Lighthouses of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia occupies the majority of the Arabian Peninsula and has two coastlines: a long west coast on the Red Sea and a shorter east coast on the Persian Gulf (also called the Gulf of Iran or sometimes simply "The Gulf"). This page describes lighthouses of the west coast. Jeddah, on the central portion of the coast, is the most important port and the gateway to the holy city of Mecca. Other ports include Dhiba, Yanbu and Jizan.

Very little Internet information is available on the navigational aids of the kingdom. Jeddah has a light on the spectacular harbor control tower shown at right, but most of the other known lights are on islands or reefs offshore. Additional lighthouse photos from this area would be welcome.

Lighthouses in Saudi Arabia are maintained by the Saudi Ports Authority. The Arabic word for a lighthouse is mnarh or manara (منارة). Ra's is a cape, jaza'ir or jazirat is an island, and shi'b is a reef.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Lightphotos.net - Saudi Arabia
Photo site curated by Dmitry Rostopshin.

Jeddah Light
Jeddah Light, Jeddah, August 2010
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Vadym Gavrykov
Jizan Province Lighthouses
Dawharab
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower mounted on a triangular platform supported by piles. The tower carries a green daymark. No photo available, but Bing has a satellite view. Dawharab is a small island near the southern end of the Farasan Islands, a large group of islands and coral reefs. The light marks the beginning of the approach to Jizan from the south. Located just off the northern end of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty E6139.5; NGA 30784.
South Mazarkiff (Mazakif, Masaqif)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) post with a "red tripod daymark," according to NGA, mounted on a triangular platform supported by piles. No photo available, but Bing has a satellite view of the platform. South Mazarkiff is a small island near the southern end of Farasan Island, the largest island of the Farasan group. Located just off the south end of the island, about 40 km (25 mi) southwest of Jizan. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty E6138.6; NGA 30788.
Jizan (Gizan) Harbor Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); red flash every 2 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) pyramidal skeletal tower carrying a triangular daymark, point down. No photo available, but Bing has a satellite view. Located in Jizan 300 m (0.2 mi) east of the front light, a smaller tower at the water's edge. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty E6138.71; NGA 30760.
Ghurab
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; white flash every 4 s. Described by NGA as a "red beacon." No photo available; Bing's satellite view shows a large tripod structure. Note: There is a much better known Ghurab Island south of Jeddah. Located off the south side of an island at the northern end of the Farasan group, about 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Jizan. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty E6138.4; NGA 30752.
Al Baghlah
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower (NGA calls it a tripod) mounted on a triangular platform. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This light marks the northeastern corner of the dangerous Farasan reef complex. Located about 120 km (75 mi) west northwest of Jizan. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6058; NGA 30743.

Makkah (Mecca) Province Lighthouses
Shi'b Mismari (Mismari Reef)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three flashes every 15 s, white or red depending on direction. 14 m (46 ft) skeletal (?) tower, painted white, mounted on a triangular concrete pier. The tower carries a black rectangular daymark. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. A 1922 sailing guide for the Red Sea mentions a beacon on this reef. Located on a dangerous reef about 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Jeddah. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6057; NGA 30548.
Shi'b Qaham (Gaham Reef)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); flash every 2.5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 14 m (46 ft) "structure" carrying a black rectangular daymark and mounted on a square platform. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. A 1900 sailing guide for the Red Sea describes a "white stone beacon surmounted with a staff and globe" on this reef. Located on the north point of a reef about 4 km (2.5 mi) southwest of the Jeddah control tower (next entry). Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6055.2; NGA 30572.
Jeddah (Jedda, Jiddah)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 137 m (450 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. Approx. 133 m (436 ft) concrete and steel tower with gallery, carrying a large, spherical building. Entire lighthouse is white. Vadym Gavrykov's photo appears at the top of this page, Lightphotos.net has a photo, another photo is available, Wikimedia also has an evening photo, the lighthouse also appears in the background of Wikimedia's photo of Jeddah Harbor, and Google has an excellent satellite view. This remarkable and beautiful tower is the harbor control tower for Jeddah. Although it is not a lighthouse in the traditional sense of having been built primarily as an aid to navigation, it has a credible claim to be the world's tallest light tower. It dwarfs the 106 m (348 ft) Yokohama Marine Tower in Japan, which is widely claimed to be the world's tallest. It is located at the end of the outer pier on the north side of the entrance to Jeddah's modern harbor (south of the traditional harbor). Site status unknown. ARLHS SAU-003; Admiralty E6054.5; NGA 30554.
Shi'b Jahan
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); flash every 5 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 14 m (46 ft) "structure" carrying a red rectangular daymark and mounted on a square platform. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the south point of a reef about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) northeast of the Jeddah control tower (previous entry). Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6054.6; NGA 30576.
Shi'b al Kabir
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); flash every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 14 m (46 ft) tripod tower, painted white with a red horizontal band. No photo available. Located on a reef in the Red Sea about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Jeddah. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6054; NGA 30604.
Shi'b al Khamsa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) tower, painted with black and yellow horizontal bands. No photo available. Located on a reef in the Red Sea about 175 km (110 mi) north of Jeddah and a similar distance south of Yanbu. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6053; NGA 30536.

Madinah (Medina) Province Lighthouses
Yanbu South
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); flash every 10 s, white or red depending on direction. 32 m (105 ft) round metal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Bing has a distant satellite view. This lighthouse marks the start of a long southern approach channel to the port of Yanbu. Located on a reef in the Red Sea about 13 km (8 mi) offshore and about 65 km (40 mi) south southeast of Yanbu. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6052.5; NGA 30512.
Shi'b ash-Sharm (Schermo Reef)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 5 s. Fog horn (4 s blast every 20 s). 10 m (33 ft) mast and a small equipment building mounted on a concrete base. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is at right, and Google's satellite view shows the concrete base clearly. Located on a dangerous reef about 25 km (15 mi) west of Yanbu. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6048.8; NGA 30496.

Tabuk Province Lighthouse
Jaza'ir Sila (Sila Islands)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 12 s. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) concrete post with gallery, mounted on a concrete base. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef in the northern Red Sea, about 25 km (15 mi) west of Al Muwaylih and 150 km (90 mi) east of Sharm el-Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty E6046.5; NGA 30470.
Shi'b ash-Sharm Light
Shi'b ash-Sharm Light, September 2007
Panoramio photo copyright blend buena; permission requested

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Kuwait | Northeast: Bahrain and Qatar | East: United Arab Emirates | South: Yemen | West: Jordan

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Posted January 5, 2008. Checked and revised April 17, 2013. Lighthouses: 14. Site copyright 2013 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.