Saudi Arabia: Magnificent mountain in the south, deadly desert in east

Most people who have not visited Saudi Arabia probably have the impression it is a mere vast desert arid land housing a quarter of the world’s oil, but visitors to the country’s south would quickly change that picture when they see Fifa mountains.

Standing aloft nearly 11,000 feet above sea level, Fifa is situated in southwest Saudi Arabia near the southern province of Jazan close to the border with Yemen.

The area is one of the most beautiful and fertile regions in Saudi Arabia and is in sharp contrast with the eastern Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter), the world’s most barren desert.

Fifa has an area of around 225 square km and is visited by at least one million tourists every year, mostly from the Kingdom itself.

“It is one of the most beautiful spots in Saudi Arabia and is one of the most attractive areas in the region. Fifa is a magnificent, fertile and stunning spot that constitutes a marvelous natural painting. Wherever you go in that mountain, you will find each place is more beautiful than the other,” said Sabq daily, which published several pictures of the mountain that is covered by snow most of winter.

Fifa is just at the northeastern edge of Jazan, which was known in ancient times as Almikhlaf Alsulimani.

Jizan lies on the Red Sea, in the south-west of the Kingdom.

Jazan area consists of fertile plains, forests and mountains.

The fertile plains, which extend behind the coastal swampland, have been created by the alluvial deposits brought down from the mountains by river and flood.

The forest region (the Alhazoun district), which is also subject to flooding, consists of forest interspersed with some areas of rich pasture.

The mountain region is part of the Alsarawat mountain range which constitutes the jagged backbone of the Arabian peninsula. The highest peak in Jizan is the Fifa Mountain.

Jazan is one of the Kingdom's richest agricultural regions, remarkable for both the quality and variety of its agricultural produce. It is notable for its production of coffee beans, grain crops (barley, millet and wheat) and fruit (apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, mangoes, oranges, papayas, plums and tamarinds).

The Jazan region runs along the Red Sea coast for almost 200 miles (300 km) and includes some 100 islands.

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