Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Museum to open on 6 December

Jeddah’s newest cultural attraction, the Red Sea Museum, will open its doors on 6 December 2025, showcasing the region’s rich cultural and maritime history through exhibits, artworks and programmes. 

Nestled within Al-Balad, Jeddah’s Unesco-listed historic district, the Red Sea Museum is housed in the Bab Al-Bunt building, a restored landmark that was once the city’s first gateway. Preservation of heritage and sustainable design were key aspects of the building’s renovation. To mark the opening, the museum will present ‘The Gate of Gates’ by Saudi artist Moath Alofi, a temporary exhibition curated by Philippe Cardinal. 

The museum’s permanent collection spans 23 galleries across seven key themes, tracing Bab Al-Bunt’s and the Red Sea’s influence on trade routes, ecosystems and coastal life. It features more than 1,000 artefacts, including Chinese porcelain, ancient navigational instruments, jewellery and manuscripts, alongside artwork by local and international artists. 

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Beyond its exhibitions, the museum aims to serve as a community hub with an ongoing roster of masterclasses, workshops, talks and live performances. Visitor engagement initiatives include ‘Made in the Red Sea’, offering artisanal training, and ‘Music of the Red Sea’, highlighting traditional musical heritage from the region.

The opening of the Red Sea Museum supports Saudi Vision 2030’s objectives to preserve national heritage and promote cultural tourism. In line with this strategy, the kingdom is integrating cultural experiences more deeply into cruise itineraries through a new partnership between the Heritage Commission and Cruise Saudi, offering guests opportunities to experience local cuisine, crafts and live performances, both onshore and at sea.

As inbound tourism to Saudi accelerates, domestic travel continues to flourish, with more than 60 million visitors recorded in the first half of 2025 – nearly 47 million of them domestic travellers – underscoring growing demand for authentic cultural experiences across the kingdom.

For more information, visit instagram.com/redsea_mc