Abha City
The highest large city of Saudi Arabia.
The highest large city of Saudi Arabia
Abha is the capital of Aseer Province and has the 6th largest population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is famous for being the highest large city of Saudi Arabia at over 2200 meters, some parts of the city being even around 2400 meters. With such an altitude it is not surprising that Abha benefits from milder climatic conditions that most the rest of the country with day temperatures ranging from 15°C to 35°C. What is more unexpected is that while the rest of the country has one rainy season in March and May, Aseer Province enjoys a second one in July and August thanks to the Indian monsoon that reaches the southwest of Saudi Arabia.
History of Abha
Having been fertile for millennia, despite climate changes, and located to the north of the ancient Kingdoms of Sheeba and Himyar, within the territory named by the Romans ‘Arabia Felix’, which was crossed by caravans for more than a millennium, Abha and the Province of Aseer have a long history. Although there are no remains dating back to those times in Abha itself, some ancient carvings close to Habalah and the archeological site of Jerash just 30 kilometers away are testimonies of this rich past.
In 1918, the Prince of Asir, Yahya bin Hasun Al Ayde, grandson of Ibn Ayed, returned to his family throne and conquered Abha. In 1920, during his campaign to regain the control over Central Arabia, Abd Al-Aziz Al-Saud sent his warriors, known as Ikhwan, to occupy Aseer Province, a situation that was formalized in 1934 with the signing of the Treaty of Taif between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Aseer Province was still largely unknown by the west when Harry St John Philby explored it in 1932 but it was only finally no longer a blank spot on the map when he published his observations in 1952.
How to visit Abha
Abha is easily accessible either by road or by plane by. If you want to make the most of it we suggest you go with our guides who will also take you to more enchanting places around the city.