Al Bahah ( ar, ٱلْبَاحَة, ') is a city in the
Hejaz
The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...
i area of western
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. It is the capital of
Al Bahah Region
Al-Bahah Province ( ' ) is a province of Saudi Arabia. It is located in the southwestern part of the Hejazi region. It has an area of 9,921 km2, and a population of 476,172 (2017). Its capital is Al Bahah. The region includes Al-Baḥah C ...
, and is one of the Kingdom's prime tourist attractions. It enjoys a pleasant climate and is surrounded by more than forty forests, including Raghdan, Al-Zaraeb and Baidan. Al Baha is the headquarters of the Governor, local councils and branches of governmental departments. Receiving the state's special attention, the city of Al Baha abounds in educational, tourist and health institutions. It is considered the capital of the
Ghamd
The Ghamd (also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as Ghamid, ar, غامد) is an Arab tribe of Azd tribe in Hejaz Region.
History
The tribe belongs to the Hejaz region, and it is considered one of the oldest tribe of Arabia according to g ...
i and Zahrani tribes in Saudi Arabia, and most of its inhabitants are from the native tribes.
The name "Pearl of Resorts" is the name given to Al-Baha by those acquainted with the city. The name "Garden of the Hejaz" ( ar, حَدِيْقَة ٱلْحِجَاز, Ḥadīqat al-Ḥijāz) was the name given to it by the
Sharif of Mecca
The Sharif of Mecca ( ar, شريف مكة, Sharīf Makkah) or Hejaz ( ar, شريف الحجاز, Sharīf al-Ḥijāz, links=no) was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and ...
.
Geography and location
Al-Baha City lies in the west of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Hejazi region, between
Makkah
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow va ...
(which borders it from the north, west, and south west) and
'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 ...
(which borders it from the south-east). It is the smallest of the kingdom's provinces (). It is surrounded by a number of cities, including
Taif
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...
on the north, Beesha on the east, and Al-Qunfuda on coast of the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
in the west. This tourist city is situated in an area characterized by natural tree cover and agricultural plateaus. It consists of six towns, the most important of which are Beljarshy, Almandaq, and Almekhwah, in addition to the Baha city in the center of the province. The province comprises 31 administrative centres, and it has a population of 533,001.
The province is known for its beauty and has
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s,
wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
areas,
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
s and
mountains
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...
that attract visitors from all parts of the kingdom and the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
area. Some of these areas are the forests of Raghdan, Ghomsan, Fayk, and Aljabal, and many other historical and archaeological sites. It contains more than 53 forests.
Al-Baha is the homeland of the Ghamid and
Zahran tribe
Zahran Tribe ( ar, قبيلة زهران), also known as Banū ʿZahrān ibn Kaʿab, is one of the oldest Arabian tribes in the Arabian Peninsula. It is regarded as one of the largest tribes in Al Bahah Province.
Al Baha is the homeland of Zahr ...
s and is divided geographically into three distinct parts:
Sarah
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...
, which contains the high
Hijaz mountains
The Hijaz Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحِجَاز, Jibāl al-Ḥijāz ()) or "Hejaz Range" is a mountain range located in the Hejazi region of western Saudi Arabia. The range runs north and south along the eastern coast of the Red Sea, a ...
characterized by temperate weather and rich plant cover due to relatively high annual rainfall, the
Tihamah
Tihamah or Tihama ( ar, تِهَامَةُ ') refers to the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb.
Etymology
Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for 'sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in mas ...
which is the lowland coastal area to the west of the Hejaz, characterized by very hot and humid weather and very little rainfall average, and the eastern hills characterized by an altitude of above sea level with cool winters, hot summers and sparse
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
cover. The largest city in the province, both in population and area, is
Baljurashi
Baljurashi ( ar, بَـلْـجُـرَشِي) or Biljurashi ( ar, بِـلْـجُـرَشِي) is a city in Al Bahah Region, south-western Saudi Arabia. It is located at around in the elevation of cca . It was the capital of the region which in ...
, the second one is Al-Mandaq. In Tehama, there are two major cities: Qilwah and Al-Mikhwah. The number of tribes are 18, branching from the main ones, Ghamid and Zahran. The province has 13 settled tribes (working in trades and agriculture) and 5 nomadic tribes.
