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 The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

in Saudi Arabia. It is the seventh most populated region in the country after

Jizan Jazan ( ar, جازان, Jāzān), also spelled ''Jizan'' ( ar, جيزان, Jīzān), ''Gizan'' or ''Gazan'', is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia and directly north of the border with ...

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 from the word "Qassimah" ( ar, قصيمة), a reference to قصائم الغضا, meaning the region's sand dunes from which the white saxaul trees grow. The region has a large population of '' Calligonum comosum'' plants, a woody shrub known as ''arta''.

Location

The province is located in the center of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

approximately northwest of

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...

, the capital. It is bordered by Riyadh Region to the south and east, by Ha'il Region to the north, and by

Al Madinah Region The Medina Province ( ar, مِنْطَقَة ٱلْمَدِيْنَة ٱلْمُنَوَّرَة, Minṭaqat Al-Madīnah Al-Munawarah) is a province ('' minṭaqah'') of Saudi Arabia, located on the country's western side, along the Red Sea coa ...

to the west. The region is connected to almost every part of Saudi Arabia by a very complicated network of highways. The regional airport,

Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport ( ar, مطار الأمير نائف بن عبدالعزيز الدولي) , formerly Qassim International Airport, is an international airport serving Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. Located in Mulayda ou ...

, connects Al Qassim (Gassim) to the other provinces of the country.

History

Pre-Islamic Arabia

There isn't much information known about Al Qassim the province in the times of

Pre-Islamic Arabia Pre-Islamic Arabia ( ar, شبه الجزيرة العربية قبل الإسلام) refers to the Arabian Peninsula before the emergence of Islam in 610 CE. Some of the settled communities developed into distinctive civilizations. Informatio ...

Unaizah Unaizah ( ar, عنيزة ) or officially The Governorate of Unaizah (also spelled Onaizah, Onizah, or Unayzah; ar, محافظة عنيزة ) is a Saudi Arabian city in the Al Qassim Province. It lies south of the province capital Buraydah and ...

was repeatedly mentioned as a desert watering hole in the poems of Imru Al Qais (the famous Arabian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

). Moreover, AlJiwa, which is about 60 km north of Unaizah, was mentioned by the heroic Absi poet Antarah bin Shaddad.

The Abbasid era

Al Qassim Province had some important foyers on the road of pilgrims and traders coming from the east (mainly Persia and Iraq) in the era of the Abbasid Empire. The Zubeida road was a long pilgrims road that started from the city of

Kufa Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf a ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

and ran to

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 ...

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

. The road was constructed in the reign of

Harun Al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...

and was named after his wife Zubaidah. It had pilgrims foyers in many of the region's cities including

Tribal conflict (1600s–1907)

The Al Abu Olayan - dynasty from the

Banu Tamim Banū Tamīm ( ar, بَنُو تَمِيم) is an Arab tribe that originated in Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and has a strong presence in Morocco, Palestine, Tuni ...

tribe established the

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

of Buraydah in the late 16th century by its leader, Rashid Al Duraiby. He built Buraydah and made it the province's capital. However,

was ruled by Al Sulaim dynasty from the Subay tribe. The

of Buraydah was later captured by Muhanna bin Salih bin Hussein Abaalkhail from the

Anazzah Anizah or Anazah ( ar, عنزة, ʻanizah, Najdi pronunciation: ) is an Arabian tribe in the Arabian Peninsula, Upper Mesopotamia, and the Levant. Genealogy and origins Anizah's existence as an autonomous tribal group, like many prominent m ...

tribe. In 1890, the

Rashidi dynasty The Rasheed dynasty, also called Al Rasheed or the House of Rasheed ( ar, آل رشيد ; ), was a historic Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the Arabian Peninsula between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the Emirate of Ha'il ...

based in Ha'il annexed the province. In 1904, the Abaalkhail recaptured the province. In 1907, the province was integrated under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Economy and Trade Era "Al Aqilat (late 1850 and early 1900)"

They represent a civilized tribes and families from Najd, specifically from Al Qassim in

. Among most important families of the Aqilat are “Aba Alkhail, Al Rumaih, Al Arfaj, Al Sugair, Al Rebdi, Al Fuzan Alsabig, Al Jarbou, Al Otaishan, Al Rawaf, Al Bati, Al Musalam, Al Sharidah, Al Assaf and Al Tuwajiri” They were famous for trading primarily gold, horses especially Arabian horses, camels, clothing and food from across Arabian Peninsula. They traded in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, Sham "now known Jordan, Syria" and others. This nickname was unique because of their distinctiveness in wearing the Aqal and their unique uniforms from the rest of the people. they were deeply known around the people of the Arabian Peninsula and the Arab world for their courage, generosity, honesty and patience over the hardships of distant travels, as they had a great impact in flourishing of economics and business around the region. They have known as they are heroes of Arabian region as they were first ambassador of His Majesty

