'Asir Province

'Asir /ˈɑːsɪər/ (Arabic: عسير‎ 'Asīr) is a province o Saudi Arabie locatit in the soothwast o the kintra, namit efter the confederation o clans o the same name. It haes an aurie o 81,000 km² an an estimatit population o 1,563,000. It shares a short border wi Yemen. Its caipital is Abha. Ither touns include Khamis Mushayt an Qal'at Bishah. The govrenor o the province is Faisal bin Khalid (appointit 16 Mey 2007]]), a son o the late keeng o Saudi Arabie, Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz. He replacit his cousin, Khalid al Faisal who wis made govrenor o Makkah Province on the same day. Geography Geographically, the 'Asir region is situatit on a heich plateau that receives mair rainfaw than the rest o the kintra an contains the kintra's heichest peaks, which rise tae amaist 3,000 metres at Jebel Sawdah near Abha. Tho data is exceedingly spairse an unreliable, the average annual rainfaw in the heichlands probably ranges frae 300 tae 500 millimetres (12 tae 20 inches) fawin in twa rainy saisons, the chief ane bein in Mairch an Aprile wi some rain in the simmer. Temperaturs are vera extreme, wi diurnal temperatur ranges in the heichlands the greatest in the warld. It is common for efternuin temperaturs tae be ower 30 °C (85 °F) yet forenuins can be extremely frosty an fog can cut visibility tae near zero percent. As a result, thare is hintle mair naitural vegetation in 'Asir than in ony ither pairt o Saudi Arabie, wi sheltered auries even containin auries o dense coniferous forests, tho mair exposed ridges still are vera dry. 'Asir is hame tae mony fermers who chiefly grow wheat an fruit crops, tho irrigation haes greatly expandit production in modren times. Ethnography The population belangs amaist entirely tae auncient tribes native tae the aurie such as Qahtan, moawiah wa almahlaf Bal-Garn, Elyan, Khatha'm, Rijal Alma, Rijal Al-Hajr, Amro, Shehr, Shahran, Bal-Asmar, an Bal-Ahmar, as well as a lairge confederation o tribes kent as the 'Asir (or 'Asaryah), efter whom the region wis namit. Thair releegion is chiefly Sunni Muslim o Shafii an Hanbali rites. The indwallers speak a conservative group o Arabic dialects. Maist tribes in 'Asir are dividit intae three sub-pairts based on thair geographical location. The tribes o the central heichlands are cried sarat, the tribes o the wastren coastal plain are cried tihama, an the tribes o the eastren desert region o 'Asir are referred tae as badiyah. Thus mony tribes are dividit intae sarat, tihama, an badiyah components. The region's cultur shares hintle in common wi neighborin Yemen in its airchitectural style, which is adaptit tae cope wi the occasional vera hivy dounpours bi deflectin them frae hooses, but "[t]he ways o the muntaineers tend towards those o Najd." 'Asir haes been less affectit bi the ile boom than haes the rest o Saudi Arabie, an the modren urban development o ceeties lik Riyadh is lairgely absent except tae some extent in Abha, which serves as a resort toun for mony Saudis durin the extremely het simmers. Tribal laws an customs are still exceedingly strang amang the fowks o this region. See an aw Habala References Freemit airtins Asir National Park Archived 2013-04-03 at the Wayback Machine: Splendid Arabia, An Online Guide tae the Kinrick of Saudi Arabia