Jeddah Corniche Walk: Red Sea Sunset to the Floating Mosque

The route, stop by stop

After a one-minute preview, the film starts by a pier with the sun low over the sea and follows the railing past the sea wall and the lawns. After dark it picks up on the same stretch, passes the Golden Falcon and walks out to Al-Rahmah Mosque and back to the promenade. To find this stretch of the Corniche, put Al-Rahmah Mosque into your map. Tap a time below to start the film at that stop.

The pierA long pier runs out into the sea, with the sky turning orange behind it.
▶ 1:40
The sun on the waterThe sun touches the horizon of the Red Sea.
▶ 2:40
The sea wallWaves break on dark rocks below a long sea wall, with tall towers further along the coast.
▶ 3:00
Lawns and palmsPeople out on the lawns and along the sea railing as the sun goes down.
▶ 3:20
After darkThe same stretch at night, lit by tall lamps and the kiosks along the water.
▶ 12:00
Fountain poolsShallow pools with small fountains in a square hung with strings of bulbs.
▶ 18:20
The Golden FalconThe Golden Falcon sculpture, wings spread on a white pedestal, lit against the night sky.
▶ 21:00
First sight of the mosqueThe white dome and minaret of Al-Rahmah appear across the water.
▶ 23:00
The walkway to Al-RahmahA lamp-lined walkway with low walls leads out to the mosque over the sea.
▶ 25:40
The arcadesLong rows of white arches around the mosque under shade sails, lit warm at night.
▶ 27:20
Back to the shoreThe walkway turns back toward the city, its lights reflected in the water.
▶ 32:20
The Corniche at nightThe film ends on the lit promenade among cafés, play areas and palms wrapped in lights.
▶ 34:00

What the camera doesn’t tell you

The sound we still remember is the simplest one in the film: waves breaking on the rocks below the sea wall in the last of the daylight. ▶ watch at 3:00 As the sun went down, people came out onto the lawns along the railing, and once the lights came on we stopped at one of the cafés on the Corniche before walking out to the mosque. The seafront felt open and well kept, and we felt welcome the whole way. When this film went up, a viewer from Jeddah welcomed us to their city in the comments, and another called it by its old nickname, the Bride of the Red Sea.

The palm-lined promenade of the Jeddah Corniche just after sunset, with people walking by the sea railing, a small group at the edge of the lawn and a tall blue glass tower behind The promenade and lawns just after sunset.

The last of the daylight

The walk starts by a pier, and a minute later the sun touches the Red Sea horizon. ▶ watch at 2:40 For centuries Jeddah was Makkah’s port, where most pilgrims bound for the city came ashore.

The Corniche after dark

At 12:00 in the film the light has gone and the call to Maghrib, the sunset prayer, begins. ▶ watch at 12:00 The seafront you see at night is fairly new: Jeddah has rebuilt it in stages, with the Northern Corniche opening in December 2012, the Central Corniche in April 2013 and the redeveloped Jeddah Waterfront in 2017.

Further along, a gold bird spreads its wings above the promenade. ▶ watch at 21:00 It is the Golden Falcon, titled Wusul (“Arrival”), by the artist Kwest, unveiled in December 2021 as the first piece of the Jeddah Art Promenade. It continues a much older habit. In the 1970s the city’s mayor, Mohammed Said Farsi, bought more than 400 sculptures for Jeddah, including works by Henry Moore, Joan Miró and Alexander Calder.

The Golden Falcon sculpture, wings spread on a white pedestal, lit against the night sky on the Jeddah Corniche The Golden Falcon (Wusul, by Kwest) on the Jeddah Art Promenade.

Out to Al-Rahmah

A walkway with low walls leads out over the water to Al-Rahmah. ▶ watch at 25:40 The mosque was built in 1985 as Masjid al-Sayyidah Fatimah and later renamed, and because it stands on the sea itself it is known as the Floating Mosque.

The lit entrance arch on the walkway to Al-Rahmah Mosque in Jeddah, its name written in Arabic across the top, with the minaret seen through the arch The entrance arch. It reads “Masjid al-Rahmah”, and below, “at the expense of Saleh Abdullah Kamel, may God have mercy on him”.

Al-Rahmah Mosque on its pillars over the Red Sea at night, its lights reflected in the water, beside the lamp-lined walkway Al-Rahmah on its pillars over the Red Sea, beside the walkway.

Long rows of white arches run around the mosque under shade sails. ▶ watch at 27:20 With permission, we stepped inside for a moment.

White arches of the arcade around Al-Rahmah Mosque in Jeddah, lit warm at night under shade sails, with the minaret above The arcades around Al-Rahmah.

We walked back along the walkway to the shore, and the film ends on the lit Corniche. ▶ watch at 34:00

If you are going on to Makkah

Makkah lies about 70 km inland from Jeddah, and entry to the city is for Muslims only. The Haramain high-speed railway links the two cities, and Umrah is planned and booked through Nusuk, Saudi Arabia’s official platform; rules and timetables change, so check both sites before you plan your days. If you are staying in Jeddah for Umrah, the Corniche makes an easy evening by the sea.

Sunset first, the mosque after dark

Arrive while the sun is still up.The Corniche faces west over the Red Sea, so the sun sets straight into it. We came with the sun low over the water and reached Al-Rahmah after dark, when the dome and minaret are lit white against the black sea, and that order worked well for us.
Winter is the easy season.Go between December and early March, the coolest part of the year; we filmed in February. From late May to late September, average highs stay above about 37°C (98°F).
It is a mosque first.People come to Al-Rahmah to pray, not only to see it. We asked before stepping inside and kept our visit short, and we would follow any signs at the entrance.
Plan on a car or a ride.We drove from Al-Manar. Put Al-Rahmah Mosque into your map: the daylight and night halves of the film are on the same stretch of the Corniche, and the Golden Falcon is a couple of minutes before the mosque.

Where to stay for this walk

We stayed six nights in a rental in the Al-Manar district in February 2026 and paid $84.97 a night, including fees and taxes. Two places to base yourself:

How we did itAl-Manar district, JeddahWhere we stayed, with a rental car for getting to the Corniche.

By the waterAsh Shati, on the seafrontAl-Rahmah stands on the seafront in this district, so the mosque and the lit promenade are close by. We have not stayed here.

Questions people ask

Where exactly is this walk?

On the Jeddah Corniche, along the Red Sea. It starts by a pier, goes out to Al-Rahmah Mosque in the Ash Shati district and ends back on the lit promenade. King Fahd's Fountain, the city's famous fountain, is not in this film.

Why is Al-Rahmah called the Floating Mosque?

It stands on the sea itself, on pillars, and a low-walled walkway joins it to the shore. It was built in 1985, and Saudipedia calls it the first mosque in the world built on the sea's surface. You can see it standing over the water at 26:00.

Does the film go inside the mosque?

Only for a moment, after we asked permission. Most of the visit is in the arcades around the mosque, from 27:20 to 29:40.

When does it get dark in the film?

The first part, from 1:15 to 11:40, is in late daylight, with the sun on the horizon at 2:40. From 12:00 to the end it is night.

Where is the Golden Falcon?

On the promenade, about two minutes before the mosque comes into view, at 21:00 in the film.

Facts and prices checked October 2026. Opening hours and ticket prices change, so check official sites before you go.