its cultivation of grapes, pomegranate, figs, roses and honey
It has been suggested that Jewish tribes who were displaced in the wars of the Himyarite Kingdom by Ethiopian Christians settled near Ta'if.[18]
The walled city was a religious centre as it housed the idol of the goddess Lāt, who was then known as "the lady of Ta'if.
Both Ta'if and Mecca were resorts of pilgrimage.[21] Ta'if was more pleasantly situated than Mecca itself, and their people of Ta'if had close trading relations.