Saudi Arabia - The Rural Cultural Landscapes of Sarawat Mountains

01 Kherfi Landscape and Historical Beehives 20°48’15.78’’N 40°45’21.03’’E 02 Zee Ain Oasis and Village 19°55’48.20’’N 41°26’32.79’’E 03 Asiri Highland Landscape: Tihan and Rabea Rufaida 18°19'30.80"N 42°20'10.84"E 04 Asiri Highland Landscape: Qura Qaradah 18°18'56.80"N 42°25'5.08"E 05 Tihama Mountain Landscape: Al-Bir Village 18°15'0.16"N 42°11'42.60"E 06 Asiri Wadi Landscape: Wadi Thah and Wadi Huswah 18°12'22.71"N 42°19'59.43"E 07 Wadi Reedah and its Fortress 18°11'47.62"N 42°23'8.21"E A virtually unbroken escarpment, known as the Arabian Shield, runs the entire length of the peninsula along the Red Sea. The stretch from the Gulf of Aqaba to the middle of the Peninsula’s coastline, a few kilometres south of Makkah, is called the Hijaz Mountains (Al-Ḥijāz, meaning “the barrier”), the more elevated basaltic stretch southwards to the southern tip of Yemen is known as As-Sarawat (the chain in Arabic). The lower range which borders the Red Sea declines abruptly to form an extensive coastal area called Tihama. The Sarawat Mountain Range, which rises to an altitude of over 3,000 m, plays a crucial role in the local climatic conditions. Its highest peaks retain the rainy clouds brought by the winter winds coming from the northwest and catch the tail of the southwest monsoon in the summer, resulting in a much greater precipitation rate than elsewhere in the country. The frequency of rain and the low incidence of evaporation make it a prosperous agricultural region. A series of micro-climatic zones, depending on the topography, latitude, tropical winds, altitude, and proximity to the sea, favours the growth of conifers, fruit trees, and flowers (pandanus odorifer / kadi in Arabic, jasmine, roses…) and supports a rich fauna while man-made agricultural terraces host fruit trees and cereals production.