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King Abdulaziz Center For National Dialogue
The King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue ( ar, مركز الملك عبدالعزيز للحوار الوطني ) has been the "auspices" for the National Dialogue Forum in Saudi Arabia. The center is located in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on the Northern Ring Branch Road. (As of 2015 there have been ten "National Meetings" in the kingdom but only the first was held in Riyadh.) The National Dialogue Forum was instituted in June 2003 "to debate reform and suggest remedies" following several events: the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, terrorist attacks inside Saudi Arabia that led to the deaths of over 40 people in 2003, and several "Memorandum of Advice" submitted to the King petitioning him to "acknowledge diverging opinions" in the kingdom. The 70 people appointed by then-Crown Prince Abdullah to the dialogue included Shia, women and some noted liberals—in what one source (''The Economist'') called "unusually for Saudi Arabia." One analyst (Gilles Kepel) describ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Najran
Najran ( ar, نجران '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated as a new town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to 246,880 in 2004 and 505,652 in 2017. The population mostly originates from the ancient tribes of Yām, Mákram, and Hamdan. Najranis are Muslims, with Shia, Ismaili forming the plurality of the religious adherents. Hanbali, Shafi'i, and Maliki Sunnis form the second-largest religious group in the city, while the Zaydi Shia form the smallest religious group. The Arabic term ' has at least two meanings: both the wooden frame on which a door opens and also 'thirsty'. Local tradition also has it that the land derived its name from the first man to settle in the area, Najran ibn Zaydan ibn Saba ibn Yahjub ibn Yarub ibn Qahtan. Najran was the Yemeni centre of cloth making and originally, the ''ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above sea level. Its last recorded population was 1,578,722 in 2015. Its estimated metro population in 2020 is 2.042million, making it the third-most populated city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah. Pilgrims more than triple this number every year during the pilgrimage, observed in the twelfth Hijri month of . Mecca is generally considered "the fountainhead and cradle of Islam". Mecca is revered in Islam as the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Hira cave atop the ("Mountain of Light"), just outside the city, is where Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to Muhammad. Visiting Mecca for the is an obligation upon all able Muslims. The Great Mosque of Mecca, known as the , is home to the Ka'bah, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Bahah
Al Bahah ( ar, ٱلْبَاحَة, ') is a city in the Hejazi area of western Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Al Bahah Region, and is one of the Kingdom's prime tourist attractions. It enjoys a pleasant climate and is surrounded by more than forty forests, including Raghdan, Al-Zaraeb and Baidan. Al Baha is the headquarters of the Governor, local councils and branches of governmental departments. Receiving the state's special attention, the city of Al Baha abounds in educational, tourist and health institutions. It is considered the capital of the Ghamdi and Zahrani tribes in Saudi Arabia, and most of its inhabitants are from the native tribes. The name "Pearl of Resorts" is the name given to Al-Baha by those acquainted with the city. The name "Garden of the Hejaz" ( ar, حَدِيْقَة ٱلْحِجَاز, Ḥadīqat al-Ḥijāz) was the name given to it by the Sharif of Mecca. Geography and location Al-Baha City lies in the west of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jizan Region
Jizan Region also spelled Jazan ( ar, جيزان, Jizan) is the second smallest (after Al Bahah) region of Saudi Arabia. It stretches along the southern Red Sea coast, just north of Yemen. It covers an area of 11,671 km2 and has a population of 1,567,547 at the 2017 census. The region has the highest population density in the Kingdom. The capital is the city of Jazan; Prince Muhammad bin Nasser has been the Governor since April 2001. The region includes over 100 islands in the Red Sea. Jazan Economic City is a mega project that is planned to boost the economy of the region and make it part of the Saudi economic growth. The Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia's first conservation protected area, is home to migratory birds from Europe in winter. Geography The region divides into three parts. * The Al-Sarawat mountains inland, which rise to about 3,000 metres. * The Alhazoun forest district consists of forest broken by some areas of rich pasture. * The plains are noted for th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
'Asir Region
