Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of

'Asir Region The ʿAsir Region ( ar, عَسِيرٌ, ʿAsīr, lit=difficult) is a region of Saudi Arabia located in the southwest of the country that is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,211,875 (2017). It is ...

in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile

Asir Mountains The Asir Mountains ( ar, جِبَال عَسِيْر, '; (' Difficult')) is a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia running parallel to the Red Sea. It comprises areas in the Asir Region of Saudi Arabia, however it also generally inclu ...

of south-western Saudi Arabia, near

Asir National Park Asir National Park is a national park in Saudi Arabia's Asir region. It was established in 1981. Geography Asir National Park covers an area of 6490.7 km2. It extends from Red Sea coast to the mountains, and includes both marine and terrest ...

. Abha's mild climate makes it a popular

tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that Tourism, tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of ...

for Saudis. Saudis also call the city the Bride of Mountain due to its position above the sea.

History

Abha was the capital city for the Prince of Asir Ibn Ayde under the authority of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1918, the Prince of Asir, Yahya bin Hasun Al Ayde, grandson of Ibn Ayed, returned to his family throne conquered in Abha with complete independence. In 1920, Asir was conquered by the

Ikhwan The Ikhwan ( ar, الإخوان, al-ʾIkhwān, The Brethren), commonly known as Ikhwan min ta'a Allah ( ar, إخوان من أطاع الله), was a traditionalist religious militia made up of traditionally nomadic tribesmen which formed a signif ...

tribesmen of Nejd loyal to

Ibn Saud Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

during the

Unification of Saudi Arabia The Unification of Saudi Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and kingdoms of most of the Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the House of Saud, or ''Al Saud''. Unificati ...

. Abha has many historic places such as forts and other locations, thanks to the region's cultural heritage. Bani Shehr, Bani Amr, Bal-Ahmar, Bal-Asmar, Bal-Qarn, Shumran and some others all belong to "Al-Azd" and some extended families

Qahtan The terms Qahtanite and Qahtani ( ar, قَحْطَانِي; transliterated: Qaḥṭānī) refer to Arabs who originate from South Arabia. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple ancient Arabian inscriptions found in Yemen. Arab traditions be ...

, Shahran which is belong to Hood.

Azd The Azd ( ar, أَزْد), or ''Al-Azd'' ( ar, ٱلْأَزْد), are a tribe of Sabaean Arabs. In ancient times, the Sabaeans inhabited Ma'rib, capital city of the Kingdom of Saba' in modern-day Yemen. Their lands were irrigated by the Ma ...

i tribes had migrated after "Marib Dam" collapsed for the third time in the third century AD. Al-Namas, Billasmar Region, Hawra Billasmar Center, Khaled, Eyaa Valley, Athneen Billasmar (which is the capital), Subuh Billahmar, Al-Nimas, Tanomah, Al-Majaredah place, Bal-Qarn Center, and Sabt Alalyaa place (Bishah, Wadi Bin Hashbaal) and some other known places that belong to the Asir Region. In 2015, a group of terrorists attacked a big mosque in Abha. Some of the people who were killed were police officers. In later years, some places in Abha, including the international airport, were attacked by Yemeni terrorists.

Transportation

A coastal road connecting

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

and Abha was completed in 1979. A SAPTCO bus station connects Abha to other destinations within Saudi Arabia.

Abha International Airport Abha International Airport ( ar, مطار أبهـــا الدولي, ) is an airport in Abha, the capital of 'Asir Province in Saudi Arabia. The airport has services to several domestic airports within the Kingdom. It also offers internation ...

( ar, مَطَار أَبْهَا, Maṭār Abhā, IATA: AHB ICAO: OEAB) is Abha's main airport. International connections are available to Yemen (Sana'a), Egypt (Cairo), Qatar (Doha) and the UAE (Dubai, Sharjah), as well as to other destinations within Saudi Arabia. Construction of Dutch-designed Abha Airport began in mid-1975, and flights began in 1977. Before construction of the airport, domestic flights were serviced by the military airport near

Khamis Mushait Khamis Mushayt or Khamis Mushait ( ar, خميس مشيط, ') is a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, located east of Abha, the provincial seat of the 'Asir Province, 650 nautical miles from Dhahran and from the national capital of Riyadh. It is t ...

by Ali Misfer Ibn Misfer, who was the founder of aviation in Abha in 1945.

Landmarks

The city of Abha is composed of four quarters, the largest of which contains a fortress. Hilltop fortresses are a characteristic feature of the city.

Shadda Palace Shadda Palace was the main ruling palace in Abha, Saudi Arabia. It was established around 1820. It has now been converted to a museum. It has a selection of traditional utensils, furniture and others. See also * List of museums in Saudi Arabi ...

