{"id":102369,"date":"2026-10-10T19:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T19:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=102369"},"modified":"2026-10-10T19:32:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T19:32:00","slug":"arab-news-scottish-father-and-son-return-to-jeddah-to-rediscover-family-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=102369","title":{"rendered":"Arab News | Scottish father and son return to Jeddah to rediscover family legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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JEDDAH: More than 40 years after he last visited Jeddah, Graham Duncan, from Edinburgh, returned last week to the city he knew as a child \u2014 this time accompanied by his 20-year-old son, Joey, who wanted to see the legacy that Graham\u2019s father, George, helped build.<\/p>\n

Graham left Jeddah in 1982 at the age of 18. His return on Oct. 5 was not just a journey into his own past, but an opportunity to introduce Joey to the city where his grandfather spent almost 15 years.<\/p>\n

Dr. George Duncan was an architect and town planner who worked with Jeddah\u2019s former mayor, Mohammed Saeed Farsi \u2014 widely considered to be the father of modern Jeddah \u2014 to shape Jeddah\u2019s urban landscape while advocating for the preservation of its historic heart from the 1960s through the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Graham and his son Joey. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

George retired in 1985 to write a doctoral thesis at Durham University about his work in Saudi Arabia. He died in 1997.<\/p>\n

Joey, who serves in the British Army\u2019s Parachute Regiment, had long wanted to see the work of the grandfather he never knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son had a break between deployments. So, he told me that he wished to see what his grandfather had accomplished and contributed in Jeddah,\u201d Graham told Arab News. \u201cThis is what prompted us to fly all the way to Saudi Arabia: He wanted to see his grandfather\u2019s legacy. We have been everywhere in the old town, remembering every touch my father has left in this city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Graham
Graham and his son Joey during a forum held in Jeddah. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the city expanded, and modern infrastructure began replacing older neighborhoods, George was also among those who recognized the importance of preserving historic Jeddah. The transformation presented a difficult challenge: How could a rapidly growing city modernize while retaining the architectural character and cultural identity of its historic center?<\/p>\n

Graham believes his father, working alongside Farsi, played an important role in answering that question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the contribution of my father and Mayor Farsi, Jeddah would not be as beautiful as it is today,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\"George
George Duncan walks in Al-Balad. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The preservation of historic Jeddah eventually became an important part of the city\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n

Al-Balad, with its traditional houses, markets, narrow lanes and distinctive architecture, was inscribed on UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage List in 2014.<\/p>\n

For Joey, seeing the historic district in person offered a tangible connection to a grandfather he had previously known mainly through family stories. <\/p>\n

\"Joey
Joey walks where his grandfather walked 50 years ago. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI am really glad to be here,\u201d Joey told Arab News. \u201cTo trace the footsteps of grandfather is really a great feeling and what I saw made me so proud. I will cherish it all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family\u2019s return was also made possible through another Jeddah connection. Graham contacted Zaki Farsi, the son of the former Jeddah Mayor, before the trip. \u201cHe welcomed us and arranged for us to visit,\u201d Graham explained.<\/p>\n

That connection took on greater significance on Oct. 6, when the Saudi Society for Urban Sciences\u2019 Jeddah Chapter organized a forum titled \u201cJeddah City Planning and the Revitalization of Central Jeddah\u201d at Al-Safa Hall in the Al-Makateen Museum in Jeddah Park.<\/p>\n

The forum brought together figures connected to the city\u2019s urban-planning history, including Graham, Joey, Zaki Farsi, and consulting engineer Amr Darwish, who was the first head of Al-Balad Municipality in Jeddah.<\/p>\n

During his visit, and on behalf of the Duncan family, Graham announced that he is donating a copy of the original Jeddah master plan to the library of King Abdulaziz University, preserving an important document from the city\u2019s urban-planning history for researchers, students and future generations.<\/p>\n

In addition, he is also providing KAU\u2019s library a collection of his father\u2019s photos of Jeddah in the late 60s and early 70s. It\u2019s a way to ensure that George\u2019s contribution will not remain only a family memory.<\/p>\n

As father and son prepare to return home, they leave Jeddah with a renewed appreciation for the city\u2019s beauty and a deep sense of pride in knowing that George played a part in shaping its remarkable master plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n