Climate
Al Bahah has a mild fresh weather, The climate is greatly affected by its varying geographic features. Generally speaking, the climate in Al-Baha is mild with temperatures ranging between . Due to its location at above sea level, Al Baha's climate is moderate in summer and cold in winter. The area attracts visitors looking for a moderate climate and pristine, scenic views.
In the Tehama area of the province, which is down on the coast, the climate is hot in the summer and warm in the winter. Humidity ranges from 52%–67%. While in the mountainous region, which is known as As-Sarah, the weather is cooler in summer and winter. Rainfall in the mountainous region lies in the range of . The average throughout the whole region is annually.
History
Post-World War 1, the village of El-Zafir ( ar, قَرْيَة ٱلظَّفِيْر, Qaryat aẓ-Ẓafīr) had been the administrative centre of what was known then as ''Belad Ghamid'', but with the establishment of Saudi Arabian government, the Ghamid and Zahran were administered as a unit in 1925, and the seat of local government transferred to
Baljurashi
Baljurashi ( ar, بَـلْـجُـرَشِي) or Biljurashi ( ar, بِـلْـجُـرَشِي) is a city in Al Bahah Region, south-western Saudi Arabia. It is located at around in the elevation of cca . It was the capital of the region which in ...
), a town situated south of El-Zafir. The tribes of Ghamid and Zahran are the indigenous people of Al Baha. Tribes in the region trace their origin to the
ancient Arabia
Pre-Islamic Arabia ( ar, شبه الجزيرة العربية قبل الإسلام) refers to the Arabian Peninsula before the emergence of Islam in 610 CE.
Some of the settled communities developed into distinctive civilizations. Information ...
n ''
Mamlakat Saba''' (possibly the Kingdom of
Sheba
Sheba (; he, ''Šəḇāʾ''; ar, سبأ ''Sabaʾ''; Ge'ez: ሳባ ''Saba'') is a kingdom mentioned in the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament) and the Quran. Sheba features in Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions, particularly the Ethiopian Ort ...
),
whose rule extended to areas presently known as
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. Historians also report that they established the famous state of
Axum
Axum, or Aksum (pronounced: ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015).
It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole region ...
, in
Abyssinia
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...
. Prince Husam bin Saud has been the governor of the province since April 21, 2017.
Historic attractions
Al Baha is also known for their traditional towers, each of which is called a ''
qaṣbah'' ( ar, قَصْبَة). It was said "Apparently unique to Albaha architecture are the qasaba towers. Controversy surrounds their function—some argue that they were built as
lookout
A lookout or look-out is a person in charge of the observation of hazards. The term originally comes from a naval background, where lookouts would watch for other ships, land, and various dangers. The term has now passed into wider parlance.
...
s, and others that they were
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
s, or even granaries. Perhaps it is a combination, although the right position of a
watchtower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
, on a hill top, is the wrong place for a keep or
granary
A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animal ...
."
Dhee Ayn Village is situated at about southwest of Al-Baha, across 'Aqabat al-Baha, also known as Aqbat King Fahad. This known village sometimes known as "marble village" as it is built on a small marble mountain. The grove of palm trees is lush due to a small stream nearby. The villagers say that the marble village glows at sunset. It also has a steep escarpment road, running into and out of tunnels on the way up and down. Dhi 'Ain was famous for its fruits and banana plantations which still grow there. The village dates back about 400 years, and it witnessed the battles between the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
and its inhabitants. The village was named after an
ʿAyn
''Ayin'' (also ''ayn'' or ''ain''; transliterated ) is the sixteenth letter of the Semitic scripts, including Phoenician , Hebrew , Aramaic , Syriac ܥ, and Arabic (where it is sixteenth in abjadi order only).
The letter represents a ...
( ar, عَيْن,
water spring
A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...
) continuously flowing from the nearby mountains to several reservoirs and each particular pond has its own name. There is a local legend that talks about a man lost his cane in one of the valleys, and to retrieve it he tracked it until he reached the village, he gathered its inhabitants and retrieved his cane after digging the spring:
Infrastructure
Souq
The
souq or traditional market in Al Baha has been studied to see how the market performs in maintaining order and social customs. "Weekly markets in Al-Baha, which is located in the south-western part of Saudi Arabia, was not only performing economic functions, but also, social functions. Those markets continued to perform these functions until around 1975 when the modern markets began to take over, and other social institutions like schools, mail, and mass media began to do the social functions of those weekly markets. This study is trying to explain the social functions of weekly markets in Al-Baha like uniting the tribes, using the market as a tool of punishment, entertainment, mail and religious education."