King Abdul Aziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

. As the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, said that Al Aqilat are the best and first ambassadors to the Arabian nations in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Crown

Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (c. 5 January 1928 – 22 October 2011) (Arabic: سلطان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ''Sulṭān ibn ʿAbdulʿazīz Āl Suʿūd''), called ''Sultan the Good'' (Arabic: سلطان الخير ''Sulṭa ...

praised the men of Al Aqilat, as he said that they were the first to bring trade to the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia

It is the heart of the Najd region and the centre of the Salafi movement. The province is regarded as one of the key support bases of the Al Saud family, along with Al Riyadh Province, Ha'il province and Al Jawf province. This province has also contributed many notable Salafi ulema and sheikhs.

Population

Geography

Al Qassim province is divided by the

Wadi Al-Rummah Wadi Al-Rummah or ar-Rummah (ar: وادي الرمة) is one of the Arabian Peninsula's longest river valleys, at a length of almost . Now mostly dry and partly blocked by encroaching sand dunes, the wadi arises near Medina at Jibāl al Abyaḑ ( ...

(Rummah Valley). The valley crosses the entire region from the west to the northeast. It is the longest valley in the whole Arabian peninsula, it stretches for about from near

Medina 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 second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...

, to the Thuayrat Dunes in the east, and northeast of the region. The land's height in Qassim is about 600–750 meters above sea level, and it glides from west to east in general.

Climate

Al Qassim region has a typical

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

, known for its cool, rainy winters and for its hot, less humid summers.

List of Governorates

Agriculture

Al-Qassim region hosts more than Eight million Palm Trees, making it one of the Middle East largest producers of dates, producing an annual amount of 205 thousand tons of various types of luxury dates, which gives the region a high economic value by exporting large amounts of dates nationally and internationally, especially in the GCC region. Multi cities in the region market their dates production with dates festivals that mostly start in September, although Buraydah (the capital of the province) hosts the largest festival in the world, at which a lot of people come from all over the

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

to buy their yearly requirement of dates. Along with

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

is still the cornerstone of the region's economy. Although the region has been known for its agricultural assets for a long time, it wasn't until recently that wheat production has been introduced to the local agricultural industry, making

a net exporter of cereal. The region also produces dates,

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

lemons The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

, grapefruits,

mandarin orange The mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-colou ...

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

, pomegranates, and a large group of

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

. The region also hosts one of the biggest camel market in the world, due to its central location, surrounded by Aldahna and alnfound deserts. Agriculture in general is considered to be a very important part of the region's natives culture, with special vegetables being linked to every city, for example eating leeks (

kurrat ''Allium ampeloprasum'' is a member of the onion genus ''Allium''. The wild plant is commonly known as wild leek or broadleaf wild leek. Its native range is southern Europe to western Asia, but it is cultivated in many other places and has becom ...

) is associated with the people of

, while adding

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

s to meals is associated with the people of the city of

Rass Rass or RASS may refer to: Places * Ar Rass a city in central Saudi Arabia * Rass, Bareq, a neighborhood in southwestern Saudi Arabia :''See also Ar Rass (disambiguation) and Ras (disambiguation)#Places for similarly named places'' People * ...

Transportation

Air

(IATA: ELQ, ICAO: OEGS), The airport is an International airport, serving destinations to GCC, Egypt and Turkey. Formerly Qassim Regional Airport and widely known in the air-travel industry as "Gassim" (from Al-Qassim Province). The airport was established in 1964 and it is owned and operated by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The airport is in the city of Al-Mulieda, which is 30 km West of

Buraidah 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 fo ...

and 40 km North West of

. According to (GACA), the number of travelers has increased from 595,170 travelers in 2011 to 1,150,000 travelers in 2014.

