We thought we already saw all the crazy mountain roads carved into hills in Saudi Arabia, but today we realized how wrong we were. We took route #1801 from Wadi Lajab toward Jazan through the Faifa Mountains. After a few kilometers, crazy unmarked ascents started, and just in the middle...
One of the most beautiful canyons in Saudi Arabia is Wadi Lajab in Jazan province. We drove there from Dhahran Al Janub on dangerous roads #2002 and #158 with very steep ascents and hazardous descents. Since the roads copy the Yemen border, we passed many army checkpoints. It is part of...
The old village of Dhahran Al-Janub is a beautiful testimony to the old mud-brick houses. It is located above 2160 meters on a plateau formed by the Sarawat mountains. It lies along a meander of the Wadi Kutam and was a stopover for Yemeni pilgrims on their way to Makkah. It is abandoned...
Today, our friend Sultan arranged to visit a “Camel Camp” in the desert. So his friend took his luxurious Range Rover and drove three of us, Sultan and a secret police officer, around 100 kilometers east of Najran. We had a great afternoon in the desert playing with camels...
Najrān is a town oasis in the southern Asir region in the desert along the Yemen frontier next to al-Khali (“Empty Quarter”) desert. It is the capital of Najran province and is one of the country’s fastest-growing cities (pop. 600,000). In earlier times, it was called...
From Al Habala, we drove road #15 toward Najran. It’s actually a highway going through a mountainous area distinguished by granite rocks. We took a few photos around the road and reached Najran in the late afternoon.
The small mountain village is located in the Asir Region beneath a cliff about 300 meters from the edge of the majestic Sarwat Mountains. The village is accessible solely through a cable car (🎫 70 SAR/return, 🅿️ 40 SAR), which only runs during the summer and only from Thursday to Saturday...
Abha, the capital of the Asir Region, is situated 2,270 meters above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains. Abha’s mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination for Saudis. Abha was the capital city for the Prince of Asir Ibn Ayde under the authority of the Ottoman Empire...
On the way to Abha, we made a few stops. Again, we saw baboons, but this time they were not shy but aggressive, trying to steal anything from the cars or people around. We also met two young male members of the Qahtan tribe known as “Flower Men” for their intricately-made...
The Village of Rijal Alma is located 45 km west of the city of Abha, a mountainous area in the Assir Region. The village was a natural corridor linking those from Yemen and the Levant to Makkah and Madinah, making it an important regional commercial center. The ancient remains (🎫 20 SAR)...