Rose City: Taif

 

Rose City: Taif 

Taif is a mountainous city located in the western region of Saudi Arabia, It is about 901 KM away from Riyadh the Capital city of Saudi Arabia. It’s about 80 square kilometers, an area which has a population of around 400K in 2019. Since Saudi Arabia has a desert climate in most of its cities with high temperatures, Taif, however, is known for its wonderful atmosphere and frequent rains, which made it popular and attractive to many tourists around the middle east. 

Taif is probably one of my favorite cities around the world! Not only because it’s my hometown, but this city makes me feel like it’s a young pretty girl that gets prettier with years. With its amazing weather, agricultural nature, unique and rare fruits, lovely flowers and friendly people.

Taif : The Land of Flowers

Taif is famous for the name “Rose City”, and it definitely is! It’s the land of flowers here in Saudi Arabia. What makes its agricultural soil is that it’s located on the top of the “Sarawat Mountains” with about 1600 KM above sea level. It has many valleys and sizable storage of groundwater.

Taif’s Organic Products

Every spring, roses bloom in the city of Taif in western Saudi Arabia, turning the vast desert expanses of the kingdom into fragrant patches of a pinky landscape during the month of April. There are many factories specialized in manufacturing rose products. They produce organic products such as essential oil perfume and rose water, which are healthy and useful for skincare and cooking recipes.

 

Arruddaf Park - Taif 

 

There are many celebrities who consider the rose season as an opportunity to take pictures of themselves and their families and share them on social media channels.

 

 

The Most Beautiful Tourist Places in Taif

There are many beautiful and joyful amusement parks and gardens in the city such as Arruddaf Park, King Faisal Park, Taif’s Zoo, and The Green Mountain Park. Most of them have many playful games for adults and children to have fun and exciting times.  Also, There are a lot of open farms for tourists who want to discover the city of Taif. The last one I visited was the Strawberries Farm. I went to it with my family during Saudi National Day. It was very crowded there but we really enjoyed our time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures I took with my family from my tour to The Strawberries Farm! 

 

 

Foods & Beverages in Taif

Restaurants and cafes in Taif are in my opinion of a high standard! You can enjoy Arabic food with excellent taste. I would mention some of my favorite restaurants but I'm afraid I'll forget some and that's not fair because the restaurants here are generally very good!

 

 

Taif Hotels & Resorts

If you are looking for luxury and comfortable accommodation, you will definitely find it in Taif. There are many high-end hotels and resorts that are classified as five stars. One of my favorites is “Meral Oases Resort”. I had a beautiful stay there that exceeded my expectations and my family and I had a great time enjoying the resort’s hospitality.

 

Meral Oases Resort-Taif

  

 

Taif Shopping Malls

There are many shopping malls and reputable brands in Taif. For instance, Jouri mall offers many popular and international brands such as Christian Dior, GAP, and etc. Also, Tera Mall has a distinctive and attractive architectural design inspired by French style and Eiffel Tower.

 

 

 

Souq Okaz: The Most Historical Destination in Saudi Arabia

Souk Okaz is the most important destination in Saudi Arabia, one of the famous Arab markets where Arabs used to gather and say poems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, Taif has many vibes that anyone could enjoy. It is an excellent tourist destination. Poets have sung it and given it various titles and names such as The Roses City and Tourists Bride, But my favorite one is “Clouds’ lover”.

 

 

Alaa Alshahrani