Location and area
Al-Baha lies in the south-west of the Kingdom, about 885 km west of Riyadh, roughly midway between the Makkah and Asir regions. The Makkah Region borders it to the north and west, and the Asir Region to the east and south.
With an area of about 12,000 km², 0.6% of the Kingdom, it is the smallest of the thirteen administrative regions. Al-Aqiq is its largest governorate by area and Ghamid al-Zinad its smallest.
Population
The 2022 Saudi census counted 339,174 people in Al-Baha, about 1.05% of the Kingdom's population, the lowest of any region. Saudi nationals make up 74% of residents, and the density is about 28 people per km². The city of Al-Baha is the region's most populous city.
Emirate and governorates
The city of Al-Baha is the administrative capital and seat of the Emirate, on King Fahd Road. The region has nine governorates (Baljurashi, Al-Mandaq, Al-Makhwah, Al-Aqiq, Qilwah, Al-Qura, Bani Hassan, Ghamid al-Zinad and Al-Hajrah) and 42 administrative centres. Every governorate lies within a short drive of the capital, from under half an hour for Baljurashi to about an hour and a half for Ghamid al-Zinad.
Prince Hussam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz has been governor since 2017 (1438 AH). In Sha'ban 1447 AH (February 2026) a Royal Order appointed Prince Fahd bin Saad bin Abdullah deputy governor.
Mountains, plains and climate
The region falls into two parts: the Tihama plain below, where livestock are raised, and the Sarat mountains above, part of the Sarawat range, whose slopes are clothed in juniper. Al-Baha ranks fifth among the regions for high peaks; its highest point is Mount Uthreb, south-east of Baljurashi, at 2,447 m. Other heights include Jabal al-Nir, west of Al-Makhwah, and the Aysan mountains.
The climate is dry and continental. Altitude and moist winds rising from the Tihama plain keep spring and summer mild, while winters are very cold, with temperatures sometimes falling to 10°C. Rain falls frequently throughout the year.
The city of Al-Baha
The capital sits on the Sarawat mountains and is a major summer destination thanks to its mild climate; its winters bring fog, cloud, thunderstorms and heavy rain. The area around it has some 40 forests. The best known, Raghadan Forest, at about 1,700 m, covers some 600,000 m², 90% of it juniper, and draws 90% of the region's visitors. Beside it lies the historic Raghadan neighbourhood of multi-storey stone houses, whose squares and gardens host events such as the Raghadan Front Festival, held from July to September 2022.
The city also has Prince Hussam bin Saud Park (al-Qayyim), spread over 169,000 m², and the Al-Baha Regional Museum, four floors over 9,000 m², built at a cost of about SAR 50 million. Bin Raqoush Palace dates from 1833, King Saud bin Abdulaziz visited the region in 1955, and the Al-Baha Literary Club was founded in 1995. Al-Baha University, established by Royal Order in 2006 and the region's only public university, has branches in Qilwah, Al-Mandaq, Al-Makhwah and Baljurashi, and the region has 11 public hospitals with 1,295 beds.
Antiquities and stone villages
The region's varied land has drawn people since ancient times. It has Palaeolithic sites such as al-Harita, and the ruins of Khara'ib Ma'shuqa, the remains of some twenty villages on the eastern and western heights. The Heritage Commission's national register lists 194 archaeological and heritage sites in the region, and 72 classified heritage villages carry QR-code signs.
The traditional house has two floors: the ground floor for livestock and fodder, the upper one for living. Builders used granite and basalt, decorated with quartz, with stone and clay, and roofs, doors and pillars of juniper, wild olive, acacia and sidr wood. Among the region's fortresses is that of Bakhroosh bin Alas, north-west of Al-Qura Governorate, and two neighbouring fortresses on a high hill overlooking the village of al-Malad, about 400 years old, which rise some 100 m above the valley floor. Other heritage villages include al-Atawilah and Raghadan.
Dhi Ayn
Dhi Ayn, in Al-Makhwah Governorate about 25 km from the city of Al-Baha, stands on a white rocky mountain and is one of the region's main tourist sights. Its multi-storey houses have walls of hard granite from the surrounding mountains, faced outside with quartz, with mud and mud-brick interiors, alongside old forts and a small mosque.
The village takes its name from a spring that has flowed down from the mountain for centuries, watering kadi, aromatic plants, lemons and bananas; its banana farms hold more than 20,000 trees, yielding about 72,000 kg a year. The Heritage Commission is working to prepare the village for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Agriculture and economy
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy: livestock on the plain, and fruit, grain and fodder on terraces cut into the mountain slopes. Around the capital, about 700,000 pomegranate trees on 3,000 farms produce roughly 30,000 tonnes a year, and the region has more than 50,000 grapevines and 50,000 almond trees.
In UN-Habitat's City Prosperity Index, the region scored 61.7% for environmental sustainability and 62.9% for quality of life. King Saud bin Abdulaziz Airport lies in Al-Aqiq Governorate, about 40 km from the Emirate's headquarters.