Asir

The origin of the name "Asir" remains a subject of debate among historians. One theory, proposed by Al-Masudi in his work The Meadows of Gold, suggests that the region was originally known as the "land of Azd".{{Cite book |last1=Masʿūdī |first1=ʿAlī Ibn-al-Ḥusain al- |title=The meadows of gold: the Abbasids |last2=Lunde |first2=Paul |last3=Masʿūdī |first3=ʿAlī Ibn-al-Ḥusain al- |date=1989 |publisher=Kegan Paul Internat |isbn=978-0-7103-0246-5 |location=London |quote="Al-Sarah, the mountain of Azad, is called Al-Sarah, and it is also called Al-Hijaz, but it is called Al-Sarah from this mountain with its back."}}

Another popular hypothesis suggests that the name "Asir" derives from the Arabic term ʿUsrah ({{Langx|ar|عُسرة|lit=Hardship}}). This theory comes from the fact that the region's terrain is rugged, which can be challenging to navigate.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-07 |title=بوابة إمارة منطقة عسير - تسميتها بعسير |url=http://aseer.gov.sa/iaportal/articles/19/%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1 |access-date=2024-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307173436/http://aseer.gov.sa/iaportal/articles/19/%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1 |archive-date=2016-03-07 }}

A third perspective proposed by Fuad Hamza in his book Fi bilad ʿAseer, links the name to the historical prominence of Banu Asir.{{Cite book |last=فؤاد حمزة |url=https://archive.org/details/hamlaenglish_gmail_20180324_0647 |title=في بلاد عسير |language=Arabic}} As the tribe gained power and influence, its name came to encompass the surrounding territories and tribes. This association was reinforced by the close ties between the Asir tribe and many of the ruling emirs in the region, including those from the Al Yazid, Al Muthami, and Al A'ad families.

In 25 B.C., Aelius Gallus marched his legions south from Ancient Egypt on an expedition of {{convert|1,300|mile|km|abbr=off}}, to take control of the ancient overland trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and what is now Hadhramaut in Yemen. The Romans wanted control of those routes because they were desperate for money and hoped to raise some by capturing Marib, capital of Saba, 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 Asir emerged.{{Cite journal |last=Jameson |first=Shelagh |date=1968 |title=Chronology of the Campaigns of Aelius Gallus and C. Petronius |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/299696 |journal=The Journal of Roman Studies |volume=58 |pages=71–84 |doi=10.2307/299696 |jstor=299696 |issn=0075-4358|url-access=subscription }}

{{See also|Emirate of Asir|Saudi–Yemeni war (1934)}}

When the First Saudi state was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire in 1818, the Asiris continued to fight the Ottoman Egypt forces in their region tenaciously. With the withdrawal of the Ottomans in 1840, the dynasty of Al-Ayedh, also of Mughayd, took control of the Asir highlands. The Al-Ayedh generally allied themselves to the Saudis, who had re-established their dynasty in 1824, but did not formally enter under their command. As the Al-Ayedh attempted to expand into the Tihamah lowlands (present-day Jazan Province), the Ottoman Turks felt provoked to invade and occupy the highlands. They defeated and executed the leader of Al Ayedh in 1872 and established a mutasarrifiyya (a sub-governorate) in Abha attached to the Yemen vilayet. Their rule, however, seldom extended far from the isolated forts where their troops were garrisoned.Headley, R.L. "'Asīr." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2007.

In about 1906, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Idrisi, a descendant of Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi, began to establish political control of Asir. After negotiations with Italy, which had interests nearby in Somalia, the Idrisi forces of Muhammad came into conflict with Ottoman forces in Abha. The Idrisis were defeated in 1911 by Hashemites forces under Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, then still loyal to the Ottomans, but the tide turned when Muhammad ibn Ali concluded a secret military alliance with Great Britain (by then at war with the Ottomans) in 1915, and Sharif Hussein later switched sides and joined the British against the Ottomans.

