On the early morning of September 13, a group of about 45 KAUST explorers hopped on the bus heading to Taif. The three-hour ride to get there was worth it!
Did you know the city of Taif is located at 1,950 meters above sea level? Upon arriving in Taif, the KAUST group—not being afraid of heights—continued journeying up in elevation until they reached about the summit of Al-Shafa mountain, which rises to 2,225 meters.
There, they enjoyed a short hiking trip to admire the beautiful scenery and the sight of the mountain tops.
KAUST visitor Marcelo Benitez Guerra noted, “Saudi [Arabia] has a lot of potential for hiking tours, so I beg Government Affairs to organize a longer trip!”
The KAUST explorers then journeyed down the road to a nearby village, where they purchased produce from the village’s farms, including mangoes, figs, limes, apricots, oranges, olives, peaches, pomegranates, watermelons, quince and more.
There is clearly a reason why Taif is called the “City of Roses.” One can smell the fragrance of roses in Taif from far away!
To transform rose petals—whether in water or into ointments, perfume or soap—the petals need to undergo a transformation in one of the many rose factories in the area.
The KAUST group visited one of the city’s rose factories and learned about the process of distillation to obtain the roses’ precious liquids. The explorers also made sure they didn’t leave the cool, green and fragrant area of Taif without taking back home boxes of Taif roses, bottles of rose essence and rose water!
In the afternoon, a visit to Taif’s Al-Shareef museum was next on the agenda. The national museum is famous for its impressive heritage collection, which include guns, swords, daggers and spears; utensils and cooking tools; and clothing and other adornments.
Close to sunset, the group then journeyed to the heights of a mountain locally named “Lebanon mountain” to witness the sun going down behind the summit. The sight was breathtaking.
At dusk, the KAUST visitors browsed the Taif Old Market to find a few souvenirs to bring back home.
3 comments
Fantastic trip – thank you very much – what great day out! The sword dance and the rain made it extra special!
Indeed it was amazing trip… Just a Correction, my name is Marcelo Benitez Guerra… Guerra is my second last name… Latinamerica style… Sorry
Dear Marcelo, I just corrected your name in the article. Thanks for your message! Happy to see that you have enjoyed the trip !