Abha Dam Lake

Abha Dam Lake is an artificial body of water in the heart of Abha, the capital of the Asir Region in south-western Saudi Arabia. It formed behind a concrete dam built across Wadi Abha, the valley that runs through the city, and it is surrounded on all sides by residential districts and hills.

The dam was built in the 1970s to hold back the rainwater and floods that run down from the Sarawat highlands. Its purposes were to recharge groundwater, to help supply the city with water and to reduce the danger of flooding. Abha lies more than two thousand metres above sea level and receives more rain than most parts of the kingdom. The level of the lake therefore changes from season to season according to how much rain has fallen.

The banks of the lake have been laid out as a public park with walking paths, seating and green areas. The lake is a distinctive element in the urban landscape of Abha, since it is unusual for a Saudi city to have a body of water of this size at its centre, and it is one of the images associated with Abha as a summer destination.