Asia

[Visited: November 2022]

On our drive back to Abha from Najran, we decided to make a stop at Habala. The traditional houses of Najran had made us want for more, and Habala seemed just the place to go. After driving through unexpected big conglomerations, we take a turn to the south and drive straight to the end of the road. We see buildings behind a fence that turns out to be closed off. We know that we can reach the hanging village of Habala by cable car, and see on the map there is another station a little further north. First, we walk to the edge of the canyon, and for a short while, the view takes our breath away. The ground gives way to air, and deep, deep down below we see the canyon floor. A subtle fog gives the landscape a mysterious feel. We enjoy the views, walk along the edge of the canyon of the Sarwat Mountains searching for the best viewpoint.
A fence has been added to close off the edge of the canyon, and it prevents us to get to the real edge of the canyon. There are quite a few Saudi visitors around, and I don't dare to climb the fence for better views. We drive a little further north, and walk to the edge again. Here, we find a spot where the fence has fallen down (or did someone tear it down?). It allows us to walk on the rocky edge of the canyon. Now, we can really peek into the depths of the canyon. Our eyes search for our destination. There! Right at the foot of the steep cliffs, we see it - indeed clinging to the earth, still high above the bottom of the canyon. It seems impossible to reach. We now also see the cable car lines, running right from a building a little further on, straight into that little settlement.
Once upon a time, almost 400 years ago, a tiny village was clinging to the vertical rock face that runs down in the Asir Mountains in the south of Saudi Arabia. Its inhabitants, the Khatani, were trying to flee the Ottomans and decided to live in an inaccessible place - and they picked Habala. The only way to reach it, was using a rope ladder. The Arabic word for rope is, in fact, Habala. Their remote village in fact survived into the 1990s, but they were then relocated by the government to a village in the valley below as it was deemed a good tourist destination. A cable car was constructed to allow for easy access, and the tribe is allowed in their own village to perform for visitors. But for some reason, going down to Habala is not possible as the cable car only runs in summer. We will have to do with the view from above. Honestly, I am of even sure I would have wanted to visit Habala, given how its inhabitants were chased out of their own village, and how it has been developed for tourism. We drive near the edge of the canyon again, to other viewpoints. We enjoy the panoramas of the edge of the canyon over and over again, until the time has come to drive back towards Abha after a tasty dinner in a nearby town.

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Habala (Saudi Arabia)

Habala > Saudi Arabia > Asia

[Visited: November 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks