The Asir, as the south-western corner of the Kingdom is known, is an area where
there are mountains, rainy weather, green landscapes and life without air-conditioning.
The mountains of the Asir are part of the same geological fault as the Great Rift
Valley in Africa. The highest point in Saudi Arabia is Jebel Soudah, reaching a peak at
2910 metres near Abha, the administrative centre of the region.
Probably one of the earliest mentions of the area is that of the Roman general, Aelius
Gallus, who was sent in 25BC to conquer the south Arabian incense-producing regions that
are today in Yemen and Oman. His troops moved along the main caravan route which was east
of the Asir mountains. They conquered Najran, about 280km east of Abha, but failed to
reach the incense areas. A lack of water forced them to turn back at Marib in Yemen.
Until King Abdul Aziz conquered it in 1922, Asir was an independent kingdom. Because of
its location, Asir has always had close ties with Yemen and this is reflected not only in
the customs of the people but also in their architecture. The most distinctive feature are
the shingles protruding from the sides of the houses; they deflect rain away from the mud
walls of the buildings.
Abha is the capital of the Asir and its cool weather, mountains and beautiful scenery
make it a popular weekend resort. Within Abha itself, there is the Shada Palace, built in
1927 as an office/residence for King Abdul Aziz's governors. After being restored, it was
reopened as a museum in 1987. It is open from Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 1pm and
from 4pm to 7pm. Admission is free.
Abha's weather is cool -- air-conditioning is virtually never needed -- the hills are
covered with trees and the mountain scenery is spectacular. Just outside Abha is the
Inter-Continental Hotel which operates tours throughout the area, including one to Asir
National Park, Najran and the Red Sea Coast.
The Asir National Park is an enormous tract of land stretching from the Red Sea to the
desert east of the mountains. It is in fact a series of small non-contiguous parks with
each one having its own camping ground and picnic area. The park falls naturally into two
parts: the plains to the south-east of Abha and the mountains to the north-west.
About 280km east of Abha is
Najran, one of the most interesting and least visited towns in the Kingdom. Close to the
Yemeni border, it extends along the Wadi Najran and has been inhabited for about 4,000
years, most of that time spent as an important trading centre. The Yemeni cultural
influence is very strong here both in architecture and in attitudes.
Najran was the last important stop on the frankincense route before the caravans took
either the eastern or western route. (The frankincense route was the ancient caravan route
from the incense-producing areas of southern Arabia up through modern-day Saudi Arabia and
into Jordan, Syria, Egypt and the whole Mediterranean basin.)
Najran's most prosperous trading time was during the first and second centuries BC when
it was known as Al-Ukhdood. It was known by this name when the Roman general Aelius
Gallus captured it in 24BC. Around the year 250BC, the area came under the control of the
Himyarites. During their ascendancy, the people were converted to Christianity which
ultimately yielded to Islam in AD630/631.
The Turks were interested in Najran because of its crucial location and they formed an
alliance with the leading tribe of the area, the Yam. In the middle of the 17th century,
however, the Yam switched their allegiance to the Zaidi imam in Yemen. For the next
several hundred years, it was a border area in dispute between the rulers of Yemen and
Asir.
In 1934 the soldiers of King Abdul Aziz took control of the city and subsequent to
that, the Yemeni imam relinquished his claim to control of Najran as part of the peace
treaty which ended the 1934 Saudi-Yemeni war.
There is a fort in Najran, the well of which is said to date from pre-Islamic times.
The present fort dates only from 1942 but it does contain some of the most beautiful
carved windows and doors, very colourful examples of this traditional Arabian art form.
Najran also has one of the Kingdom's newest and best museums. Admission is free and it
is open Saturday to Wednesday from 8.30am to 2pm. It is in front of the ancient site of
Al-Ukhdood which was inhabited for some 1,500 years, from 500BC through to the 10th
century AD.
West of Abha on the tropical Red Sea coast is the town of Jizan, a hot and humid town
which, like Najran, only came under Saudi control in the 1930s. There is an interesting
traditional souq in Jizan. Jizan is today a developing port.
About 330 miles east of Najran is the town of Sharourah. There is little to see in the
town itself which was originally a remote well known only to a few Bedouin. The trip to
Sharourah is indeed spectacular including a drive of some 100km through sand dunes rising
to heights of more than 100m on each side of he road. This is the Empty Quarter of legend
and is well worth the trip for those interested in seeing unspoiled desert scenery.
As far as non-Muslims are concerned, Jeddah is the most important city of Saudi
Arabia's western region, known as the Hijaz.
Jeddah is by far the most cosmopolitan city in the Kingdom, hardly surprising when you
realise it has been the main port for Makkah since early Islamic times. Indeed, until well
into the twentieth century thousands of pilgrims arrived at Jeddah seaport annually as the
first step on their trip to Makkah and Madinah.
The Hijaz came under nominal Turkish control in the 16th century, though local rulers
kept a great deal of power and influence. The first foreign consuls arrived in Jeddah in
the first half of the nineteenth century. King Abdul Aziz and his troops took control of
the city in 1925 and afterwards, foreign representatives to his court lived in Jeddah
rather than Riyadh. The embassies remained in Jeddah until the mid-1980s when they were
all transferred to the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh. Nonetheless, there are still a large
number of foreign consulates in Jeddah as the city retains its importance as the
commercial capital of the Kingdom and it is, of course, the main port of entry for the
millions of pilgrims who visit the Holy Cities each year.
