A capital in the clouds
Abha is the administrative capital of Asir, set in the central west of the region on the Sarawat Mountains. It answers to three names: Arus Al-Jabal, the Bride of the Mountain; Sayidat Al-Dabab, the Lady of the Fog; and Abha Al-Bahiya, Beautiful Abha. It was once a cluster of more than forty neighbourhoods, among them Manazir, Al-Nusab and Al-Muftaha, which grew together into the modern city.
Its standing is long established. In 1827 Prince Ali bin Mujthil Al-Mughidi made Abha the capital of the Emirate of Asir. The 2022 census counted 422,243 residents, and in 2017 the city was named the capital of Arab tourism.
Rain and terraces
Summers are mild and winters cool: the average winter high is 14°C, the summer high 26°C. Abha receives the highest average rainfall in the Kingdom, around 300 to 470 mm a year in the highlands. On the slopes, terraces of five to ten steps hold soil and rainwater for figs, pomegranates, grapes and wheat.
Landmarks
Shamsan Castle crowns a mountain on the north-eastern side of the city at about 2,277 m. Built of volcanic stone with three defensive towers rather than the usual four, it was restored in 1933. Shada Palace, built in 1927, now houses a folk heritage museum.
A cable car of about 5 km links New Abha, above the lake of Abha Dam, with the Green Mountain. Art Street runs from the dam past a dancing fountain and purple jacarandas, and the old quarter of Al-Muftaha keeps the city's arts at its heart.