Hijaz Mountains

The Hijaz Mountains are a mountain range in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that embraces a number of peaks and natural landmarks, and its range takes in Jabal an-Nur in the Makkah region, about five kilometres from the Grand Mosque of Makkah.[1]

Stones from Jabal an-Nur were the first stones used to build the Holy Kaaba, which gave the mountain a special standing in the surroundings of the Grand Mosque of Makkah.[1]

The Arabian Shield, which extends along the western part of the Kingdom, is one of the oldest geological formations in the world; its formation goes back to between 500 and 900 million years ago as a result of a series of volcanic processes.[2]

The lava fields cover large areas of the western part of the Arabian continental shelf, estimated at about 180,000 square kilometres, and they extend in a broad, broken belt from Yemen in the south to Syria in the north.[3]

The lava fields of Uwayrid, Hutaymah, Khaybar and Rahat are spread along a single axis running from north to south, the Makkah–Madinah volcanic line, and they align with the direction of the North-West Najd fault.[3]

Jabal Shada is among the most important landmarks in the Tihamah sector of the Al-Bahah region, and it is divided into two parts: Jabal Shada al-A'la, 2,200 metres above sea level and the highest mountain in the Tihamah plain, and Jabal Shada al-Asfal, 1,700 metres above sea level.[4]

The Jabal Shada al-A'la Reserve is regarded as an extension of the Sarawat Mountains, reaching at its heights about 2,200 metres above sea level at Musalla Ibrahim and dropping to about 500 metres at Wadi Malil, rising as a giant granite mass whose geological formation goes back hundreds of millions of years.[5]

Jabal al-Lawz lies to the north-west of the Tabuk region, and its height above sea level reaches about 2,600 metres; it takes its name from the abundance of almond shrubs on it, and it is among the granite peaks, landforms and plateaus of the Kingdom.[6]

In the south, Jabal Fifa, which lies about 100 kilometres east of the Jazan region and rises more than 2,000 metres above sea level, sees a rainy season that clothes its terraces in green and draws visitors from within the region and beyond.[7]

Several natural landmarks stand out in the Tihamah areas south-east of the Makkah region, among them Wadi al-Kharar, Wadi Rahjan, Wadi Nu'man, the Dhara'a Mountains, Ri' ar-Rahil and Ri' at-Takhdishin, whose varied terrain forms an extension of the Tihamah landscape.[8]

Al-Hada occupies an area of 210 square kilometres, bounded on the west by the escarpment of the Sarawat Mountains and Al-Kur, on the east by the city of Taif and the Al-Hawiyah suburb, on the north by the As-Sail al-Kabir centre, and on the south by the Ash-Shafa tourist centre.[9]

The Jabal Shada al-A'la Reserve is distinguished as the natural and historic habitat of a group of wildlife species, among them the Arabian leopard, the mountain ibex, the Arabian wolf, the caracal, the Egyptian mongoose, the fox, the hyena, the porcupine, the rock hyrax, the baboon and hedgehogs, which makes it an important home for biological diversity.[5]

The Haznah pass in the Al-Bahah region is one of the most important roads linking Baljurashi governorate with Al-Makhwah governorate, and it forms a link between the Sarat mountains and the Tihamah plains; it is about 28 kilometres long and lies 29 kilometres from the city of Al-Bahah.[10]

The Barmah pass in the Asir region is the easiest of the region's passes, shortening the distance between the Sarat mountains and the Tihamah plains and strengthening tourist and commercial movement between the Tihamah of Asir and its Sarat.[11]

Stone buildings in Taif vary with the nature of the terrain: they stand out in the highlands of Ash-Shafa, Al-Hada and the Sarawat Mountains, and they are also found in the historic villages along the valleys and mountain slopes, where they were built from local stone in precise geometric forms, with wood used for roofs and windows.[12]

A technical team of geological engineers and specialists from the Geological Hazards Centre of the Saudi Geological Survey began work in Jabal Fifa in the Jazan region to identify the locations of rockfalls and avert their hazards.[13]

Q: Where are the Hijaz Mountains located? A: They are a mountain range in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its range takes in Jabal an-Nur in Makkah about five kilometres from the Grand Mosque of Makkah.

Q: What are the volcanic lava fields associated with these highlands? A: Volcanic formations covering about 180,000 square kilometres of the western part of the Arabian continental shelf, extending in a broad, broken belt from Yemen in the south to Syria in the north; they include the lava fields of Uwayrid, Hutaymah, Khaybar and Rahat along the Makkah–Madinah volcanic line.

Q: What are the most prominent peaks and mountain landmarks of the range? A: Jabal Shada al-A'la, 2,200 metres high and the highest mountain in the Tihamah plain; Jabal al-Lawz north-west of the Tabuk region at about 2,600 metres; and Jabal Fifa east of the Jazan region at more than 2,000 metres.

Q: Which wildlife species live in the Jabal Shada al-A'la Reserve? A: The Arabian leopard, the mountain ibex, the Arabian wolf, the caracal, the Egyptian mongoose, the fox, the hyena, the porcupine, the rock hyrax, the baboon and hedgehogs.

Q: How are the Sarat mountains linked to the Tihamah plains? A: Through mountain passes, the most prominent being the Haznah pass in the Al-Bahah region at about 28 kilometres long, and the Barmah pass in the Asir region, which is the easiest of the region's passes.

The Hijaz Mountains in the west of the Kingdom bring together granite peaks, volcanic lava fields, valleys and mountain passes that link the highlands to the Tihamah plains; they embrace notable biological diversity, and official efforts are under way to study them and avert geological hazards.[5][7][13]