Al-Aridah Governorate

Al-Aridah Governorate is one of the governorates within Jazan Province, located southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It ranks as the seventh most populous center in the province. According to the 2022 Saudi Census, it is home to 79,730 residents of Jazan Province.
Al-Aridah Governorate is located in the eastern part of Jazan Province, sixty-five km east of the city of Jazan, the headquarters of the emirate. It is bordered to the north by the governorates of al-Idabi, Fayfa, and ad-Da'ir, to the east by the Republic of Yemen, to the west by Abu 'Arish Governorate, and to the south by al-Hurrath Governorate and the Republic of Yemen.

Residents and visitors of al-Aridah Governorate use King Abdullah Airport in Jazan, which is the closest airport to it and is located 79.4 km away from it.
Secondary Road 140 connects the governorate with the main road network. It is considered the main land transportation center in the governorate, and the means of access and transportation to and from al-Aridah.

Al-Aridah Governorate is classified as a category (B) governorate, and it includes three centers: Qais center, al-Qasba center, and al-Humayra center.

In 2004, al-Aridah Governorate was designated as a healthy city by the World Health Organization during the sixth phase, making it the second in Jazan Province after Farasan Island received the same designation. It became the twenty-third city in the Kingdom to be recognized as a healthy city by the World Health Organization.

In 2022, al-Aridah Governorate achieved about eighty World Health Organization standards as a healthy city, among the standards: community organization, cooperation and partnerships, health development, education, literacy and loan activities, water and sanitation, food safety, and air pollution.

Al-Aridah Governorate is famous for many tourist sites, including the mountains of Sala, Qais, and al-Abadil, and Matall al-Maghrib, as well as as-Sadd Lake, geothermal springs, Wadi ar-Rugh, and Wadi Khumran, which is famous for its abundance of screwpine trees.

Prince Mohammed Bin Nasser Bin Abdulaziz View Park in al-Aridah Governorate, established in 2010, is considered a tourist destination for visitors from various governorates within Jazan Province and beyond. In August 2022, the municipality of Jazan Province, represented by the municipality of al-Aridah Governorate, completed the first phase of the park rehabilitation project. The municipality invested in the natural potential of the site, which has an area of 288,000 m, in a way that enhances the natural beauty of the view park.

Al-Aridah Governorate is an agricultural governorate, and its crops include: al-Himriya, al-Gharb al-Abyad, al-Bujayda', al-Marsala al-Safra', al-Za'r al-Ahmar, al-Zaydiya, millet, sesame, black-eyed pea, cotton, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, and jute plant. Among its fruits are bananas, papaya, tamarind, red mustard, eucalyptus, and durian. This comes in addition to aromatic plants in the governorate, such as feverfew, daffodil, ochthochloa, artemisia judaica, and artemisia are grown in the governorate.