The Asir mountains (Arabic: عسير‎ ʿsyr Arabic pronunciation: [ʕsiːr] "difficult") is a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia running parallel to the Red Sea. It comprises areas in Asir within Saudi Arabia, however it also generally includes areas near the Yemen border. The mountains cover approximately 100,000 square kilometres (40,000 sq mi) and consists of mountains, plains, and valleys of the Arabian highlands.