'Asir Province

Coordinates: 19°0′N 43°0′E / 19.000°N 43.000°E / 19.000; 43.000
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Asir
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"Asir" redirects here. For other uses, see Asir (disambiguation).
'Asir
Minṭaqat ʿAsīr (مِنْطَقَةُ عَسِيْرٌ)
Turki bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Area
 • Total76,693 km2 (29,611 sq mi)
Population
 (2022 census)
 • Total2,024,285
ISO 3166-2
14
Websitehttps://ars.gov.sa/

ʿAsir (

Arabic: مِنْطَقَةُ, romanized: minṭaqah) in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, which is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of 76,693 square kilometres (29,611 sq mi), and an estimated population of 2,024,285 (in 2022).[1] 'Asir is surrounded by Mecca Province to the north and west, Al-Bahah Province to the northwest, Riyadh Province to the northeast, Najran Province to the southeast, and Jazan Province and the Yemeni Muhafazah (Governorate) of Sa'dah
to the south.

Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, after being appointed on 27 December 2018.[2]

Geography

See also: Asir Mountains
Habalah Valley near Abha City

The ʿAsir Region is situated on a high plateau that receives more rainfall than the rest of the country and contains the country's highest peaks, which rise to almost 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) at

Jabal Sawda
near Abha. Though data is exceedingly sparse and unreliable, the average annual rainfall in the highlands probably ranges from 300–500 millimetres (12–20 in). It falls in two rainy seasons, the chief one being in March and April, with some rain in the summer.

Temperatures are very extreme, with diurnal temperature ranges in the highlands the greatest in the world. It is common[clarification needed] for afternoon temperatures to be over 30 °C (86 °F), yet mornings can be extremely frosty and fog can cut visibility to near zero percent.

As a result, there is much more natural vegetation in ʿAsir than in any other part of Saudi Arabia, with sheltered areas even containing areas of dense coniferous forests, though more exposed ridges still are very dry. ʿAsir is home to many farmers who chiefly grow wheat and fruit crops. Irrigation has greatly expanded production in modern times. Asir National Park was established in 1981, and extends from the Red Sea coast through the western foothills to the Asir escarpment.[citation needed]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19921,340,168—    
20041,687,939+1.94%
20101,927,087+2.23%
20222,024,285+0.41%
source:[3]


Governorates

The regional capital of Abha

The region is divided into sixteen governorates (with the populations of the Census of 2010):[4]

History

See also: Idrisid Emirate of Asir

In 25 B.C.,

Ma'rib, capital of Sabaʾ, and taking control of the trade in incense
– then a priceless commodity – and other valuable aromatics. As it turned out, however, the expedition was a disaster and little information about ʿAsir emerged.

By 1920, however,

Treaty of Taʾif between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Even then the region was still largely unknown to the West. In 1932, St John Philby, one of the first Europeans to explore and map the peninsula, did enter ʿAsir, but as he did not publish his observations until 1952, the area remained one of the blank spots on the world's map.[citation needed] In 1935 ʿAsir was made a separate governorate.[6]

Economy

Historically, ʿAsir was known for producing coffee, wheat, alfalfa, barley, senna, and frankincense.[7][8][9] Wheat was grown in the summer and sesame has been grown in wetter areas of the region.[8][10] Straw was used to make mats, hats, and baskets. Tribes in the area also wove tents from straw.[11]

Development project

In 2019, the Saudi government launched an infrastructure development project in ʿAsir Region. The project is expected to cost more than 1 billion Saudi Riyals. The provided projects will include health care, transportation and municipal services.[12] The project is in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify non-petroleum income and activate new resources in Saudi Arabia.[12]

In 2023, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched Soudah Peaks Project to develop a tourism destination in Soudi Arabia's highest peak, Jabal Soudah.[13]

Mass shootings of Ethiopian refugees

Since 2014 refugees are killed after crossing the Saudi border by the Saudi Border Guard. Since 2023 at least several hundred Ethiopian refugees have been killed at the border between Yemen and the provinces Jazan, Asir and Najran. The Saudis have also used explosive weapons.[14][15]

List of governors

  • Turki bin Ahmed Al Sudairi (1900s–8 June 1969)[16]
  • Fahd bin Saad bin Abdul Rahman (8 June 1969–1971)[16]
  • Khalid bin Faisal
    (1971–2007)
  • Faisal bin Khalid
    (2007–2018)
  • Turki bin Talal (2018–present)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Population Characteristics surveys" (PDF). General Authority for Statistics. 2017.
  2. ^ "A number of Royal Orders Issued 9 Riyadh". The Saudi Press Agency. 27 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Regions & Major Cities – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de.
  4. ^ "board game".
  5. ^ a b Jerald L. Thompson (1981). H. ST. John Philby, Ibn Saud and Palestine (PDF) (Master of Arts thesis). University of Kansas. p. 31. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  6. ^ A. Nassir Saleh (October 1975). The emergence of Saudi Arabian administrative areas: A study in political geography (PDF) (PhD thesis). Durham University. p. 76. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  7. ^ Prothero, G.W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 83. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  8. ^ a b Prothero, G.W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 84. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  9. ^ Prothero, G.W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 86. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  10. ^ Prothero, G.W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 85. Archived from the original on 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  11. ^ Prothero, G.W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 99. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  12. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia to launch plan for multibillion infrastructure projects in Asir". Arab News. 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  13. ^ "Saudi crown prince launches 'Soudah Peaks' masterplan". Arab News. 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  14. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  15. ^ "Saudi Arabia: Mass Killings of Migrants at Yemen Border". Human Rights Watch. 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  16. ^ a b Gary Samuel Samore (1984). Royal Family Politics in Saudi Arabia (1953–1982) (PhD thesis). Harvard University. p. 260. Retrieved 20 May 2021.

External links

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