Taif is a city and governorate in Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia, located at an elevation of about 1,879 meters in the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains, giving it a notably cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands. Long a summer retreat from the heat of Mecca and Jeddah, Taif is known for its rose gardens, used to produce prized rosewater and rose oil, and serves as a mountain resort and agricultural center for the wider Hejaz region.
Facts
Area (sq km) Founding Year Population Estimate Year Elevation (m) Latitude21.275094 degrees north 1 Elevation Band Climate Zone FAQs
Why is Taif called the Garden of the Hejaz?
Its climate allowed wheat, vines and fruit orchards to be grown around it.
Taif earned the title the Garden of the Hejaz because its climate set it apart from its dry and barren neighbours closer to the Red Sea. Wheat, vines and fruit orchards were grown around the city, and this is how it earned that title.
Sources
1. Taif (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory sectionQuote, History section
In the 6th century A.D., the city of Ta'if was dominated by the Thaqif tribe, which still lives in and around the city of Ta'if today.
2. Wikidata: Taif
- Wikidata Q182640, class allow-list match verified against P17/real-world identity (w-geo-qidcite-0926).
- Wikidata Q182640 P571
- In Group: Cities of Western Asia (World), Wikipedia infobox, country field
View the Source3. OpenTopoData (SRTM 90 m): SRTM 90 m elevation at 21.2751,40.4062
OpenTopoData (SRTM 90 m)results elevationQuote, results elevation
"elevation": 1675.0
4. Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna): World Map of the Koeppen-Geiger Climate Classification, present climate data
Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 21.25, 40.25Quote, Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 21.25, 40.25
21.25 40.25 BWh
5. GeoNames: Ta’if - GeoNames
GeoNamescities500 record 107968Quote, cities500 record 107968
21.27028 40.41583 P PPL SA 14 688693 1672 Asia/Riyadh
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