Rail transport

The North South Railway Line is a 2,750 kilometres (1,709 mi) railway line, built by Saudi Railway Company (SAR) in Saudi Arabia. Operation on 1,392 kilometres (865 mi) long Connecting Al Jawf Region, Northern Borders Region, Ha'il Region, Al-Qassim Region, Riyadh Region . Al Qassim Railway Station located at East Buraydah 10 km at King Fahad Road. Station facilities : ATM, Business Lounge, Baggage trolleys, Cafes, Customer Service, Lost property, Mosque, Prayer room, Restaurants, Seated area, Shops, Car parking, Baby change, Toilets and Wi-Fi. Timetable : 9 July – 23 September 2017 Riyadh to Qassim (Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri) from 10:00 To 12:26 passing Majmaah Station . Riyadh to Qassim (Thu, Sat) from 17:30 To 20:00 passing Majmaah Station . Qassim to Riyadh (Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri) from 17:45 To 20:16 passing Majmaah Station . Qassim to Riyadh (Thu, Sat) from 21:00 To 23:26 passing Majmaah Station .

Airlines and destinations

Roads

* Highway 65 (Saudi Arabia) (South) connects to

, Eastern Province and GCC Countries. * Highway 65 (Saudi Arabia) (North) connects to Ha'il, Al Jouf, Qurayyat and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Borders. * Highway 60 (Saudi Arabia) (West) connects to

Yanbu Yanbu ( ar, ينبع, lit=Spring, translit=Yanbu'), also known simply as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Al Madinah Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 222,360 (2 ...

, Rabigh en route to Jeddah and

Makkah 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 v ...

. * Highway 60 (Saudi Arabia) (East) connects to Al Zulfi.

Education

Schools

The region is served by

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

s in every city and town for all three educational levels (primary, intermediate, and secondary), and includes various types of school (

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

, private,

Koranic The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

), with international and private schools. The region has 263,379 Female and Male Students, 33,061 Female & Male Teachers and 2,533 Schools.

Universities

Qassim University was established in 2004 by merging two Qassim branches of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University. Since the establishment of the university, it has experienced a growth in enrollment and a significant expansion of faculty and its administrative staff. The number of male and female students registered at university during 2010-11 approached 50,000 and number of faculty members and staff reached well over 4,000, At present the university encompasses 28 colleges both for male and female students.

Technical and Vocational Training Corporation

* As part of the new TVET paradigm for Technical & Vocational Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Qassim has a number of technical colleges which are operated by International Training Providers (ITP's) and these are located in Unaizah, Ar Rass and Buraydah. Hertfordshire London Colleges operate the male and female colleges in Unaizah and they provide a foundation year where students learn to communicate and understand English and IT being taught by Native English speakers from the United Kingdom. The second and third years enables students to specialize in a wide range of technical & vocational subjects which include Automotive, Electronics, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, Business, IT and Retail leading to a diploma qualification. Students will also be allowed to continue their studies to achieve a Degree qualification whilst they are working. * The

Technical and Vocational Training Corporation The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation ( ar, المؤسسة العامة للتدريب التقني و المهني) (TVTC) is a training institute in Saudi Arabia. In existence since 23 June 1980, it has branches in all major Saud ...

has colleges located in Buraidah, Onizah, Ar Rass and Al Badayea. Colleges prepare and train students to be skilled and ready for employment in different sectors (industrial, agricultural, commercial and public services), with a focus on fields of science and technology and offers different specialization's in computer science, electronics, welding, electricity, mechanics, refrigeration and air conditioning, motor vehicles, chemistry, technical and administrative, communications, space management, plumbing, carpentry, photography, marketing, architectural construction, printing, plumbing and paint. * Colleges of Excellence, the international subsidiary of TVTC has opened a new government sponsored college in Buraydah. The College is a vocational college focusing in Business, Technology and Electronics as majors and career fields.

Private colleges

* Qassim Private Colleges * Al-Ghad International Medical Sciences Colleges * Buraydah Colleges * Sulaiman Alrajhi Colleges * Unaizah Colleges

Cities

* Buraydah is the official capital of the region, the largest city in the province, and more than the half of the province’s population lives in it. The palace of the province' prince is located in the city, along with other governmental centers. Buraydah hosts the most important cultural, sports, artistic and official events that occur in the province. It is the seventh largest city (by population) in the country with a total population of 609,000 (2010 census). *

is the region's second city, total population of 163,000 (2010 census). The city is ruled by Al Sulaim dynasty, in accordance to a written treaty between them and the Saudi royal family. The city is known for its

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

s and

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

s. *

Ar Rass Rass (also spelled Ar Rass, or Al-Ras; ar, الرس) is a Saudi Arabian City, located in Al Qassim Province. It lies southwest of Buraydah, the capital of the province and north of Riyadh, the national capital. Arrass is the largest city in ...

is the third city in Al Qassim Province by population, total population of 133,000 (2010 census). It is also thought to be the largest city in Al Qassim Province by area. It has an area of about 60 km² There are also other nearby rural towns including Dulay Rasheed, Almethnab, Al-Bukairiyah, Badaya'a, Riyadh Al-Khabra, Al-Khabra, and Nabhaniya.