Transportation
Al-Baha Domestic Airport is located to the east of Al Baha City Center and was founded in the Year 1982. "Al-Baha National Airport receives flights from all cities of the Kingdom and is located in Aqiq Province from Al-Baha city itself."
Hospitals and medical care
King Fahd Hospital( ar, مُسْتَشْفَى ٱلْمَلِك فَهْد, Mustashfā al-Malik Fahd): "Initially, the hospital has been operated by one of the International specialist companies in directing and operating hospitals, but since 1421 (2000) it was self operated under the supervision of MOH."
The hospital is also a training hospital in the main health sciences, as stated in 2012: "King Fahad Hospital, Al-Baha is already accredited by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties as training center for postgraduate programs of Saudi Board / Arab Board in the 4 main departments, namely: Pediatrics, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Obstetrics & Gynecology. These programs are completely accredited in the hospital and no need for the candidate to move into any other hospital for complete his training requirements. The Urology department is processing accreditation process that may be finalized by the next academic year."
As a training hospital, the Medical Library, established in 1982, in the King Fahd Hospital is one of the largest libraries in the Province: "Health Sciences Library and Information Center represents the core of the Academic Affairs services provided for all health care workers in Al-Baha region. it is located on the ground floor of the main hospital building in front of the human resources department and Employee Health Clinic. The library contains 1,250 hard copies of recent medical textbooks in all medical fields with plenty of full colour medical atlases, dictionaries, and other materials for learning the English language with a section for Arabic books and publications of interest for administrative staff. The digital library includes 800 digital books with audiovisual materials for teaching medical examination, heart and breath sounds and also materials for teaching the English language. This section includes digital version of video recordings for all scientific events carried out in the hospital. Also, digital archives are available for some of the most prestigious medical journals for the last few years."
* Qudran Private Hospital ( ar, مُسْتَشْفَى غُدْرَان ٱلْخَاص, Mustashfā Ghudrān al-Khāṣ)
* Prince Mishari Bin Saud Hospital, Baljurashi ( ar, مُسْتَشْفَى ٱلْاَمِيْر مِشَارِي بِن سُعُوْد بَلْجُرَشِي, Mustashfā Al-Amīr Mishārī bin Suʿūd Baljurashī)
* Al-Mandag General Hospital ( ar, مُسْتَشْفَى ٱلْمَنْدَق ٱلْعَام, Mustashfā Al-Mandaq Al-ˁĀm)
* Shamekh Polyclinic ( ar, مُسْتَوْصَف شَامِخ ٱلْأَهْلِي, Mustawṣaf Shāmikh Al-Ahlī)
Traditional tribal cemeteries
The southern tribal hinterland of Baha — home to especially the Ghamdi and Zahrani tribes — has been renowned for centuries for their tribal cemeteries that are now slowly vanishing, according to ''
Asharq Al-Awsat
''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
'' newspaper. One old villager explained how tribal cemeteries came about: "People used to die in large numbers and very rapidly one after the other because of diseases. So the villagers would dig graves close by burying members of the same family in one area. That was how the family and tribal burial grounds came about," he said. The old man continued, "If the family ran out of space, they would open old graves where family members had been buried before and add more people to them. This process is known as khashf." During famines and outbreaks of epidemics, huge numbers of people would die and many tribes faced difficulties in digging new graves because of the difficult weather. Elderly people remember that in olden times, the winter used to stretch for more than six months and would be accompanied by much rain and fog, making movement difficult. But due to tribal rivalries, many families would guard their cemeteries, and put restrictions on who got buried in them. Across Al-Bahah, burial grounds are constructed in different ways. Some cemeteries consist of underground vaults or concrete burial chambers with the capacity of holding a large number of bodies at a time. Such vaults include windows for people to peer through and are usually decorated ornately with writings, drawings and patterns. Muhammad Saleh, a local resident, said, "One of the things that is so iconic about many of these graves is the fact that many of them are not directed toward the Kaaba. This tells us that some of these graves are from the pre-Islamic era. In Islam the face of a dead person should be toward the Kaaba.""
