Jabal An-Nabi Shu’ayb

Sana’a Governorate, Yemen

Coordinates: 15.279200, 43.975800

Nearby Places

• Bani matar waterfall 8.59 Km S (165°)
• Al Saleh Mosque 25.43 Km E (78°)
• Sanaa Old City 26.90 Km E (71°)

Jabal An-Nabi Shu’ayb, also called Jabal Hadhur, is a mountain of the Harazi subregion of the Sarawat, located in Bani Matar District, Sanaa Governorate, Yemen. It is the highest mountain in the country and the Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the most prominent peaks in the world and the third most prominent peak in the Middle East.

Name

The mountain is named after a Prophet Hz. Shu’ayb ibn Mahdam ibn Dhi-Mahdam al-Haduri عليه السلام. According to Islamic scholars, he is different from Hz. Shuaib عليه السلام of Midian. According to Al-Hamdani, he was sent to the people of Mikhlaf Hadhur, but they killed him, and Allah سبحانه و تعالى‎ sent BakhtNasr, who destroyed their town. Locals believe that his tomb is on the mountain. The mountain is also called Jabal Hadhur because it is located in the region of Mikhlaf Hadhur.

Description

The height of the mountain is 3,666 meters and is located near the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa. Yemen’s second-highest peak, Jabal Tiyal, is nearly equidistant from the capital as Jabal an-Nabi Shu’aib is. The mountain may seem like a rocky knoll from the observation center, like on the Sana’a-Al Hudayda highway, but from its western face, it is a massive mountain rising from about 1,500–1,600m. This side of the mountain halts clouds burdened with drizzle, causing that side to be relatively fertile. Atop the mountain is a military post with a radar, and what is reportedly the shrine of Prophet Shu’ayb عليه السلام.

Climbing

It is relatively difficult to be allowed to its summit. Although the summit is not snow-capped like its counterparts in northern Lebanon and Syria, there have been snow reports on the peak and frost in the winter. Wind speeds are very high at the summit. In April 2019, Ahmad Zein Al-Yafei, an Emirati security officer from Dubai, scaled the mountain in 69 hours, unfurling the banner of Dubai Police at the peak. He mentioned that reaching the summit was hard, long, and tiring, having to go through low oxygen levels, air pressure, and temperature.