In more cosmopolitan Jeddah black abayas jostle with green and navy ones, often jazzed up with leopard-print trim or zip-fronts inspired by sportswear.Dubai, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur all host Islamic-fashion shows.
Last week, at talks in Jeddah, the US won the backing for a "coordinated military campaign" from 10 Arab countries – Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and six Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
They will be eased on their way by a new high-speed rail link that will connect gateway city Jeddah with Mecca and Medina.
But in places like Jeddah, away from the conservative Nejd region, women wear their cloak, or abaya, more loosely; and women can mingle with men, contrary to the law.
Jeddah seems prosperous at first glance, but closer inspection reveals potholes, broken pavements and leaky drains.
Many of those infected in Jeddah have been health workers, suggesting insufficient precautions are being taken in hospitals.
Given that Jeddah is Saudi Arabia's business hub and the jump-off point for pilgrims going to Mecca, MERS could hurt the economy if it spreads.The government says it is being candid and has held press conferences.
Perhaps, had she been allowed to drive, she might have got away as her friend did.Yet even that day may come soon: during November's freak floods in Jeddah that killed 122 people, Malak al-Mutairi, a girl in her teens, gained brief fame by defying the ban on women drivers.
A key component of this, called the Middle East Partnership Initiative, has disbursed little more than $100m over two years, in what one Washington think-tank describes as "a scattershot approach that splits an already small funding pie into minuscule fragments".In this section Terror in Jeddah Delay the poll?
In the process, the city's religious diversity has "virtually disappeared".Mr Sardar worked in Jeddah at the Haj Research Centre between 1975 and 1979.
More worryingly, 81 of those infected have died, including several foreigners whose nationalities have not been disclosed.Although the virus appeared in the oil-rich east of the country, possibly having passed to humans from camels, Jeddah is now the worst-affected place, home to 21 of the recent cases.
