Oasis of the long wadi
Wadi Bisha runs north from the Asir mountains for hundreds of kilometres, and along its banks grow millions of palms among farming villages. The hot, dry climate and elevation give Bisha dates a concentrated sweetness and long shelf life.
More than a hundred varieties
Bisha is known for exceptional diversity: Safri, Helwa, Shebibi, Sullaj, Medjool and many local varieties grown nowhere else. Traders from Riyadh and Jeddah arrive to secure the season early.
The auction festival
Every summer the Bisha Dates Festival — the largest date auction in southern Saudi Arabia — sells thousands of tonnes as farms compete on quality, amid heritage performances and folk markets that draw tens of thousands of visitors.
