Ta’if (Arabic الطائف ) is a city in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of on the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains (Al-Sarawat Mountains). It has a population of 521,273 (2004 census). Each summer the Saudi Government moves from the heat of Riyadh to Ta'if. The city is the centre of an agricultural area known for its grapes and honey.
Ethnography
The inhabitants of Ta'if, are largely made up of the
Hanbali and
Maliki Sunnis Saudi Arabians. There are also significant foreign populations, primarily from Asia, Turkey, and other Arab countries.
History
Early history
In the 6th century the city of Tā'if was dominated by the
Banu Thaqif tribe.
The town is about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Mecca. The walled city was a religious centre as it housed the idol of the goddess Allāt, who was then known as "the lady of Tā'if." Its climate marked the city out from its dry and barren neighbours closer to the Red Sea. Wheat, vines, and fruit were grown around Tā'if and this is how the city earned its title "the Garden of the Hejaz."
During the Year of the Elephant, this city was involved in the events.
Both Ta'if and Mecca were resorts of pilgrimage. Ta'if was more pleasantly situated than Mecca itself and the people of Ta'if had close trade relations with the people of Mecca. The people of Ta'if carried on agriculture and fruit‑growing in addition to their trade activities. to Allah [God]. In response, the Angel Jibrail came to Muhammad with the Angel of the Mountains. Jibrail told him that Allah [God] sent this angel with him so that if he wanted, the angel would crush the town between the two surrounding mountains. The Prophet, in his great patience, replied not with violence but with the statement:
“O Allah, guide these people, because they did not know what they were doing.”
A decade later, the people of Taif embrace Islam.
1517: Surrender to the Ottoman Empire
On 17 July 1517 the
Sharif of Mecca capitulated to the
Ottoman Sultan Selim I. As a sign of this, he surrendered to him the keys of the Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina. As part of the Hejaz, Ta'if was also given over to Ottoman control.
1802 – 1813: Retaking by the Saudi and reconquest by the Ottomans
The city remained Ottoman for a further three centuries, until in 1802 it was retaken by Saudi revolt , who were in alliance with the
House of Saud. These forces then proceeded to take Mecca and Medina. The loss was keenly felt by the Ottoman Empire, which viewed itself as the protector of the Holy Cities. The Ottoman Sultan,
Mahmud II, called upon his nominal Viceroy in
Egypt Muhammad Ali, who launched an attack on the Hejaz and reconquered Ta'if in 1813.
1813: Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
In 1813, the
Swiss traveller and
orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited Ta'if. He has left us with an eyewitness account on the city just after its recapture by the Muhammad Ali, with whom he obtained several interviews while he was there. Burckhardt says that the wall and ditch around the city had been built by Othman el Medhayfe. There were three gates and several towers on the city walls, which, however, were weak, being in some places only thick. Burckhardt says that the castle had been built by Sharif Ghalib. He notes the destruction of the city caused by the conquest of 1802. Most of the buildings were still in ruin while he was there and the tomb of [Abdullah ibn Abbas]Radi Allah Ho unhu – cousin of Muhammad and ancestor of the
Abbasid Caliphate – had been severely damaged. He also records that the population of the city is still mostly
Thaqīf. In terms of trade, the city was an
entrepôt for
coffee.
1843: Building works in the 19th century
The castle and military barracks in Ta'if were repaired by the Ottomans in 1843, a
Hükümet Konağı – mansion for government business – was built in 1869, and a post office was established sometime later.
1916 – 1924: The Arab Revolt and Hashemite control
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Prior to the
Arab Revolt,
Ahmed Bey had been made the commander of Ottoman forces in Tā'if. He had under him a force of 3,000 soldiers and 10 guns of the mountain artillery.
Ghalib Pasha, the governor of the Hejaz was also present in the city. In 1916, the
Hashemites launched their revolt against the Ottoman Empire in Mecca in June. That city had fallen and then in July,
Abdullah, the eldest son of the Hashemite leader and Sharif of Mecca
Husayn ibn Ali, was sent with seventy men to Tā'if. Whilst his activities in the area aroused the suspicion of Ahmed Bey, Ghalib Pasha was unconcerned by so small a force. Abdullah secretly built up his army to 5,000 men. He then cut the telegraph wires to the city and then went on the attack. All Hashemite assaults on the city were repelled by the mountain guns, and both sides settled down to an uneasy siege. However, Hashemite guns were slowly brought up to Tā'if, and then the city held out a little longer; it finally surrendered on 22 September. The city thus later became a part of the self-proclaimed Hashemite
Kingdom of Hejaz.
1924 – present: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
1924: Conquest by the Ikhwan under Abdulaziz al-Saud
Ta'if did not remain in Hashemite hands for very long however. Tensions between the King of the Hejaz, Husayn ibn Ali, and
Abdulaziz al-Saud, Sultan of Nejd, soon broke out into violence. Although hostilities were temporarily patched up in 1919, by September 1924 the then Saudi-sponsored
Ikhwan under the leadership of
Sultan bin Bijad and
Khaled bin Luwai was ready to attack Ta'if. The city was supposed to have been defended by the king’s son,
Ali, but he fled in panic with his troops. 300 of them were slain by the Ikhwan. In 1926 Abdulaziz al-Saud was officially recognized as the new king of Hejaz. Ta'if remained a part of the Kingdom of Hejaz until Abdulaziz al-Saud unified his two kingdoms into one under the title of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. The king himself was later to die in the city on 9 November 1953.
