From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abha أبها
Looking at Abha from the mountains.
Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Asir
Area
- Water	0 km2 (0 sq mi)
Elevation	2,200 m (7,218 ft)
Population (2009)
- Total	680,912

Abha (Arabic: أبها‎) is the capital of Asir province in Saudi Arabia. It is situated at 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) above sea level in the fertile mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia near the National Park of Asir. Its mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination for Saudis. According to 2004 census figures it has a population of 201,912 with an estimate of 252,126 for 2009.^[1]

History

Abha's homes are made of stone and mud and were built by hand. Some homes are over 300 years old and still inhabited. The slight graduation from one layer to the next gives these houses the overall impression of truncated pyramids. Foundations are usually stones. The houses are built in shelf-like, overlapping, vertical rows that act as rain guides, keeping the rain from saturating the walls and washing them away.Al Namas is one of the city

Abha has a well known marketplace, which is open daily. The market is always busy with activity and people moving about. The locals bargain for goods like: fruits, vegetables, and coffee beans among other items. Local specialty items like ornate silver Bedouin jewelry or hand-woven baskets are also available.

Geography

Abha is located in the Southern Region of Asir, it is highly elevated and it is home to the culminating point in Saudi Arabia, Jabal Al Sooda (the Black mountain) which stands at 3000 meters high. The area is subject to rain, sometimes heavy, some of its neighboring villages and rural areas are sometimes the witnesses of flash-floods during the winter. The cooler weather, comparatively to the rest of the peninsula, makes it an attraction point during the summer.

Abha is the administrative capital of the Asir region, therefore home to the governorate of Asir. All Government departments are located there. Also there are extensive medical and educational facilities. King Khalid University and Prince Sultan College for Hotel Management are located in Abha. There is a regional airport in Abha that links it to a minimum of 5 cities with direct flights. Jeddah, Taif, Riyadh, Dammam and Cairo. Al Watan, which is one of the main Saudi daily newspapers, has its head office and printing presses in Abha.

Ethnography

The inhabitants of Abha, like that of Asir in general, are made up of strictly Arab Assereys. Islam is the religion of almost the totality of the Abhans.

Tourism

The Saudi government has been promoting Abha as a tourist destination and has created events, such as the Abha Festival during the summer, to draw people to the city. Events are organized to attract visitors to discover the city and its surroundings, such as sporting events, shows, exhibitions and musical performances by famous Arabic poets and singers. Artist Talal Maddah died on stage during a performance in Abha.

The old Shadda Palace, thought to have been built around 1820, has been converted to a museum.

Cable cars have been installed in the city and its surroundings providing a view of the landscape. ...

Education

King Khalid University is a public university in Abha, Saudi Arabia founded in 1999 of merging Imam Muhammed Bin Saud University of Islamic Studies and King Saud University of The South.

Climate

References

External links

• [1], Splendid Arabia, An Online Guide to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Coordinates: 18°13′24″N 42°30′26″E / 18.22333°N 42.50722°E / 18.22333; 42.50722

From Wikitravel

Abha is a city in Saudi Arabia. The capital of Asir province, its high altitude makes it a popular summer getaway for Saudis.

Get in

By plane

There are flights to Abha from Riyadh and Jeddah.

By road

The drive to Abha from Khamis Mushayt can be very interesting trip, but as usual drive carefully. The road from Sharourah via Najran is daunting, but interesting - up and down ribbon across the dunes, with an old version off to one side for may kms. There were Camel warning signs along it, but some were single hump silhouettes, others had 2 humps !

You can also drive in from the west coast , with lots of winding roads, bypassing old washed out bridges, lots of signs of floods, some picturesque villages etc, or from the north from Taif - lots more twisty roads, and not as interesting as going to the coast. Neither trip offers much in the way of accommodations, so be prepared to camp out.

See

lookout Mt Sooda. Trip to Habala Hanging Village - couple of hours. Trip to Turkish Fort - also couple of hours - fabulous views down a valley towards Yemen. Many older houses made of mud brick, with slates sticking out to fend off the water. Many nests in bushes of weaver birds. Most hotels will put on tours if enough people interested. One trip in August it actually hailed very hard!

Try driving down the road from near Jabal Sawda (its insane-see picture), almost as good 'Monkey Road' heading to Mohayil or the road to Taif over the mountain range all the way.

Do

The cable car.Climb up Jabal Sawda. Try to visit the airbase.

Buy

Buy traditional Asir clothes for the children from the museum. And traditional 'silver' ware in the Khamis sook.

• Abha Palace
• Intercontinental Abha, atop Mt. Sooda. Wonderful hotel, terrific views. Try to get a guided tour of the facilities. There is a great walk from the hotel to the lookout, and of course the cable car ride to do. Only open in the summer.

• Najran — well worth a visit, esp the old Governor's Palace in mud brick.