Fakieh Aquarium is Jeddah's latest
family entertainment facility and the first of its kind within the kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. It is absolutely beautiful, kept immaculately clean, and
promises to be an outing for the family that is educational as well as
fun.
The aquarium opened in January to
overwhelming crowds. Located near Sari Street on Jeddah's Corniche, which
runs north and south along the Red Sea coastline, the aquarium will eventually
be home to more than 7000 different types of marine life, from sharks to
dolphins to seals and jellyfish.
The first thing one sees when approaching the facility from the north is the
gorgeous colorful tile mosaic depicting underwater sea life on the side of the
building.
The viewing tanks are large and
spectacular, furnished with mangroves and coral reefs native to the area. The walk through tunnel tank is particularly outstanding. It reminded me very much of the many times I
have been snorkeling in the Red Sea. I
even saw some species that I’ve never seen while snorkeling. Sadly many Saudis, in particular females, are
never taught how to swim so they have never been able to snorkel and experience
the wondrous beauty of the Red Sea. Fakieh
Aquarium gives them the opportunity to see the amazing sea life firsthand that
had previously been outside their realm of possibilities.
We also took in the Dolphin Show
while we were there. It is performed
four times daily. For a school day, there was a fairly good
crowd at the 1pm showing. A restaurant on site is still under
construction and will hopefully open in the near future.
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Admission tickets cost 50 riyals per
person, and the Dolphin Show is another 50 riyals. Children under 2 are admitted for free. For one person, the price isn’t bad, but for
large families, a trip to the aquarium can seem rather costly. Occasionally a discounted rate of 30 riyals
is offered on Fridays through Fakieh Aquarium's Facebook page. Hours of operation are from 11am to 11pm
Saturday through Thursday. Friday hours
are 1:30pm to 11pm.
I was a little miffed at the
products for sale in the aquarium’s gift shop.
Most of them were just toys that can be bought anywhere else and didn’t
really pertain at all to sea life. I was
particularly surprised to see the pillows bearing the image of a scantily clad Betty Boop on sale in
the aquarium gift shop. Seriously?
Overall Fakieh Aquarium is
impressive and I must commend them for a job well done. The sea creatures appear well cared for, the
staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and the facility itself is gorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the above slideshow of my
visit. To see more photos taken by other
visitors to the aquarium, please CLICK HERE.
Enjoy this Saudi Gazette article: Explore the wonders of the sea world at Fakieh Aquarium
Enjoy this Saudi Gazette article: Explore the wonders of the sea world at Fakieh Aquarium
