Khamis Mushayt or Khamis Mushait (Arabic: خميس مشيط, Ḫamīs MušayṭArabic pronunciation:[xamiːsmuʃajtˤ], locally: [xamiːs‿ɪmʃeːtˤ]) is a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, located east of Abha, the provincial seat of the 'Asir Province, 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) 650 nautical miles from Dhahran and 884 kilometres (549 mi) from the national capital of Riyadh.[2] It is the capital of the Shahran tribe in the Asir region.
It is fifth-largest city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, with an estimated metro population of 1,353,000 as of 2017. Khamis Mushayt is noted for being the fourth largest trading centre in Saudi Arabia, and is famous for its world-class military airbase.
History
1966 skyline of the village
Until the 1970s, Khamis Mushait was a small town of less than 50,000 servicing the surrounding mild-climate agricultural region. Since then its population has grown dramatically to reach over 1,200,000. The city is surrounded by farms producing agricultural crops.[3]
King Khalid Air Base (KMX) has a 12,400 ft (3,780 m) paved runway without customs facilities. The base was designed and built by US Army and Air Force engineers in the 1960s and 70s and has F-15 service facilities.[4] During the Gulf War in 1991, the US Airforce had a base here from which they launched bombers on Baghdad.[3]
Khamis Mushait was known by that name since the 1760s, it has been named after the family name of al mushayt referring a man called mushayt who protected this city and like deem mushayt, mushayt it has been referred to Mushait Ibn Salem the head of Shahran tribe and the guardian of the market.[5][6]
Khamis Mushayt has several souks, including Khamis Souk and Silver Souq, both of which are noted for their silver jewellery, and Spice Souk.[3] Notable hotels include Mushayt Palace Hotel and Trident Hotel.[3] Also of note is Al-Hayat Hospital and Khamis Mushayt Mosque.
Al-Hayat Hospital
Statue of coffee in Heritage area of Khamis Mushait
^ abcdHam, Anthony; Shams, Martha Brekhus; Madden, Andrew (15 September 2004). Saudi Arabia. Lonely Planet. p. 134. ISBN978-1-74059-667-1. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
