Abha, Saudi Arabia
Abha's historic arts quarter: restored Asiri houses turned into galleries and studios, in the heart of the city. The best place to see Al-Qatt Al-Asiri painting and the work of local artists.
Through the lanes of the village
Restored houses now used as studios where painters, calligraphers and sculptors work and show their pieces. Many are happy to talk about their work.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Inside and on the façades of village houses
Look for the brightly painted geometric bands of the Asiri wall art — the patterns and colours vary from house to house.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Edge of the village
A large open-air theatre built for the arts village, used for performances and cultural events, mostly in the summer season.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Throughout the quarter
Stone and mud houses with small windows, painted frames and layered stone overhangs that shed the mountain rain — a good introduction to Asiri building styles.
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Abha, Saudi Arabia
Abha, Saudi Arabia
Abha, Saudi Arabia
The Asir highlands are known across the kingdom for their honey, much of it from sidr and other wild mountain flowers. Sold in jars at markets and roadside stalls, and poured over areeka and fresh bread.
Across Abha and along the Al Soudah road
Many restaurants serve areeka, haneeth and mandi in family rooms with floor seating and cushions. Ask for areeka with local honey and ghee at breakfast.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Central Abha
Abha's traditional weekly market, held on Tuesdays for generations. Stalls sell honey, spices, dried herbs, local bread, coffee beans and Asiri crafts — a good place to taste and buy regional food.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Abha, Saudi Arabia
Hotels and furnished apartments around the city centre, close to Al Muftaha Village, the Tuesday Market and the main shopping streets. The easiest base without a car.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Abha, Saudi Arabia
Larger hotels and resorts near the Abha Dam lake and on the hills towards Abu Kheyal and the Green Mountain, with cooler air and views over the city.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Al-Qatt Al-Asiri was once painted by women as a gift to their homes and a sign of pride in the household; skills passed from mother to daughter. Today you can see it in galleries, on house walls and reworked by contemporary Saudi artists. Al Muftaha's theatre hosts plays, poetry and music, especially during the summer season.
Al Muftaha is one of the old neighbourhoods of Abha, a cluster of stone and mud houses that was restored from the late 1980s as an arts village, with support from the then governor of Asir, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. Studios, galleries and a large theatre were added, and the quarter became a centre for painters, sculptors and craftspeople from the region.
The village is closely linked to Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, the decorative wall painting traditionally done by Asiri women inside their homes — bold bands of triangles, lines and diamonds in red, yellow, green and blue. In 2017 UNESCO inscribed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Wander the lanes, visit the studios and look for Al-Qatt Al-Asiri walls.
If it is a Tuesday, browse honey, spices and crafts at Souq Al Thulatha.
Try areeka or haneeth at a traditional restaurant in the centre.
Drive up to Abu Kheyal Park for the view over the city at dusk.
Summer evenings during the Abha festival season are the liveliest; late afternoon is pleasant all year. Some studios keep irregular hours, especially outside the summer.
Al Muftaha is in central Abha, a short taxi or ride-hailing trip from most hotels and about 25 minutes from Abha airport. If you are staying in the centre you can walk.
The village is compact and best explored on foot — narrow lanes, steps and small courtyards. Park on the surrounding streets and walk in.
