Tucked away in the center of Asir, in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, Aqabat Shaar is one of the most famous roads, renowned for its amazing natural landscapes and important tourist destinations.
Because of the difficult access and mobility in this mountainous region—which is renowned for its rough terrain—a route connecting the region to nearby governorates and places has grown to be vital to both locals and tourists.
The route via Aqabat Shaar stretches just twenty-three kilometers from Abha city, joining the coastal plain of Tihama with the highlands of Sarat Asir. This vital route not only shortens travel times but is also essential to promoting tourism in the area. Furthermore, by enabling the smooth circulation of trucks carrying a variety of goods, it strengthens the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for logistics.
More than forty years ago, during the reign of the late King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, work on building Aqabat Shaar started. This enormous undertaking comprised drilling through solid rock, building 11 tunnels, and building 32 bridges to create a route that was around 14 kilometers long. At the time, the project was an engineering marvel, built to negotiate the difficult terrain and guarantee dependable access.
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