Abhā

Abhā, city, southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is situated on a plain at the western edge of Mount al-Hijāz and is surrounded by hills. The valley of the Wadi Abhā near the city is filled with gardens, fields, and streams. The city consists of four quarters, the largest of which contains an old fortress. Abhā was freed from Ottoman rule following World War I and brought under the control of the Wahhabīs, a Muslim puritanical group, in 1920 by ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Saʿud. It is characterized by forts built on top of the neighbouring hills. Abhā lies 50 miles (80 km) east of the Red Sea and 528 miles (850 km) southwest of Riyadh, the national capital. A coastal road, completed in 1979, connects Jiddah with Abhā. Pop. (2004 prelim.) 201,912.