In mid-June, we took a weekend trip to visit the city of Abha in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. In the southwest corner, the Asir mountains are not nearly as hot and can get rain from the humid air coming in off the Red Sea even in summer. It was a wonderful trip, enjoy the pictures!
Breakfast in Abha
Crystal at the Rijal Al Umaa cultural village
Rijal Al Umaa
A window at Riyal Al Umaa. The stonework pattern above the window is the architect's signature
Crystal posing with some Al Qat artwork - the traditional wall painting done inside homes
Al Qat artwork
Crystal and Noah at Rijal Al Umaa
Rijal Al Umaa
Rijal Al Umaa
A watchtower near Riyal Al Umaa
Crystal at the Rijal Al Umaa cultural village
Rijal Al Umaa through a door
Ben at Rijal al Umaa
Noah found a spot to rest that had a decent signal
The higher up the cultural village you went, the less restoration had been done
A building near the top of Rijal Al Umaa
Panorama of Rijal al Umaa
Ben and Noah selfie
Ben and Crystal selfie
A closeup of one of the architect signatures
Looking down a valley in the Asir
Ben, Crystal, and Noah halfway up the winding road going back up to Abja - the rest stop gives the cars a chance to cool down on the steep climb
Crystal and Noah in the Asir
Crystal with a local flower headdress
A Baboon in the Asir
Asir baboon
This poor guy wondering why he isn't having any luck
It looks fierce but it was just a yawn
If you arent the lead baboon the view rarely changes.
Old Abha door on Sooda mountain
Doorway on an old Abha farm
Noah in one of the fields on top of Sooda mountain
An old Abha farm door
It may be hard to tell but this is a scarecrow wearing a thobe
Panoram of a small village in the Asir
Crystal back in Abha for some afternoon coffee
Mosque minaret outside a cultural village that is being restored.
Old mosque in Abha
The prickly pear cactus were absolutely thriving in this environment.
Old Abha door.
The edge of the cultural village that was not yet restored
Crystal in the Asir region
House on a hill in the Asir
Looking over a small village in the Asir
Family selfie
A lizard warming up on a rock
The back side of a cultural village that was yet to be restored.
A picture during a walk through an old village. The horizontal rocks set into the walls are typical of this region and are to help keep the rain from running down the mud exterior.
Culture village walkway with thriving cactus
Crystal and Noah in a museum
Restored house in the old hanging village at Habala. The village was built into the side of a cliff to avoid Ottomans. Only accessible by cable car
Crystal at Habala
Old watchtower/granary at Habala
Going down the cable car to Habala
Crystal taking a rest from the hike
The view back up the cables to the cable car station
Here you can get a sense of How inaccessible Habala was. We did hike over there though.
Noah on the hike at Habala
Crystal at Habala
Old terraced fields at Habala
Ben relaxing with tea at Habala
The cable car station at Habala