Healthcare

Al-Qassim has many hospitals in the region that provide medical services to citizens and visitors to the region, hospitals are under the management of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, and also includes many privately managed hospitals: * King Fahd Specialist Hospital, Buraidah - over 500 beds * King Saud Hospital, Onaizah - 310 beds * Children's Hospital, Buraidah - 245 beds * Buraidah Central Hospital, Buraidah - 215 beds * Mental Health Hospital, Buraidah - 145 beds * Prince Sultan Cardiac Center PSCCQ - 50 beds * Prince Faisal Cancer Centre PFCCQ * Prince Faisal Bin Mishaal Fertility Center * Ar Rass General Hospital، Ar Rass - 250 beds * Al Badayea General Hospital, Al Badayea 130 beds * Al Mothnab General Hospital, Al Mothnab - 130 beds * Al Bukairiyah General Hospital, Al Bukairiyah - 130 beds * Uyun Al jiwa General Hospital, Uyun Al jiwa - 50 beds * Al-Quwarah General Hospital, Al-Quwarah - 50 beds * Al Assiyah General Hospital, Al Assiyah 50 beds * Riyadh Al Khabra General Hospital, Riyadh Al Khabra - 50 beds * Al Wafaa Hospital, Onaizah * Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Hospital, Buraidah * Qassim National Hospital, Buraidah * Security Forces Hospital, Buraidah

Sports

* King Abdullah Sport City Stadium is the major stadium in Al-Qassim Region, located in the capital city of

. The stadium capacity is 25,000 and it hosts different sport and entertainment events. It is also the home ground for Al-Raed and Al-Taawon FC. * Al-Raed is the first sport club established in Al-Qassim Region and the 12'th club in

, established in 1954. Al-Raed is currently playing in the

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...

, which is the highest football competition in the country. * Al-Taawon FC is the second sport club established in Al-Qassim Region and the 14th in

, established in 1956. Al-Taawon FC is first team from AL-Qassim to play in the AFC champions league, which is the highest football competition in Asia, their first appearance is in the 2017 version. They are also currently playing in the

, which is the highest football competition in the country. *Many clubs from Al-Qassim have made good results in the first league, the clubs that have played in the

or previously the (First League) are: Al-Raed, Al-Taoun, Al-Najmah, Al-Arabi and Al-Hazem. *The following is a list of all clubs in Al-Qassim region.

Tourism

According to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), Al-Qassim has been recognized as the number one province in the Kingdom in organizing festivals and events, with an annual number of 173 events in 2014. Al-Qassim Province is rich in heritage, nature, and traditional handicrafts, and its geographical location makes it the hub of diverse cultures and various festivals. Each season in Qassim has a certain festival and a specific occasion that highlights the prominent features of that season. During summer vacation, for nearly a month, various events and festivals are organized in Qassim and its governorates and are held in the markets, museums, public parks, and other locations as per the nature of the event. Such festivals are popular with the entire community, and are attended by women, men and children. The most famous events hosted in Qassim are the Buraidah Recreational Festival, Unaizah Tourism Festival, and the Al-Mithnib Summer Festival. In addition, date festivals are held in Qassim to highlight that the Province is distinguished for its farms and dates. Shopping at the Qassim date market is a unique experience, especially during the harvest season during August and September. Al-Qassim's desert parks become more favorable during the winter and spring seasons, attracting desert lovers as well as the locals and visitors who seek rejuvenation and enjoyment in the open spaces and natural environment. These parks host the spring festivals that are usually organized during the mid-year vacation periods. The festival feature multiple activities and events that highlight the festival's nature and location. In Al-Qassim, a number of festivals are organized in various places during different periods to recognize the city's heritage. The most prominent festivals include Al-Khelija and Traditional Products Festival in Buraidah, Entajee Festival in Unaizah, Al-Musawkaf Traditional Festival in Unaizah, Eid Al-Khabra Festival, Reef Al-Awshaziyah Festival, and Al-Russ Heritage Festival. The region hosts many hotels, apartments and resorts for its year around visitors, such as the Mövenpick Hotel in Buraidah, Golden Tulip in Buraidah and Unaizah, Radisson blue in Buraidah, Boudl Resort and Apartments in Buraidah and Unaizah, and the Ramada Hotel in Al-Bukairiyah. Although variety of resorts and chalets and farm are offered such as Al-Malfa Rural Resorts in Unaizah.

References

{{Authority control Provinces of Saudi Arabia Najd