After the end of World War I, Muhammad ibn Ali became ruler of an internationally recognized sovereign state, the Emirate of Asir, until he died in 1920. The territories of the emirate reached from Abha in the north to Hodeidah in the south. Muhammad's successors were, however, unable to resist the growing power of Ibn Saud, who began annexing Asir and its neighboring regions after Muhammad's death, initially intervening under the pretext of mediating between the Al-Ayedh of Asir and the Idrisis. The Saudis took control of the regional capital Abha in 1920, and incorporated the rest of Asir by 1923. Ibn Saud later successfully fought off a rival claim for the region by the Zaydi Imam of the neighboring Kingdom of Yemen in 1934.

By 1920, however, Ibn Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state, had begun to recoup the losses of the House of Saud, and to unify most of the peninsula under his rule. As part of this campaign, he sent his Bedouin warriors also known as the Ikhwan to occupy Asir, and the ruler of the region, Hasan Al Idrissi, had to leave.{{cite thesis|author=Jerald L. Thompson|title=H. ST. John Philby, Ibn Saud and Palestine |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA111290.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129150100/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA111290.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=January 29, 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|location=University of Kansas|page=31 |degree=Master of Arts|date=1981}} Therefore, he asked for protection from Imam Yahya, the ruler of Yemen and went there. From then on Asir has been controlled by the House of Saud, a situation formalized in 1934 with the signing of the Treaty of Taif 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 Asir, but as he did not publish his observations until 1952, the area remained one of the blank spots on the world's map.{{Cite journal |last=Monroe |first=Elizabeth |date=1973 |title=Arabia. St John Philby's Contribution to Pre-Islamic Studies |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41223273 |journal=Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies |volume=3 |pages=29–35 |jstor=41223273 |issn=0308-8421}} In 1935 ʿAsir was made a separate governorate.{{cite thesis|author=A. Nassir Saleh|title=The emergence of Saudi Arabian administrative areas: A study in political geography|url=http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8115/1/8115_5115.PDF|access-date=5 June 2021|location=Durham University|degree=PhD|date=October 1975|page=76}}

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.{{Cite news |last=Beaumont |first=Peter |date=2023-08-21 |title='Fired on like rain': Saudi border guards accused of mass killings of Ethiopians |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/aug/21/fired-on-like-rain-saudi-border-guards-accused-of-mass-killings-of-ethiopians |access-date=2023-08-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-21 |title=Saudi Arabia: Mass Killings of Migrants at Yemen Border |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/21/saudi-arabia-mass-killings-migrants-yemen-border |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}

Historically, Asir was known for producing coffee, wheat, alfalfa, barley, senna, and frankincense.{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=83|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/83/|accessdate=2016-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227051942/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/83/|archive-date=2016-12-27}}{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=84|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/84/|accessdate=2016-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227051843/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/84/|archive-date=2016-12-27}}{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=86|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/86/|accessdate=2016-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227051853/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/86/|archive-date=2016-12-27}} Wheat was grown in the summer and sesame has been grown in wetter areas of the region.{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=85|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/85/|accessdate=2016-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115143219/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/85/|archive-date=2016-11-15}} Straw was used to make mats, hats, and baskets. Tribes in the area also wove tents from straw.{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Arabia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=99|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/99/|accessdate=2016-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822220849/https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/99/|archive-date=2016-08-22}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/1464761/saudi-arabia|title=Saudi Arabia to launch plan for multibillion infrastructure projects in Asir|date=2019-03-11|website=Arab News|language=en|access-date=2019-03-12}} The project is in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify non-petroleum income and activate new resources in Saudi Arabia.

In 2023, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched Soudah Peaks Project to develop a tourism destination in Saudi Arabia's highest peak, Jabal Soudah.{{cite news |author= |date=2023-09-25 |title=Saudi crown prince launches 'Soudah Peaks' masterplan

|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2380196/business-economy |work=Arab News |location= |access-date=2024-03-12}} Soudah Peaks is a planned luxury mountain tourism destination located at 3,015 meters above sea level.