The ʿAsir Region ( ar, عَسِيرٌ, ʿAsīr, lit=difficult) is a region of Saudi Arabia located in the southwest of the country that is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,211,875 (2017). It is surrounded by Mecca Province to the north and west, Al-Bahah Province to the northwest, Riyadh Province to the northeast, Jazan Province to the south, and Najran Province to the southeast. ʿAsir also shares a short border with the Saada Governorate of Yemen to the south. The capital of the ʿAsir Region is Abha. Other towns include Khamis Mushait, Bisha and Bareq. The regional governor is Turki bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (appointed 27 December 2018), a son of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. He replaced his cousin, Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on the same day. Geography The ʿAsir Region is situated on a high plateau that receives more rainfall than the rest of the country and contains the country's highest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al-Qassim Region
The Qassim Province ( ar, منطقة القصيم ' , Najdi Arabic: ), also known as the Qassim Region, is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of the country near the geographic center of the Arabian Peninsula, it has a population of 1,370,727 and an area of 58,046 km². It is known to be the "alimental basket" of the country, for its agricultural assets. Al-Qassim has the lowest share of population living below local poverty line in Saudi Arabia. It is the seventh most populated region in the country after Jizan and the fifth most densely populated. It has more than 400 cities, towns, villages, and Bedouin settlements, ten of which are recognized as governorates. Its capital city is Buraydah, which is inhabited by approximately 60% of the region's total population. The governor of the province from 1992 to 29 January 2015 was Prince Faisal bin Bandar, succeeded by Prince Faisal bin Mishaal. Etymology Al Qassim also "Al Gassim" "Gassim" derived ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia
Al-Jawf Province ( ar, منطقة الجوف Minṭaqat al-Jawf pronounced lˈdʒoːf, also spelled Al-Jouf, is one of the provinces of Saudi Arabia, located in the north of the country, containing its only international border with Jordan to the west. It is one of the earliest inhabited regions of Arabian Peninsula, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Stone Age and the Acheulean tool culture. Human settlement continued unbroken throughout the Copper Age, a period that saw the kingdom of Qidar fight against the Assyrian state for its independence. It is also in this period that references to Arabs first appear in historical texts. A Christian kingdom later emerged under the rule of the Bani Kalb tribe and survived until the arrival of Islam and the Islamic conquest of Al-Jawf. Following the region's Islamization it fell under the control of the Tayy tribe. Al-Jawf was incorporated into the third Saudi state at the time of its formation in 1932. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buraydah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known for its dates festival which is the biggest in the world with various types of dates. It has been called the city of dates. On November 8, 2021, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "UNESCO" included the city of Buraidah within the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities, in the field of gastronomy. Buraydah, the regional capital of Al-Qassim Region, is located on the edge of the Wadi Al-Rummah. Buraydah has a typical desert climate, with hot summers, mild winters and low humidity. In Buraydah, agriculture is still the cornerstone of the economy. The traditional oasis products of dates, lemon, orange and other fruits are still important. Modern introduction of wheat production has become so successful that Bura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's prominence grew in 647 when the Caliph Osman made it a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, channelling goods to Mecca, and to serve Muslim travelers for Islamic pilgrimage. Since those times, Jeddah has served as the gateway for millions of pilgrims who have arrived in Saudi Arabia, traditionally by sea and recently by air. With a population of about 4,697,000 people as of 2021, Jeddah is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest city in Hejaz, the second-largest city in the Saudi Arabia (after the capital Riyadh), and the ninth-largest in the Middle East. It also serves as the administrative centre of the OIC. Jeddah Islamic Port, on the Red Sea, is the thirty-sixth largest seaport in the world and the second-largest and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madinah
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province of Saudi Arabia. , the estimated population of the city is 1,488,782, making it the List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia, fourth-most populous city in the country. Located at the core of the Medina Province in the western reaches of the country, the city is distributed over , of which constitutes the city's urban area, while the rest is occupied by the Hijaz Mountains, Hejaz Mountains, empty valleys, Agriculture in Saudi Arabia, agricultural spaces and older dormant volcanoes. Medina is generally considered to be the "cradle of Islamic culture and civilization". The city is considered to be the second-holiest of three key cities in Islamic tradition, with Mecca and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
