▪️ Malkan
▪️ Al-Malawi
Several districts in Makkah have already been demolished over the past two years, but the forthcoming phase is expected to be the most extensive to date.
According to available information, some of these areas are being transferred to property development and real-estate investment companies linked to external interests that are alleged to have agendas in the Hejaz. These interests are said to intersect with the Saudi government’s efforts to alter the region’s demographic composition and traditional Hejazi identity.