Education
Academic Affairs & Health Training established in 2006
Al-Baha University established in 2006
* The Community College, which belongs to Umm Al Qura University of Makkah
* Dar Al-faisal International School
* Creativity Care
Literary club
Al Baha literary club is concerned with intellectual meetings, poems, novels and book distribution. It hosts intellectuals from all regions of Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 2009.
Local sports clubs
There are four main local football clubs in the city:
*
Al-Hejaz Football Club ( ar, نَادِي ٱلْحِجَاز, Nādī Al-Ḥijāz).
*
Al-Ain FC
Al Ain Football Club ( ar, نادي العين لكرة القدم; transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn) or Al Ain FC or simply Al Ain is a professional football club, based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many ...
( ar, نَادِي ٱلْعَيْن, Nādī Al-ʿAyn); previously known as "Zahran FC" and "Al Ameed".
* Al Baha Football Club ( ar, نَادِي ٱلْبَاحَه, Nādī Al-Bāḥah); previously known as "Al Sarah FC".
* Al Sarawat Football Club ( ar, نَادِي ٱلسَّرَوَات, Nādī As-Sarawāt).
King Saud Sport City
The
stadium complex provides facilities for sports and leisure, including swimming pools, football and basketball.
Culture
Religion
All of the Saudi citizens of Al Baha are
Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...
, who in the past practiced
Shafi`i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
, a school of ''
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh.
The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
'' that was dominant in the Hejaz. The largest mosque here is the King Fahad Mosque ( ar, جَامِع ٱلْمَلِك فَهْد, Jāmiʿ Al-Malik Fahd).
Cuisine
The city is known for its healthy and nutritious traditional meals brought by local farming such as ''Daghābīs'' () and ''ʿAṣīdah'' ().
Language
It is claimed by some Arab authors that the dialect of Belad Ghamid and Zahran (Now known as Al Baha province in Saudi Arabia) is nearest to classical Arabic. Aḥmed ʿAbdul-Ghafūr ʿAṭṭār () had said in an article that the
dialect of the Hejaz, especially that which is spoken in Belad Ghamdi and Zahran. is close to the
Classical Dialect. Faiṣal Ghorī (), a known scholar of
Arabic literature
Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...
, wrote in his book ''Qabaʾil Al-Ḥijāz'' () "The Quranic Arabic upon which our grammar is based on does not exist in any tribe. The only thing we can say is that there are some tribes whose language is much closer to classical language. The tribes of Belad Ghamid and Zahran are a good example of this."
Media
Al Baha is served by four major Arabic newspapers, ''
Asharq Al Awsat
''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
'', ''
Al Watan'', ''
Okaz
''Okaz'' ( ar, عكاظ) is an Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in Jeddah. The paper was launched in 1960 and its sister publication is ''Saudi Gazette''. The paper is simultaneously printed in both Riyadh and Jeddah and has offices a ...
'', and ''
Al Bilad,'' as well as two major
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
newspapers, the ''
Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette is an English-language daily newspaper launched in 1976 and published in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is only available online, as the print version was discontinued in 2019. It is the second English-language daily newspaper in Saudi Ar ...
'' and ''
Arab News
''Arab News'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. It is published from Riyadh. The target audiences of the paper, which is published in broadsheet format, are businessmen, executives and diplomats.
At least as of ...
''. ''Okaz'' and ''Al Watan'' are the primary newspapers of Al Baha and some other Saudi cities. With over a million readers; they focus mainly on issues that affect the city.
''Al Baha Today'' (e-version Newspaper) is a daily electronic newspaper directed at locals, new residents, incoming visitors, tourists, and the developing tourism business sector. The magazine serves as a guide to the city's sights and attractions, restaurants, shopping and entertainment. It can be accessed via ''Albahatoday''.
Television stations serving the city area include Saudi TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al Ekhbariya, the ART channels network and hundreds of cable, satellite and other specialty television providers.
Distances to other Saudi cities
*Al Baha to
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 ...
:
*To
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
:
*To Taif :
*To the
Islamic holy city of
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
:
*To the
city of Muhammad:
*To
Khobar
Khobar ( ar, ٱلْخُبَر, translit=al-Khobar) is a city and governorate in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 457,748 as of 2017, Khobar is part of the 'Triple ...
