Taiz (Arabic: تَعِزّ, romanized: Taʿizz) is a governorate of Yemen. The governorate's capital Taiz, the third-largest city in Yemen, is among the most important commercial centres in the country, owing to its proximity to rich farmland and the important Red Sea port of Mocha. It also has an international airport, Taiz International Airport, with numerous services within Yemen and to neighbouring countries.

For such a small area, Taiz Governorate has an extraordinarily diverse geography. The western half of the governorate is part of the Tihamah coastal plain and has an exceedingly hot, humid and arid climate. The eastern half, however, is very mountainous, with the major peak being 3,070-metre-high Jabal Sabir, near Taiz city. These mountains trap the moisture created by an upper-level wind reversal between April and October, so that in the eastern half of the governorate annual rainfall increases from 200 millimetres (8 inches) in the foothills to probably more than 1,000 millimetres (40 inches) near Jebel Saber. Temperatures in the highlands remain high during the daytime, but at the highest elevations they can fall dramatically to -5 °C (23 °F) overnight.

The governorate has many mountains. Their height ranges between 1,000 and 3,200 metres. The most important mountains are Jabal Sabir, Jabal Habashi, Jabal Samaʿa, Jabal Qadas, Jabal As-Silw, the mountains of al-Wazi'iyah and the Mountains of Shar'ab and Maqbanah.

There are many streams in Taiz governorate; known as wadi (Arabic: وادي), they are divided into perennial and temporary streams:

• Wadi Rasian, it is located in Mawza, Shara'b Ar Rawnah, al-Makha and Maqbanah.
• Wadi Warzan, it is located in Khadir and al-Mawasit.
• Wadi al-Dhabab, it is located in al-Mawasit and Hayfan.
• Wadi Ar-Ram, it is located in al-Mafalis region, Hayfan.
• Wadi al-Dhabab, it is located in Sabir al-Mawadim.
• Wadi al-Ashroh also known as Wadi al-Barakani, is located in al-Mawasit.
• Wadi al-Janah, is located in al-Wazi'iyah.
• Wadi al-Lahya, is located in Mawza.

Are the steams that only run in wet seasons:

Districts	Temporary streams
Damnt Khadir	Wadi al-Shofiah
Mawaiah	Wadi al-Sudan, Wadi al-Gharman, Wadi al-Sawarih
As-Silw	Wadi Qoradah, Wadi al-Zubirah, Wadi al-Qatriah
Hayfan	Wadi al-Musali, Wadi Khawalah, Wadi Shawkah
Ash-Shamayatayn	Wadi Adim
Shar'ab Ar-Rawnah	Wadi Gaw'ah, Wadi al-Ma', Wadi Shamlah
Shar'ab As-Salam	Wadi al-fojeer, Wadi al-Habab, Wadi Hawsa', Wadi Nakhlah
Jabal Habashi	Wadi Hannah
al-Makha	Wadi Tanag, Wadi Kabir, Wadi Hathiah
At-Ta'iziyah	Wadi Haban
Sabir al-Mawadim	Wadi Sailat Hawas
Al-wazyiah	Wadi al-Makhshab, Wadi al-Mu'aqam, Wadi Hawlajah, Wadi Sumadah
Mawza	Wadi Janob, Wadi al-Gharafi, Wadi al-Majash, Wadi Hagharamah, Wadi al-Murra, Wadi Sha'bo

• Al Hudaydah Governorate (north)
• Ibb Governorate (north)
• Dhale Governorate (northeast)
• Lahij Governorate (southeast)

Taiz Governorate is divided into the following 23 districts. These districts are further divided into sub-districts, and then further subdivided into villages:

• Al Mukha District
• Al Ma'afer District
• Al Mawasit District
• Al Misrakh District
• Al Mudhaffar District
• Al Qahirah District
• Al Wazi'iyah District
• As Silw District
• Ash Shamayatayn District
• At Ta'iziyah District
• Dhubab District
• Dimnat Khadir District
• Hayfan District
• Jabal Habashy District
• Maqbanah District
• Mashra'a Wa Hadnan District
• Mawiyah District
• Mawza District
• Sabir Al Mawadim District
• Salh District
• Sama District
• Shara'b Ar Rawnah District
• Shara'b As Salam District

The agriculture of this governorate is diverse. In the Tihamah region, there is only irrigated agriculture, with cotton, sorghum and sesame the chief crops. Inland, whilst these crops are still significant, a much wider range of crops can be grown on rainfall and through water storage. Mangoes, papayas and bananas are the major crops of the western escarpment, and further up coffee and khat are grown. Although wine is prohibited in Yemen because of its alcohol content, grapes are still grown to produce raisins in some areas.

The governorate has many wild animals and birds. The most common wild animals in the governorate are hyaenas, rock hyrax, rabbits, hedgehog, monkeys. The most common wild birds are vultures, falcons, partridges, owls, pigeons, hoopoes, bulbuls.

• Shamir: (Arabic: شمير) also called "Shamir Maqbanah". It is a mountainous region part of Maqbanah district.
• Al-Hugariyyah: (Arabic: الحجرية) It is the largest region in Taiz governorate. It is sometimes mistakenly called al-Hujariah district. The region is part of As-Silw, al-Ma'afer, Hayfan, Sama', al-Mawasit, Jabal Habashy, Dimnat Khadir, and al-Wazi'iyah districts.

• Perim
• Jazirat Ziadi

Mohsen Ayed, journalist and author

Media related to Taiz Governorate at Wikimedia Commons

Official site of the taiz governate