Fakieh Aquarium

Located just off Al Kurnaysh Road on Jeddah’s north corniche, Fakieh Aquarium is the first marine exhibition of its kind in Saudi Arabia, and it’s no coincidence that it finds itself within earshot of the city’s lapping Red Sea.
The sprawling tunnels and vast tanks that make up the aquarium house over 200 species and around 85 percent of them are native to Jeddah’s undisturbed coral reefs. It makes this colorful window onto the Red Sea the best way to experience the region’s vibrant underwater ecosystem without needing to squeeze into scuba gear.

Accompanied by a meditative soundtrack and enclosed in cavern walls, a trip through the aquarium brings you face-to-face with some of the 800 Red Sea oddities that don’t exist anywhere else on the planet.

Throughout the tour, detailed information is provided in both English and Arabic. It means visitors can find out how the Red Sea got its name (hint: it has to do with blooms of algae), and learn about fish like the Napoleon wrasse, which are all born female before some transform into males on maturity. There’s also the territorial sohal surgeonfish, endemic to the Red Sea and named for its scalpel-sharp fin.

For more peculiarities, seek out the upside-down jellyfish known as the Cassiopeia, or the thin, long garden eels with their playful tendency to bob up and down in the sand as visitors approach.

Less amusing is the fish you’ll be relieved to see in a tank rather than in the open sea; a stern-looking stonefish deemed the most venomous fish in the world, possessing enough venom to kill a fully-grown man in under five minutes.

The knowledgeable staff is also proud to inform visitors that some endangered marine life – including giant turtles – have been rescued following injury or illness. Those that are able to recover fully are then released back into their natural habitat.