Not A Phenomenon, The Tabuk Mountains Are Indeed A Popular Destination For Saudi Arabian Citizens To Enjoy The Snow Every Year

Illustration of snow in Saudi Arabia. (Wikimedia Commons/Adel Al-Omrani)

JAKARTA - People in the Tabuk region, near Saudi Arabia's border with Jordan, awoke on New Year's Day to find desert sand covered in a blanket of white snow.

Still considered a phenomenon, it turns out that the Jabal Al-Lawz Mountains in Tabuk are used to snowfall when temperatures drop, and winter is considered the most beautiful time of year in the region.

"Every year we wait for the snow to fall, so we can go enjoy our aunt's kabsa (traditional Saudi dish) cooked in the snow. It is one of our rituals," Faris Al-Harbi, an engineer who used to live in Tabuk, said. told Arab News as quoted January 4.

Saudi Arabia is known for its dry desert climate. However, the temperature varies from region to region because of its diverse landscape, including mountains, islands, deserts, caves to valleys.

Snow usually falls in the mountainous areas north of Turaif, Tabuk, Arar and Rafha. Locals and visitors alike travel from different parts of Saudi Arabia to enjoy the cool cold weather, to activities like snowboarding.

Snow in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. (Source: SPA via Arab News)

"The peak of Mount Tabuk sees snow every year, and it attracts the attention of all residents and visitors," said Badr Al-Gbl who visited Tabuk during the Winter.

In the southwest of the Kingdom in the Asir region there is also a bit of snow. Asir is home to the juniper-covered Soudah mountains, the highest peak in Saudi Arabia, rising more than 3,000 m above sea level.

The snow that fell in Jabal Al-Lawz at the beginning of the year, attracting the interest of Saudi Arabian citizens to foreigners, became viral on social media. Snowfall in Winter is always eagerly awaited.

"Our people in Qatar can't believe that a dazzling sight of snowfall exists in the Kingdom," one Qatari said in a post on Twitter featuring the view on Al-Lawz Street.

To note, the National Meteorological Center has issued forecasts for thunderstorms with strong winds in the coming days in Asir, Jazan, Al-Madinah, Hail, northern borders and Al-Jawf and Tabuk regions, where more snow is expected.