Harrat Tafil wa Shamah

Harrat Tafil wa Shamah is one of the dormant volcanic fields in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is among the oldest volcanoes in the Arabian Peninsula and is a popular geo-tourism attraction in the Kingdom. It is one of the small Harrat (lava fields) in the Kingdom, located one hundred km from Makkah al-Mukarramah along al-Lith Road.

The name Tafil rhymes with Kabir, which is a lava field in Tihama, southwest of Makkah al-Mukarramah, overlooking the coast between as-Saadiyah Valley—below Yalamlam—and al-Abyar Valley—below al-Baydaa—at their convergence into al-Khabat. This area is renowned for cultivating watermelon (al-Habhab), widely known in Makkah al-Mukarramah as Habhab Dhahban (Dhaban watermelon). It is cultivated entirely depending on rainfall, as it lacks irrigation.

The two mountains are always mentioned together; Tafil is paired with Shamah, often called Shamah wa Tafil. Shamah is typically mentioned first. The old route to Yemen would leave Makkah al-Mukarramah via Malakan, then pass through al-Baydaa, Edam, and Muharram Yalamlam (as-Saadiyah). Tafil was initially far to the west of this route. However, when the route was later paved, it was redirected closer to the coastline due to smoother terrain, passing near Tafil.

Tafil wa Shamah mountains are described in Mu'jam al-Buldan (The Dictionary of Countries) as being approximately ten p (a parasang is about five km) apart from Makkah al-Mukarramah. These mountains, popular for overlooking Majjanah, are around one Barid (equivalent to four p) away from Makkah al-Mukarramah. Tafil is recognized as a small, vividly black mountain, whereas Shamah is a neighboring hill adjacent to Tafil.

Harrat Tafil wa Shamah is situated in the western region of the Kingdom, particularly in the coastal plain south of Makkah al-Mukarramah. Across its lands, Tafil Mountain rises to an elevation of 167 m alongside Shamah Mountain, which reaches approximately ninety-one m. These two volcanic mountains are the only ones in the volcanic field that spans eighty km², making it one of the smallest lava fields in the Kingdom, along with Harrat Dam.