Most of Jeddah's historic sites
are along the old city walls which were demolished in the late 1940s. The old city is now
a protected urban area in which buildings cannot be torn down unless they are absolutely
beyond repair and, if they are torn down, they must be replaced with something of similar
size and architectural style. Within the old city, many of the traditional houses are
built of coral, taken from reefs in the Red Sea.
Within the old city, there is the Sharbatly House and the Naseef House. These are two
old houses, the traditional homes of two of Jeddah's merchant families and both have been
restored to their original state.
The Municipality Museum is opposite the National Commercial Bank headquarters in the
old city. It is the only remaining building of several which comprised the British
Legation in Jeddah during World War I. The museum is open in the mornings from Saturday to
Thursday; admission is free but a permit from the Jeddah Municipality is required
(telephone: +966 2 669-5556 or 660-7671). Once the permit has been granted, it is still
necessary to make an appointment with the curator of the museum.
The best-kept secret in Jeddah -- and one which many Saudis are totally unaware of and
would deny if asked -- is that there is a Christian cemetery in the city. It is in fact in
a street in the old city named with predictable Arab pragmatism, the Street of the
Cemetery of the Foreigners. It is no longer in use, the last burial having taken place in
the early 1950s, but is kept up in turn by various of the foreign consulates in the city.
It is walled and there is a large gate. It can, however, be peered into from some of the
buildings surrounding it.
In the Al-Balad district of Jeddah (Al-Balad) is the historic area. Houses have been
reconstructed as they were 100 years ago and it is an interesting area to walk through and
observe. In this area are houses belonging to various old Jeddah families which have been
restored and are open to tourists.
About 70km east of Jeddah is the Holy City of Makkah where the Prophet was born in the
6th century AD. He began to preach in Makkah and it was to Makkah that he returned shortly
before his death in AD632. Makkah and its environs are strictly off-limits to non-Muslims
and there are check-points on the roads leading into the city.
Makkah is Islam's holiest city and it is to Makkah that all devout Muslims dream of
coming at least once (the hajj) in their lifetime. The centre of the city is the
Grand Mosque and the sacred Well of Zamzam beside it. The Kaaba to which all
Muslims turn when they pray is in the central courtyard of the Grand Mosque and, according
to Islamic tradition, it was built by the first prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael.
In the mountains above Makkah and Jeddah is the town of Taif. Its elevation gives it a
climate far cooler and pleasanter than either Jeddah or Makkah and without the
uncomfortable humidity of the former. Many families from both Jeddah and Riyadh maintain
houses in Taif as an escape from the uncomfortable summers in those two cities.
Taif became a part of modern Saudi Arabia in 1924 when the soldiers of King Abdul Aziz
took the city. Most recently, Taif was the seat of Kuwait's government-in-exile during the
Iraqi occupation of that country in 1990-91. Taif is also well-known as a producer of high
quality attar-of-roses from its roses, which have a particularly sweet fragrance.
There is a museum in the city in the Shubra Palace, open only on Thursday from 9am to
7pm.
Madinah is the holiest city in Islam after Makkah and was in fact the first to accept
the Prophet's message. The Prophet fled to the city, then called Yathrib, from Makkah in
AD622. (The Islamic calendar dates from His flight.) The most important place in the city
is the Prophet's Mosque which contains His burial place. Everything of historical or
religious significance is within the precincts forbidden to non-Muslims, although the
outskirts of the city and the airport are open to all.
Located several hundred
kilometres north of Madinah is the ancient -- and now uninhabited -- city of Madain Salah (pictured).
It is the best known and the most spectacular archaeological site in Saudi Arabia. During
its prime, it was an important stop on the caravan routes from the incense-producing areas
of southern Arabia to Syria, Egypt, Byzantium and other points. The immense stone tombs
which have made it famous were carved between 100BC and AD100 and the city itself was the
second city in the Nabataean empire, after Petra in modern-day Jordan.
The ruins at Madain Salah are in fact better preserved than those at Petra because of
the hardness of the local stone. The Nabataeans became rich through their control of the
incense route and their charging caravans tolls of up to 25%. They entered a decline in
the first century AD when the Romans realised that the incense could be loaded onto ships
and taken to Egypt. Less expensive items continued to move along the route and it was
never totally abandoned. In Islamic times, the pilgrim route from Damascus to Makkah
passed through Madain Salah.
For those who want to visit Madain Salah, a great deal of bureaucratic bother and
hassle can be avoided by booking a tour through the Madinah Sheraton. Both the hotel and
the airport are on the outskirts of the city and so are open to non-Muslims.
The hotel's tour is a weekend one -- covering arrival at the hotel on Wednesday evening
with a slide presentation. The trip to Madain Salah with a guide begins on the Thursday at
6.30am, and returns to the hotel in the evening. Friday is a free day and the price of
around SR700 or SR750 includes the trip to the site, two nights at the hotel, all meals
from dinner on Wednesday evening to lunch on Friday and airport transfers.
Normally the hotel needs three weeks to arrange the tour, which is for groups of 10 or
more and which only operate when there are enough people. To contact the hotel, telephone +966
4 823-30240 or fax +966 4 825-1628 and speak to the sales department.
