Asir region south of Abha

The Asir region in the southwest of Saudi Arabia extends around Abha and south until the Yemeni border and Najran. It's on a high plateau with mountains rising up to 3000m of altitude. The weather here is different from the rest of Saudi Arabia: due to the altitude it's more fresh and because of the mountains and the local monsoons it rains more and some areas are even covered by forests.
Due to the overall better climate the population density here is higher than elsewhere in Saudi Arabia. There are many old villages which have been abandoned by the population, as it moved to more modern dwellings. Most of these villages are in ruins, but a few are being or have been restored.
The village of Tamniah lies about 40km southeast of Abha. There is a museum (closed at the time of visiting) and a number of houses in ruins near it. Some houses have an interesting architecture ("fins" on the outer walls). The Al Yanfa archaeological village lies only a few km west of Tamniah and is in a much better shape. Many buildings have been restored, some have interesting architecture, others are boing restored. Some buildings are even inhabited.
The Al Habala viewpoint is in the desert about 50km southeast of Abha. From here there is an impressive view over a deep canyon and a valley. The city of Dhahran Al Janub lies about 80km southeast of Al Habala. It's a modern city, but adjacent to it there is a heritage area with interesting old buildings. Some of them are ruins, others have been restored and are quite photogenic.