== Education ==

{{See also|List of universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia|Education in Saudi Arabia}}

The Asir Province is served by several institutions of higher education, the most prominent being King Khalid University (KKU). Established in 1998 through a royal decree that merged the satellite campuses of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University, The main campus is located in Abha, with satellite campuses in cities such as Khamis Mushait, Muhayil, and Bisha. The university offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs across fields like medicine, engineering, computer science, humanities, Islamic studies, and business. It enrolls both male and female students.{{Cite web |url=https://www.kku.edu.sa/en/about |title=About King Khalid University |website=King Khalid University |access-date=1 June 2025}}

Primary and secondary education in the province is overseen by the Ministry of Education, which operates a comprehensive network of public schools. These schools serve students from the elementary to high school levels and are distributed across urban centers, mountainous villages, and rural areas, ensuring widespread educational access throughout the province.

In addition to academic institutions, the province hosts numerous technical and vocational education centers managed by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC){{Cite web |url=https://tvtc.gov.sa/ar/Training-Facilities/Pages/TechnicalColleges.aspx |title=Technical Colleges |website=Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) |language=ar |access-date=1 June 2025}}.

Girls' Technical Colleges in Asir Province:

• Abha Girls' Technical College
• Namas Girls' Technical College
• Khamis Mushayt Girls' Technical College
• Sarat Ubaydah Girls' Technical College
• Muhayil Asir Girls' Technical College
• Bisha Girls' Technical College
• Balqarn Girls' Technical College

Men's Technical Colleges and Branches in Asir Province:

• Abha Applied Technical College
• Abha Technical College
• Ahad Rufaidah Technical College
• Namas Technical College
• Balqarn Technical College
• Bisha Technical College
• Tanuma Technical College
• Khamis Mushait Technical College
• Rijal Alma Technical College
• Sarat Ubaidah Technical College
• Dhahran Al Janoub Technical College
• Mahayil Asir Technical College
• Al Farsha Technical College Branch
• Tathleeth Technical College Branch.

{{See also|Asir Mountains}}

File:Living on the verge of Habala Valley.jpg Valley]]

The Asir Province 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 {{convert|3,000|m}} at Jabal Soudah near Abha. Though data is exceedingly sparse and unreliable, the average annual rainfall in the highlands probably ranges from {{convert|300|–|500|mm}}. 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{{clarify|reason=What time of year? Summer, winter, spring, fall?|date=September 2015}} for afternoon temperatures to be over {{convert|30|C}}, 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.{{Cite web |title=Things to do in Asir Saudi Arabia {{!}} Asir National Park |url=https://experiencesbyroam.com/destinations/asir |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=ROAM: Experience Undiscover Worlds |language=en}}

{{Historical populations

|align=center

|footnote=source:{{Cite web |url=http://www.citypopulation.de/en/saudiarabia/cities/ |title=Saudi Arabia: Regions & Major Cities – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |website=www.citypopulation.de}}

|1992|1,340,168

|2004|1,687,939

|2010|1,927,087

|2022|2,024,285

|percentages=pagr

}}

File:Abha1.jpg

{{Portal|Saudi Arabia}}

• Asir Mountains
• Al Soudah
• Soudah Peaks
• Rijal Almaa
• Al-Qatt Al-Asiri
• Hejaz
• Sarat Mountains
• Sarat Ubaida Governorate
• South Arabia
• Saleh Al-Qadhi
• Tihamah

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Mackey |first=Sandra |title=The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom |publisher=W.W. Norton and Company |location=New York |year=2002 |orig-year= 1987 |isbn=0-393-32417-6}} Updated Edition; Norton Paperback; pbk.

{{Commons category}}

• {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Asir |volume=20 |page=443 |short=x}}
• [http://www.splendidarabia.com/destinations/asir-province/asir-national-park/ Asir National Park]: Splendid Arabia, An Online Guide to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

{{Geographic location

|Centre = ʽAsir Province

|North = Makkah Province

|Northeast = Riyadh Province

|East = Najran Province

|Southeast = {{flagicon|Yemen}} Saada Governorate

|South = {{flagicon|Yemen}} Saada Governorate

|Southwest = Jizan Province

|West = Makkah Province

|Northwest = Al Bahah Province

}}

{{Regions of Saudi Arabia}}

{{Saudi Arabia topics}}

{{pre-Saudi states}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:'Asir Province}}

Asir