JIZAN

also called Qizan, formerly At-tihameh, town and port, southwestern Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea opposite the Farasan Islands. Defined by the 1934 Treaty of At-Ta'if as belonging to Saudi Arabia, the town has been claimed by Yemen since the 1960s. Jizan is the principal town of the Tihamah coastal plain and the exporting and shipping centre of Asir region. The surrounding area is well cultivated because of irrigation projects undertaken by the government and has become one of the main agricultural regions of Saudi Arabia. Crops include wheat, rice, barley, millet, and sorghum. Exports include grain sorghum, sesame, dried fish, dates, and salt; other economic activities are fishing, shipbuilding, and salt mining. The local architecture displays Ottoman and Yemeni influences. Roads link the port to its fertile hinterland, and an airport provides connections to other parts of Saudi Arabia. Pop. (1974) 32,812.