1,000-year-old mountain path to Taif restored

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has renovated a 1,000-year-old mountainous path that links the holy city of Makkah with the summer tourist resort of Taif. People in the past used this path to transport their goods and agricultural products on camels. “The zigzag design of the path enables people and animals to walk through it easily,” an SCTA official said. The pathway is considered one of the important pieces of cultural heritage in Taif, carrying great historic value. People in Makkah and Taif used the path until 1953 before the construction of the Taif-Makkah Road via Al-Kar. Tarek bin Mahmoud Khan, acting executive director of SCTA in Taif, said the renovation of the mountainous Al-Kar walkway was one of the commission’s strategic projects. “We have renovated 1,700 meters of the way with a width ranging between three and seven meters. We have also set up resting places along the walkway in addition to parking places,” he said. Khan thanked Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of SCTA, and Taif Gov. Fahd bin Muammar, chairman of the Tourism Development Council, for their support for the renovation project. “I am sure that this walkway made of stone will attract a large number of tourists every year,” Khan said.