Aṭ-Ṭā'if

Ta'if stands in the mountains east of Mecca, where the cooler air and irrigated gardens distinguish it from the hot lowlands of the Hejaz. Vineyards and orchards yield grapes, figs, pomegranates and other fruit, while the surrounding valleys support agriculture. Long associated with the Thaqif tribe, the town lies on routes linking Mecca with the Arabian interior. Its fertile gardens made it a favoured retreat for Meccan merchants and rulers during the heat of summer.

In the early Islamic period Muhammad sought support among the people of Ta'if, and the town later withstood a siege before accepting Islam. Its gardens remained an important source of produce for Mecca, while its position inland of the holy city made it a place of military as well as commercial consequence. The Sharifs of Mecca and the Ottoman authorities both had reason to value the town and its mountain approaches.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Saudi forces took Ta'if and plundered the town. Merchants from Mecca lost property in the gardens where they had maintained summer houses. In 1813 the Egyptian army sent by Muhammad Ali recovered Ta'if during the campaign against the Saudi state. The traveller Burckhardt later described the town's fruit and the gardens that had long attracted visitors from Mecca.