Taif Hotels

Taif Hotels

Hotels in the city of Taif, Saudi Arabia, are often required for tourists who require short term accommodation. Some may want to stay at large or small hotels in the city. Some may want to stay at well known hotels. Some may want to stay at large or small hotels. Some may want to stay at luxury or cheap hotels in the city. Some may want to stay old fashioned hotels in the region. Some may want to stay at hotels that provide luxury facilities. Some may want to stay at hotels that offer impressive architecture.

Hotels in the city of Taif are often required for tourists who require short term accommodation. Some may want to stay at large or small hotels in the city. Some may want to stay at well known hotels that offer high quality and a decent range of prices.

Ta’if is a city in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1,700 m on the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains (Al-Sarawat Mountains).

Early history

In the 6th century the city of Ta-'if was dominated by the Banu Thaqif tribe.

The town is about 60 mi southeast of Mecca. The walled city was a religious centre as it housed the idol of the goddess Alla-t, who was then known as the lady of Ta-'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 Ta-'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.

620 – 632: Muhammad's era

620: Stoning of Muhammad

Main article: Muhammad's visit to Ta'if

Muhammad went to Ta'if and invited the inhabitants to Islam, but they answered in a rude manner and started throwing stones at him, causing him to bleed heavily. The entire visit lasted one day. As he left the town, and sat by a fountain bleeding so heavily that he could barely see straight, the Angel Gabriel came to Muhammad and asked him if he should destroy the town by crushing two mountains over it. To this Muhammad replied in the negative, saying that "Maybe Allah will produce from their offspring ones who worship Him alone." The city later converted to Islam.

630: The Battle of Hunayn and the Conversion of the City

Ten years later, in 630, the position of Muhammad was radically altered. He was now the leader of Mecca and most of the Hija-z. In 630, the Battle of Hunayn took place at Hunayn, close to this city. Shortly after that, the unsuccessful Siege of Ta'if took place. The city was assaulted by catapults from Banu Daws, but it repelled the attacks. The Battle of Tabouk in 631 left Ta-'if completely isolated so members of Thaqi-f arrived in Mecca to negotiate the conversion of the city to Islam. The idol of Al-la-t was destroyed along with all of the other signs of the city's previously pagan existence.

Exile of Marwan

al-Hakam ibn Abi al-'As and Marwan ibn al-Hakam were exiled from Medina to here by Muhammad. They were summoned back by Uthman Ibn Affan during his caliphate. Later, Marwan became a Caliph of the Umayyad dynasty.

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: Conquest by Wahhabis and reconquest by the Ottomans

The city continued to be governed by the Ottomans for a further three centuries, until in 1802 it was conquered by Wahhabi forces from the Nejd, 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 Hijaz 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 45 cm (18 in) 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 Abbas – the uncle of Muhammad and ancestor of the Abbasid Caliphate – had been severely damaged. He also records that the population of the city is still mostly Thaqi-f, while the majority of the foreigners in the city were Indian in origin. 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 Konag(– mansion for government business – was built in 1869, and a post office was established sometime later.

1916 – 1924: The Arab Revolt and Hashemite control

Prior to the Arab Revolt, Ahmed Bey had been made the commander of Ottoman forces in Ta-'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 Ta-'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 Ta-'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.

Al Rudaf Park: Located south of Taif is a large natural park where clumps of tree lie scattered amidst magnificent weathered granite rocks.

Makkah Province is the most populous province of Saudi Arabia, located in the west of the country, with an extended coastline. Its capital is the sacred city of Mecca, but its largest city is Jeddah, which is also Saudi Arabia's main port city.

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