Athreb Mountain in Saudi Arabia: Where scenery and honey are redefined

[al-Hasani]

Saudi Gazette report

ABHA – Athreb Mountain is one of the highest in the Asir region. Standing at 2,200 meters above sea level, it has always been an important tourist attraction because of the mesmerizing scenery, serenity and beautiful weather.

Its strategic location overlooks breathtaking plateaus and hills. Anyone who visits the place will fall in love with it at first sight. The same is true for anyone who tastes the honey produced there.

The Athreb honey is considered the best nationwide because it is 100 percent pure and natural. The village of Bariq, situated near the top of the mountain, is known for its high-quality honey. Beekeepers there grow plants naturally without using any chemical fertilizers. Copious amounts of natural honey are produced in Bariq.

As you approach the top of the mountain the fog gets heavier, the weather colder. It rains all year round in the hills.

From the top of the mountain, everything looks tiny except Bariq. Populated by 600 people, the village looks like a busy beehive from the top.

Some villagers are busy plowing their land while others engage in different routine activities such as beekeeping and cattle raising. The majority of people in the village rely on these two trades for their living.

The ancestors of most families living in Bariq came to the region many years ago and decided to settle there because of the beautiful weather and the fertile soil, said Muhammad Al-Barqi, 80, who was born and raised in the village.

He still remembers how in the 1930s it used to be hard for his parents and other residents to get to the top of the mountain carrying water on the back of their donkeys.

“It used to take them from six to eight hours because of the rugged terrain. Today, it takes less than half an hour’s driving.”

Saudi Gazette - Athreb Mountain: Where scenery and honey are redefined

@Arabian Legend

 

[al-Hasani]

Honey bee production down 26% in 5 years

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  BEE FARMS: 70 percent of the Kingdom’s honey bee production originates in the areas located between Taif, Baha, Asir and Jazan. (AN photo)
  

RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

Published — Sunday 29 December 2013

Last update 29 December 2013 1:32 am

Saudi Arabia’s honey bee production fell by 26 percent to reach 119,000 kg in 2011 compared to 156,000 kg in 2007, a report released by the Ministry of Agriculture shows.
Production of honey bee continued to decline from 2007 gradually over the next five years to reach 137,000 kg in 2008 and 130,000 kg and 125,000 kg in 2009 and 2010, respectively, the report said.
Based on the ministry’s report, Jazan produced the biggest quantities of honey bee in the Kingdom in 2011 at 33,000 kg, followed by Madinah (24,000 kg), Jouf (19,000 kg), Riyadh (8,000 kg), the Northern Border Region (1,930 kg), the Eastern Province (1,818 kg), and Hail (1,062 kg).
However, the Bee-breeders Cooperative Association (BCA) said the data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture is not accurate but contrary to the report, production continued to grow. Board chairman of BCA Dr. Ahmed Al-Khazim said that the ministry’s report focused on fixed apiaries and ignored mobile ones which form 90 percent of the total apiaries in the Kingdom.
He said the number of beehives in the Kingdom estimated at 1 million are producing 9,000 tons of honey bee annually while the Kingdom’s imports stand at some 14,000 tons. 70 percent of production originates in the areas located between Taif, Baha, Asir and Jazan, he said.
Al-Khazim said that the BCA draws its statistics from masters and PhD theses and from questionnaires distributed Kingdom-wide in addition to national projects and studies supported by King Abdulaziz City for Sciences and Technology (KACST).
The governorate of Baha recently supported the BCA on a study aimed at determining the number of bee-breeders, apiaries and the volume of production, Al-Khazim said.
He said plans are under way to organize a workshop in Qunfudah on how to minimize losses of bee-breeders resulting from locust spraying campaigns. The workshop, scheduled for next Thursday, will be organized by Bugshan Chair for Bee Research at King Saud University, the Bee-breeders Society in Baha and the Locust Research Center in Jeddah. The major causes of losses lie in drought, pests and diseases and the hot summer temperatures in Riyadh and Qasim, he pointed out.

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