:
*To
Abha
Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha' ...
:
Natural resources
The region is known for its ancient mining sites. Major
gold mining
Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...
areas were those of Khayāl al-Maṣnaʿ ( ar, خَيَال ٱلْمَصْنَع) and Al-‘Aqīq ( ar, ٱلْعَقِيْق). The village of Kuna has over one hundred building structures which date back to
South Arabia
South Arabia () is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jizan, Al-Bahah, and 'Asi ...
n Civilization.
Wildlife
Visitors from inside the kingdom and nearby countries are particularly attracted to the area by its more than 53 forests, which include the
Raghdan forest, which covers an area of just from the city. Iit has been provided with children's playgrounds and other amenities. The
Amdan forest is to the north of Al Baha. It abounds in olive trees,
Ara'r shrubs and other natural vegetation. The
Wadi Feig
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), Maghrebi Arabic, North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) S ...
forest is from Al Baha. It is encircled by a green valley littered with
apricot
An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''.
Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...
,
pomegranate
The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall.
The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...
and
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...
orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...
s. The forest of Wadi Al Ageeg is from Al Baha and abounds in various fruit trees and tall
lotus tree
The lotus tree ( grc-gre, λωτός, ''lōtós'') is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and Roman mythology.
The lotus tree is mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'' as bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness, and which was sai ...
s. Al Baha airport is in Ageeg city.
Al Kharrara
Al Kharrara ( ar, الخرارة; also spelled Al Harrarah) is a village in Qatar, located in the municipalities of Qatar, municipality of Al Wakrah (municipality), Al Wakrah. The closest sizable city is Mesaieed, located to the east. It is a dese ...
waterfall is 30 kilometers to the south of Al Baha. Its scenic view attracts a large numbers of visitors.
Shada Mountain ( ar, جَبَل شَدَا, Jabal Shadā) is the highest summit in Makhwah. It features rare rocky formations that attract amateur climbers of various levels. The
Arabian leopard
The Arabian leopard (''Panthera pardus nimr'') is a leopard subspecies native to the Arabian Peninsula. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1996 as fewer than 200 wild individuals were estimated to be alive ...
is known to exist in 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 ...
between Al-Bahah and Abha. It is also present in the
Hijaz mountains
The Hijaz Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحِجَاز, Jibāl al-Ḥijāz ()) or "Hejaz Range" is a mountain range located in the Hejazi region of western Saudi Arabia. The range runs north and south along the eastern coast of the Red Sea, a ...
to the north.
Festivals
Al Baha Summer Tourism Festival
The festival takes place every summer and holds a number of activities and sports events, as well as a number of cultural, literary and religious programs. Equestrian and Olympic marathon activities will be held as well as air shows. Prizes are given during this festival such as cars and flight tickets in addition to daily draws and cash and gifts.
International Honey Festival
Al Baha province is well known for its production of high quality honey. Al Baha farmers have organized the third International Honey Festival in 2010 . The festival hosted 10 Arab states production of honey in addition to local produced honey.
Western travellers
St John Philby
Harry St John Bridger Philby, CIE (3 April 1885 – 30 September 1960), also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah ( ar, الشيخ عبدالله), was a British Arabist, adviser, explorer, writer, and Colonial Office intelligence officer. ...
(also known as Sheikh Abdullah by King Abdulaziz) documented his journey crossing from Riyadh to Jeddah by the "backdoor" route, writing on Al Baha district of Arabia in his book ''The Arabian Highlands''.
Later he was awarded the Royal Geographical Society Founders Gold Medal for his written desert journey.
Gallery
File:منظر من بلاد قبيلة حوالة3.jpeg,
File:الباحة - 2.jpeg,
Hawalah 6400.png,
Al Baha 12345.jpg,
File:الباحة 0 - 9.jpeg,
File:الباحهه.jpeg,
File:Albaha9021 - 1.jpeg,
References
External links
A travel through the province of Al Bahah Splendid Arabia: A travel site with photos and routes
"Marble Village of Dhee AynA travel guide to Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia
{{Authority control
Populated places in Al-Bahah Province
Provincial capitals of Saudi Arabia