page_title: Ta'if
section_title: Culture
hierarchical_section_title: Ta'if / Culture
caption_attribution_description: English: Taken from the top of Jabal Dakka, Al Shafaالعربية: مأخوذة من على جبل دكا في الشفا في مدينة الطائف، السعودية
context_page_description: Ta'if is a city and governorate in the Makkah Province of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of 1,879 m in the slopes of the Hejaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarawat Mountains, the city has a 2020 estimated population of 688,693 people, making it the 6th most populous city in the kingdom.
  The origins of the name Ta'if are unclear, however, it is known that in the pre-Islamic Arabian age, Ta'if housed an idol of the goddess Lat, and was frequented by pilgrims, which could explain the name. Ta'if has been indirectly referred to in the Qur'an in verse 31 of Surah 43. The city was visited by the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, sometime in the early 7th century and was inhabited by the tribe of Banu Thaqif and is still inhabited to this day by their descendants. As a part of the Hejaz, the city has seen many transfers-of-power throughout its history, with the last being during the Saudi conquest of Hejaz in 1925.
  The city has been called the unofficial summer capital of Saudi Arabia and has also been called the best summer destination in Saudi Arabia as it enjoys a moderate weather during summer, unlike most of the Arabian Peninsula.
caption: Jabal Dakka near ash-Shafa
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