Taif..Beauty and Enjoyment

By Ali Abu Dashish and Salma Yassin

CAIRO, Jan. 10 (SEE)- Regretfully, information about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is limited to what we have seen in, Riyadh, Madinah, Makkah and Jeddah, other than that we believe KSA is all about bare ground, however a short visit to Taif city can totally change many people's viewpoint.

What is mainly found in Taif, are both beauty and enjoyment, not only because of its moderate weather, but also for its unique, fascinating nature and flowers’ smell that spreads everywhere.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Egyptian archeologist, had a great experience there, after he was invited by Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the former President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) and the current chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Space to visit his rest house near Taif.

The Prince’s rest house is embraced by granite mountains based in a highland and covered by numerous flowers, in a charming scene that Hawass has never seen before.

The rest house is also made of granite and was built on a unique piece of ground below a huge rock; different in shape and size from the nearby ones.

In a way that reflects a terrifying but fabulous atmosphere, there is a nearby mountain permeated by some narrow tunnels.

“The whole view was much like an exclusive admirable portrait“, he added.

Hawass was told that an Egyptian engineer was the one who built this unique unit, and he is the one specialized inventing only the Prince’s building ideas.

Another amazing thing to know is that, Prince Sultan has bought this piece of land from one of the citizens, and all nearby area is not owned by the state but tribes, what makes it available for anyone wants to pay for having a house in such a glamorous site.

He referred also to their tour in Al-Shifa Resort , where Sufian tribes live.

During the tour, Hawass saw plants producing something like black pepper, besides observing a mountain chain colored in blue, green and black, and has some cracks that are surrounded by flowers and allow the air to flow inside, making a wonderful view and a relaxing sound.

On the other side, the Egyptian archeologist observed a rocky area in the form a person prostrating towards the mountain chain.

"Prince Sultan said that standing between these mountains makes you feel as if you are walking next to clouds", Hawass noted.

In a flash back to his previous visit to Prince Sultan in Riyadh, Hawass stated that he had also admired the Prince’s unique house there, which is made of mud.

Hawass also clarified that Prince Sultan was the first one to insert the mud building style, which suits the country’s atmosphere.