The Greek presence in Saudi Arabia predates the formation of both the Greek and Saudi states. It is mainly concentrated in the Hejaz region, bordering the Red Sea and centered around the city of Jeddah. In addition to the old immigrant community there have been new arrivals in the 20th century, drawn by employment prospects in the regions successful oil industry.
Many Greeks and Italians have been living in Jeddah City, the main port of Hejaz on the Red Sea (Western modern Saudi Arabia). A famous merchant in the beginning of the 20th century was Aquily Yenni Christos (AKA. Khawaja Yenni). Yenni had a famous grocery store at Qabil Avenue (the main commercial street in the early decades of 1900s). Yenni lived and died in Jeddah. His daughter was born in Jeddah as well, she married the son of an Italian-Jew merchant, Marco, who had a neighboring store in Souq Al-Qasbah/Old Jeddah for selling fabrics and textiles.
Yenni is a much respected character in the Jeddawi memory. A novel by Mohammed sadiq Diab, is soon to be published narrating the story of his biography in Jeddah. It will carry the name of (Khawaja Yenni).
Famous quotes containing the word greeks:
“Strangers used to gather together at the cinema and sit together in the dark, like Ancient Greeks participating in the mysteries, dreaming the same dream in unison.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)