Taiz is a city in the Yemeni Highlands, near the famous Mocha port on the Red Sea, lying at an elevation of about 1,400 metres above sea level and Sabir Mountain that neighbors it rises the 3,006 metres above the city. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. With a population of over 600,000 in 2005, it is the third largest city in Yemen after the capital Sana'a and the southern port of Aden. When Yemen was at peace, it was considered to be the cultural capital of Yemen.