, built in 1927, is now a museum displaying local handicrafts and household items. Other notable buildings in Abha include the Abha Great Mosque, the Al-Tahy restaurant, the Abha Palace Hotel, and the funpark next to Lake Sadd. The New Abha five-star hotel is a recent construction on the lake, southwest of the town. The head office and the main printing presses of ''Al Watan'', a major Saudi daily, are in Abha.

Culture

The Saudi government has promoted Abha as a tourist destination. The city hosts events to attract visitors to the city and its surroundings, including the summer Abha Festival, sporting events, shows, exhibitions, and musical performances poets and singers. The artist

Talal Maddah Talal Maddah (5 August 1940 – 11 August 2000; ar, طلال مدَّاح) was a Saudi Arabian musician and composer. He was named Maddah after his mother's family. His fans called him "The Earth's Voice" ( ar, صوت الارض), and he was al ...

died on stage during one such performance in Abha.

Education

King Khalid University King Khalid University is a public university in Abha, Saudi Arabia. In 1998, HRH Crown Prince ordered the merger of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University in the Southern Region into one entity under the new identity ...

is a public university in Abha. The University was established in 1998 by merging the Imam Muhammed bin Saud University of Islamic Studies and the King Saud University of the South. The total number of enrolled students is approximately 85,000.

Geography and climate

Abha is located in the southern region of

Asir The ʿAsir Region ( ar, عَسِيرٌ, ʿAsīr, lit=difficult) is a region of Saudi Arabia located in the southwest of the country that is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,211,875 (2017). It is ...

at an elevation of about above sea level. Abha lies on the western edge of Mount Al-Hijaz, near

Jabal Sawda Jabal Sawda ( ar, جَبَل ٱلسُّوْدَة ', ) is a peak located in Saudi Arabia, with a claimed elevation of , on the basis of which it is claimed to be the highest point in Saudi Arabia. In a 2018 GPS survey the peak's elevation wa ...

, the highest peak in Saudi Arabia. Treating the Asir Mountains as part of the Sarawat, the landscape is otherwise dominated by the

Sarawat Mountains The Sarawat Mountains ( ar, جِبَالُ ٱلسَّرَوَاتِ, Jibāl as-Sarawāt), also known as the Sarat, is a part of the Hijaz mountains in the western part of the Arabian Peninsula. In a broad sense, it runs parallel to the eastern c ...

. The climate of Abha is

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: Dsa) and it is influenced by city's high elevation.^{'inaccessible source''/sup> The city's weather is generally mild throughout the year, becoming noticeably cooler during the "low-sun" season. Abha seldom sees temperatures rise above during the course of the year. The city averages of rainfall annually, with the bulk of the precipitation occurring between February and April, with a secondary minor wet season in July and August.

The highest recorded temperature was on August 25, 1983, while the lowest recorded temperature was on December 29, 1983.

Gallery

File:Abha 12.jpg, Buildings with the 'Asir Mountains

The Asir Mountains ( ar, جِبَال عَسِيْر, '; (' Difficult')) is a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia running parallel to the Red Sea. It comprises areas in the Asir Region of Saudi Arabia, however it also generally inclu ...
in the background
File:Abha 29.jpg, Cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems:

* Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable
** Aerial tramway
** Chairlift
** Gondola lift
*** Bi ...

File:ABHA (6348527614).jpg
File:مدينة ابها ليلاً 2013-06-08 17-17.jpg, Night drive
File:سد أبها1W8796.jpg, Abha dam

Ecology

The Garf Raydah Protected Area is heavily colonized by cacti

A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
, olive trees

The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...
, and juniper

Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...
s.

See also

* Al-Bahah

Al Bahah ( ar, ٱلْبَاحَة, ') is a city in the Hejazi area of western Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Al Bahah Region, and is one of the Kingdom's prime tourist attractions. It enjoys a pleasant climate and is surrounded by more than f ...

* An-Namas
* Bareq

Bareq ( ar, بارق; also transliterated as '), is one of the governorates of Asir in the north-west of the region, north of Abha. It occupies a distinct location midway between Tihama and Asir, above sea level. With an estimated population ...

* Billasmar Region
* Habala

Habala ( ar, ٱلْحَبَلَة, Al-Ḥabalah) is a small mountain village in 'Asir Region of Saudi Arabia. It can be reached by car from Abha within one hour. It is located in a valley almost 300 metres below the peak of the front mountain. It ...

* Rijal Alma
* Khamis Mushayt

Khamis Mushayt or Khamis Mushait ( ar, خميس مشيط, ') is a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, located east of Abha, the provincial seat of the 'Asir Province, 650 nautical miles from Dhahran and from the national capital of Riyadh. It is t ...

*Tanomah

Tanomah ( ar, تنومة) is a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, that has a population of 40,000. It is located at 120 km north of Abha. It is one of the most important resorts in Saudi Arabia. There are many waterfalls at the top of the mountain s ...

References

External links

*
*
* - PhD Thesis

{{Authority control

Qahtanites
Populated places in 'Asir Province
Provincial capitals of Saudi Arabia}