JID'DAH, or JEDDAH (Ar. Juddah ). The most important trading port on the Red Sea, situ ated on the coast of the Hejaz, Arabia. about 60 miles west of Mecca (Map: Asia, C (3). It is a well-built, prosperous-looking place, with wide streets and fine buildings, the chief of which are the Governor's. residence, the custom-house, the mosques, and the fort. The climate is exceed ingly hot, and the water-supply defective. Jid dah was formerly the trading centre between Arabia and Africa, and its annual commerce amounted to about $4,500,000. At present the city is more important as a landing-place for pil grims to Mecca than a trading centre, though it is still the chief market for pearls, mother-of pearl, black coral, coffee, balsam, aromatic herbs, horses and donkeys, and a depot for Oriental carpets and other goods. Two lines of steamers connect it with Suez, and the Suez-Aden boats touch here. In 189T. 240 steamers and 586 sail ing vessels entered the port. More than 50,000 pilgrims pass through the city yearly. During the Wahhabite wars Jiddah was taken by the Egyptians. Since 1840 it has belonged to Turkey.
On Jun:( 15, 155S, Christian missionaries were murdered in the city. and a month later it was besieged for three days by an English man-of-war. The population is estimated at 30,000, and is ex ceedingly heterogeneous.
JIG, or GIGUE, zh6g (OF., Fr. gigue, jig, OSp., Olt. giga, fiddle, from MHG. gige, Ger. (;eige, Icel. gigja, fiddle). The name of a short piece of music much in vogue in olden times, of a joyful and lively character, and in or a; also in compound time (4,', (}, etc.) ; used formerly as a dance tune. it consists of two parts of eight bars each, and the shortest notes are quavers. When it became a regular part of the suite (q•v.) its dimensions were extended. It was customary to close all suites or partitas with a gigue. The dance is rapid and irregular, and although originally a form of country dance, has been modified by its introduction into various countries until scarcely anything of its early character remains.