The City of Taif is
located in the western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is administered by the
Emirate of Makka Makkah Al-Mukkaramah regions.Taif, with its deep rooted history that
dated back to thousands of years is famous for its gardens and good quality agricultural
production on top of which are grapes, pomegranates and honey. The elevation of the city
by about two thousand meters above sea level, makes it one of the important resorts in the
Kingdom. A modern net work of roads link Taif to Makkah Al-Mukaramah, Al-Madinah
Al-Munawwarah and Riyadh. The most important of these roads are Taif-Riyadh and
Taif-Makkah-Jeddah road which passes through the high Hada mountains, and is one of the
most outstanding achievements in the technology of road construction. Thousands of
vacationers from the Kingdom and other Arab Gulf states spend the summer season in Taif
resort to enjoy its green scenery and beautiful parks, the largest of which is King Fahd
Park with a total area of 175 square kilometers. There are also other resort sites near
Taif such as Al-Shifa and Al-Hada.
Taif now covers a total area of about eight hundred hectares, whereas the area of the
city did not exceed two and half square kilometers in 1951, which indicates the great
expansion which the city of more than three hundred and fifty thousands population has
witnessed.
The Archaeological Features in Taif
Taif region is rich in archaeological sites that date back to pre-Islamic era. Pictures
and writings found on a lot of monuments indicate their date and history. The most famous
of these historical features was Souk (market) Okaz which played a distinguished role in
the history of Arab poetry before Islam. The Souk was a forum for poetry debate in one of
the richest era in the history of Arab literature and culture. Other important
archaeological features in the city include many pre-Islamic fortifications, and Islamic
mosques such as the Mosque of the Prophet's Companion (peace be upon him) Abdullah Ibin
Abass,The Mosque of Al-Koaa, The Mosque of Adas and The Mosque of Al-Sanousi. Taif also
contains a number of historical palaces such as the Palace of Ismaiel, The Palace of
Bahawat and The Palace of Shubra which were all built in the local construction style for
which the western region of the Kingdom was famed. There are many archaeological
embankments in the city of which we cite the Embankment of Wadi Ikrimah on which rocks
were found some archaeological writings.
