Habala

Habala is a small mountain village in the 'Asir province of Saudi Arabia. It was originally inhabited by a tribal community known as the "flower men" because of their custom of wearing garlands of dried herbs and flowers in their hair. In the past, the village was only accessible by rope ladder, and in fact, the name "Habala" comes from the Arabic word for "rope".

In the 1990s, during a push to promote tourism in the region, a cable car was built to provide access to the traditional village with its stark mountain views. In consequence, however, the local "flower men" were dispossessed of their homes and forced to move into a modern village created for them in the valley below. When they refused to move, they were evacuated forcibly by the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Today, some of the original inhabitants are allowed back up to the village, but only to perform their traditional dances for tourists during the summer months.

ource

*John R. Bradley. "Saudi Arabia Exposed: Inside a Kingdom in Crisis", Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, pp.60-61. ISBN 1-4039-6433-5