Tabuk (Arabic: تَبُوْك Tabūk, Arabic: [taˈbu:k]) is the capital city of the Tabuk Region in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 594,350 (as of 2022). It is close to the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border and houses the largest air force base in Saudi Arabia.[2]
Tabuk
تَبُوْك | |
|---|---|
 Skyline of Tabuk | |
  Tabuk | |
| Coordinates: 28°23′50″N 36°34′44″E / 28.39722°N 36.57889°E | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Tabuk |
| Elevation | 760 m (2,490 ft) |
| Population (2022 census)[1] | |
• City | 594,350 |
| • Metro | 623,665 (Tabuk Governorate) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| Area code | +966 14 |
History
editPtolemy mentioned a place by the name 'Tabawa', at the northwestern corner of Arabia. This name may be a reference to 'Tabuka' or 'Tabuk'. If this is true, the town may be as old as Ptolemy's time. Pre-Islamic Arab poets such as Antra and Nabiqa mention the mountain 'Hasmi' in their poems.[citation needed]
Tabouk became famous for the Expedition of Tabuk in 630 CE, during the period of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Since then, it remained a gateway to North Arabia. It was visited by Charles Montagu Doughty in 1877.
Tabuk was captured by the Arab forces in 1918, three weeks after the British capture of Damascus.[3] Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the 1991 Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi Scud missiles and air attacks[citation needed].
Archaeology
editThe region is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, walls, the Syrian-Egyptian pilgrimage route, and the remains of the Hejaz railway, the main station of which is located in Tabuk.
Hundreds of localities with rock art and inscriptions dating to different chronological periods and ranging from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk. A study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability and both human and animal figures were represented in it. Numerous sites in the area with Thamudic, Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found.
Tabuk Castle, known as the castle of Aṣ-ḥāb al-Aykah (Arabic: أَصْـحَـاب الْأَيْـكَـة, "Companions of the Wood"), is mentioned in the Quran.[4][5][6][7] The castle dates back to about 3500 BCE and has been restored many times; the last was in 1652. Several forts and stations were built along the Syrian pilgrimage route, from the Jordanian border to Medina to welcome the pilgrims. The fort consists of two floors built around an open courtyard with a mosque, a well, and a stairway leading to the watch towers used by the guards. Tabuk Castle is considered an archaeological landmark of the region and is open to visitors.
Ain Sukkrah is an ancient ‘spring (Arabic: عـيـن, 'ayn') dating back to Iron Age times (Arabic: جَـاهـلـيّـة, 'Ignorance'). There is a legend that during the expedition of Tabuk, Muhammad camped for more than ten days near the spring and drank from its water.[citation needed]
The Prophet's Mosque is also known as the Repentance Mosque. It was originally built with mud and roofed with palm trunk trees. It was restored in 1652. Eventually, its complete renewal was ordered by the late King Faisal ibn Abdul-Aziz, along the pattern of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Demographics
editIn 1950, Tabuk had a population of 12,000. By 2022, this number had grown to 594,350.
Education
edit
Universities include:
Private schools include:
Geography and climate
edit| Climate data for Tabuk (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) |
33.2 (91.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
39.0 (102.2) |
43.4 (110.1) |
44.2 (111.6) |
46.4 (115.5) |
46.0 (114.8) |
45.0 (113.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
32.0 (89.6) |
46.4 (115.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.3 (64.9) |
21.0 (69.8) |
25.2 (77.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
34.8 (94.6) |
38.0 (100.4) |
39.2 (102.6) |
39.5 (103.1) |
37.3 (99.1) |
32.4 (90.3) |
25.0 (77.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
30.1 (86.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.1 (52.0) |
13.6 (56.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
27.1 (80.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32.0 (89.6) |
29.4 (84.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
12.5 (54.5) |
22.5 (72.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.8 (58.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
21.7 (71.1) |
17.1 (62.8) |
10.8 (51.4) |
5.8 (42.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.0 (24.8) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
1.0 (33.8) |
3.0 (37.4) |
10.8 (51.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
14.4 (57.9) |
8.4 (47.1) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 9.1 (0.36) |
2.3 (0.09) |
4.4 (0.17) |
1.2 (0.05) |
1.8 (0.07) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.1 (0.00) |
2.9 (0.11) |
3.3 (0.13) |
1.7 (0.07) |
27.8 (1.09) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 5.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 51 | 42 | 35 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 34 | 43 | 51 | 34 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
−1 (30) |
0 (32) |
0 (32) |
2 (36) |
4 (39) |
6 (43) |
7 (45) |
6 (43) |
5 (41) |
3 (37) |
1 (34) |
3 (37) |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization,[8] Jeddah Regional Climate Center (humidity 1985-2010)[9] (Red Sea International Airport) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Time and Date (dewpoints, 1985-2015) | |||||||||||||
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Transportation
editTabuk Regional Airport is served by Saudia and other airlines, with both domestic and international destinations.
See also
edit
- 1068 Near East earthquake, catastrophic event whose epicentre was in the area of Tabuk[10]
- Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Hegra)
- AlUla
- Rakuba
- Mawqaq
- Hejaz
References
edit- ^ "Tabuk Governorate". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
- ^ Mackey, Sandra (2002), The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom, New York: W.W. Norton and Company, p. 234, ISBN 0-393-32417-6 Updated Edition. Norton Paperback. First edition: 1987; Pbk.
- ^ Saunders, Nicholas J. (2020-08-12). Desert Insurgency: Archaeology, T. E. Lawrence, and the Arab Revolt. Oxford University Press. p. 683. ISBN 978-0-19-103071-0.
- ^ Quran 15:78-79
- ^ Quran 26:176-189
- ^ Quran 38:13-15
- ^ Quran 50:12-14
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Climate Data for Saudi Arabia". Jeddah Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ Ambraseys, N. N.; Melville, C. P.; Adams, R. D. (2005). The Seismicity of Egypt, Arabia and the Red Sea: A Historical Review. Cambridge University Press. pp. 30–32, 101. ISBN 978-0-521-02025-1.
External links
edit
- Tabouk - Saudi Arabia
- Tabuk City on Saudi Tourism Site Archived 2017-04-05 at the Wayback Machine