1940s: Modernization under the Saudis
Ta'if was still little more than a medieval city when the Saudis took control of it. However, they later embarked on a project of modernizing the city. Saudi Arabia’s first public power generator was set up in Ta'if in the late 1940s. In terms of building roads to the isolated city, in 1965 the then King Faisal inaugurated the mountain highway between Mecca and Ta'if, and in 1974 the 400 mile Ta'if-
Abha-
Jizan highway was started. By the 1991 Gulf War, Ta'if was such a modern city in terms of communications that it was chosen as the site of The
Rendon Group's television and radio network which used to feed the news to
Kuwait during the
occupation of Kuwait by Iraq.
Places to See
Al Rudaf Park: Located south of Taif is a large natural park where clumps of tree lie scattered amidst magnificent weathered granite rocks. The site also has a small zoo.
*Wadi Mitna: Muhammed's sanctuary in 619 AD. Muhammed came here to gain support of the Hawazeen and the Tawfiq but was stoned by the tribes. He was later given sanctuary by his fellows in a small house now used as a mosque.
*Shubra Palace, the regional museum of Ta'if, located in a building of around 1900, which served King Abdul Aziz as a lodging in the 1930s.
*Rock Carving Site: Located north of Taif, this was the site of the Okaz Souk, the largest and most well known of the pre-Islamic souqs or gathering places. The souq was a scene for annual social, political and commercial gatherings. It was also the location of competitive recitation of poetry and prose. The buildings remain, including prominent outlines of walls of basaltic stone.
*Turkish Fort: The remains of the fort are located near the Rock Carvings, legend has it that Lawrence of Arabia fought here in 1917. Many battles have been fought there and many graves can be found
*Nature Reserve: Between Al Hada hospital and the Sheraton Hotel at the top of Al Hada mountain is a large nature preserve at an elevation of 2100 meters above sea level. Al Hada means tranquillity and this preserve of trees and plants offers a true respite. It is also good location to catch the sunset over the mountain.
*Al Shafa: A small village situated high upon the Sarawat mountains at an elevation of 2200 to 2500 meters above sea level, rich in agricultural products. The fruit gardens of Taif are located here. Great view for the camera buff and for those with an adventurous heart, try a camel ride.
*When driving to Jeddah from Ta'if non-Muslim travellers will have to use the non-Muslim Bypass to get around Mecca, this adds about to your trip.
List of inhabitants
Bani Hareth is one of the
Adnani Arabs tribes living around
Taif in
Saudi Arabia. The tribe is one of the biggest tribes in the area and occupies the full area between Taif and Al Qunfuthah in Saudi.
Bani Adwan is one of the
Adnani Arabs tribes living originally in the northern part of
Taif, and in the southern part of
Jordan.
Thu Al issba'a Al Adwani is a figure of the tribe In the pre-islamic era, in which he's known as a poet and a man of wisdom. http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B0%D9%88_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%B9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A
Chieftains
During the
pre-Islamic era, the city was populated by the tribe of
Thaqif. The city had then the following chieftains:
Urwah ibn Mas'ud
Abd-Ya-Layl ibn Amr
Uthman ibn Abu-al-Aas
:and at least four others.
People born here
Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan
*Mughira ibn Shu'ba (?)
Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf
Al-Mukhtar
Hani Hanjour
King Faisal I of Iraq
Naif bin Abdul Aziz
Uthman bin Affan
Mutlaq Hamid Al-Otaibi
Tariq AbdulHakeem very well-known singer and composer. "Ya Reem Wadi Thaqif". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jeVd4STDXA
Tariq Alnasser composer, and he is of Jordanian origin.
Sultan Sharif Ali, the 3rd Sultan of Brunei Darussalam
People who lived here
Muhammad bin Qasim]
Uthman Ibn Affan the 3rd Rashidun (Rightly Guided Caliph) caliph born in Taif.
Ahmet Şefik Mithat Pasha (1822-1884), architect of the first Ottoman constitution who was strangulated in Taif.
Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Hadi Soua'an Al-Somaily (b.1970) First Saudi Olympic medal winner.
Addas- a young Christian slave boy who was the first person from the western province of Taif to convert to the religion of Islam.
`Abd Allah ibn `Abbas died here
Talal Maddah Although the Arabic song icon was not born in Taif, but he had lived a great deal of time in this city. Also had performed concerts in it, worked in the post office in his early life. One of his remarkable song is a tribute to the city titled by "Jeena Min At Taif" in which he describes the beauty of both the city and its charming weather http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kweZMws1uVE. Furthermore, Taif is flirted in other occasions and songs, for examples: "Ya Misafer Ala At Taif" by Abu Bakir Salim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKJdhGCEMMU and others.
See also
Banu Jadhimah
Taif Agreement
'Utaybah
References
also:
Hugh Kennedy - The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates
Martin Lings - Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources
John Lewis Burckhardt (Johann Ludwig Burckhardt) - Travels in Arabia; comprehending an account of those territories in Hedjaz which the Muslims regard as sacred, online version available free from Project Gutenberg here.
Pars Tuğlacı – Osmanlı Şehirleri
Michael Asher - Lawrence: The Uncrowned King of Arabia
David Holden and Richard Jones - The House of Saud
Category:Populated places in Saudi Arabia
