Pictures of Saudi: Abha South of Saudi

Abha is an amazingly beautiful mountainous area in the south of Saudi Arabia. It is in the Aseer عسير region. It is 638km south of Makkah which is over an 8 hours drive.

The temperature and landscape is similar to al-Baha. When Riyadh is sizzling at 44 degrees, Abha is a lovely 27-30 degrees (July/August).

There are countless places of interest to visit, here are just a few:

1. Habalah الحبلة Hanging/rope village with cable cars.

2. Fog Walkway شارع الضباب (see the sunrise - less busy than the sunset)

3. Rijal Alma' رجال ألمع

4. Dam lake السد

5. Art Street شارع الفن (purple jacandra trees - if in seaseon!)

6. Muftaahah Cultural market سوق المفتاحة (excellent array of traditional Aseeri goods - flower crowns, honey, daggers, hats, jewellery, jalabiyyahs, fruit, vegetables, live chickens and rabbits etc.)

7. Jabal Soodah جبل سودة numerous tourist spots and hiking trails. It is the highest mountain in Saudi (3133m).

'Aqabatul Quroon عفبة القرون is one of the most famous trails. It can take between 4-8 hours depending how far you go.

You can hire a guide for the day who will give you tips and take you on an adventure of a lifetime.

See https://climbing.sa/home-new/hiking-guides/

8. Bani Mazin بني مازن picnic place.

9. South Zoo حديقة الحيوانات - a tiny zoo with lots of big cats! There are petting corners where you can hold a parrot or a tiger cub.

10. Many parks and picnic spots - just search on Google maps.

1. Habalah الحبلة Hanging/rope village. It is located about an hour's drive from Abha. It is a tiny village of a few houses built on the side of a cliff. There are no roads to get there and before the cable cars, the villagers used to come and go by ropes up and down the cliff face about 300m. It was built there to avoid the Ottoman raiders in the 19th Century.

Freshly made junubi (southern) bread on top of the cliff before the cable cars.

Breath-taking spot for a picnic.

The highest, most isolated masjid I've seen! 2000m above sea level.

Apricot trees - Allaah's provisions down the side of a cliff سبحان الله

Prickly pear bushes (teen shawqi/barshoomah)

Village below the hanging village...

The famous 'Arar Tree of 'Aseer (Juniper)

The Arar tree is extremely strong and sturdy. Used to build rooves and paths. Does not burn well.

2. Fog 'Dhabab' Walkway شارع الضباب is on the outskirts of Abha itself. It is really easy to get to and has some spectacular views of the mountains. The best time to go is after fajr to avoid the crowds. There was a tribe of monkeys enjoying their breakfast of bananas, kabsah and anything else left over from tourists. There are signs telling people not to feed them as it increases their population. They have become pests and can be aggressive towards humans. They are amazing to watch though! There are usually elderly chiefs, males, females with babies in tow along with youngsters and 'teenagers'. You see the generations interacting with each other: playing, feeding, fighting and even grooming fur looking for insects. Allaah's creation subhaanAllaah.

A mobile musalla (the carpet rolls up)

Don't feed the monkeys!

3. Rijal Alma' رجال ألمع is an amazing place to visit although it is very difficult to drive to due to the hairpin bends up and down steep slopes! It took nearly 2 hours of 'rollercoaster' driving to get there from Abha but was worth it in the end if you survived! The village was built about 400 years ago and is famous for the bravery of its villagers who resisted the Ottoman invasion about 200 years ago. It is on the list as an UNESCO heritage site. There is a cafe, museum and souvenir shop. There are lots of steps to climb so be prepared.