What Is the First Paved Road in Saudi Arabia?

The first paved road in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Aqabat al-Kurr (al-Hada Road), which connects Makkah al-Mukarramah City and Taif Governorate. It was constructed in 1925, with a length of twelve km, cutting through Mount al-Hada. The road ends at the summit of al-Hada Center at an elevation exceeding two thousand m above sea level.

After King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud visited al-Hada Center in Taif Governorate in 1955, he issued an order in 1958 to expand the Taif-al-Hada Road. The task of constructing and expanding the Taif-al-Hada-Makkah al-Mukarramah Road, with a length of sixty-seven km, was assigned to the Ministry of Transport (currently the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services).

Al-Hada Road serves the Hajj and Umrah seasons, as pilgrims and Umrah performers heading to Makkah al-Mukarramah from central and eastern regions of the Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries use it.