Tabuk ( ar, مِنْطَقَة تَبُوْك '), also spelled ''Tabouk'', is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

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 ...

, located along the north-west coast of the country, facing

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

across the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

. It has an area of 146,072 km² and a population of 910,030 (2017). Its capital is Tabuk. The governor is Fahd bin Sultan since 1987. In recent years, the province has received substantial media attention due to the Saudi government's futuristic

Neom Neom (styled NEOM; ''Neom,'' ) is a city being built in Tabuk Province in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is planned to incorporate smart city technologies and function as a tourist destination. The site is north of the Red Sea, east of Egypt acr ...

City project in the province.

History

The history of the Tabuk region dates back to 5,000 years ago. The region is identified with the land of Madyan. The region is traversed by the Hejaz Railway, which was a focus for attacks during the

Arab Revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On ...

of 1916/18.

Population

Major cities

* Tabuk *

Tayma Tayma (Taymanitic: , vocalized as: ; ar, تيماء, translit=Taymāʾ) or Tema Teman/Tyeman (Habakkuk 3:3) is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Me ...

* Duba * Al Wajh * Haql *

Umluj Umluj ( ar, أملج) is one of the governorates in Tabuk Region, 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 ...

* Al-Bad' *

(Planned) * Amaala (Planned)

Economy

Tabuk is an active commercial center, serving pilgrims passing through towards Mecca. Due to its moderate climate, it's also the site of several dairy and poultry farms. The region (Astra) exports flowers to Europe, mainly lilies, statices and gladiolas. In the past, a narrow-gauge railway (1,050 mm / 3 ft 511⁄32 in

track gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many ...

) ran from Damascus to

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 ...

through Tabuk. Remains of the railway can be found in Tabuk, where a large station was built. The station has since been restored.

List of governors

The governors of the region since 1926 are as follows: * Muhammad ibn Abdulziz Alshahl from 1926 to 1930 * Abdullah bin Saad from 1930 to 1931 * Abdullah bin Saad bin Abdul Mohsen Al Sudairi from 1931 to 1935 * Saud bin Hizlol bin Nasser Al Saud from 1936 to 1937 * Musaed Saud bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of 1938 to 1950 * Suleiman bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Sultan from 1950 to 1950 * Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed from 1950 to 1951 * Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sudairi from 1951 to 1955 * Musaad bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sudairi from 1955 to 1972 * Sulaiman bin Turki bin Suleiman Al Sudairi from 1972 to 1980 * Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud from 1980 to 1986 * Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz Al Saud from 1986 to 1987 *

Fahd bin Sultan Al Saud Fahd bin Sultan Al Saud (born 20 October 1950) has been the governor of Tabuk Province since 1987 and a member of House of Saud. Early life and education Fahd bin Sultan was born in Riyadh on 20 October 1950. He is the second eldest son of Sult ...

, 1987–present

Destinations

* The Fortress of Tabuk * The Birds Garden * The Park of Prince Fahad bin Sultan

References

External links

The-Saudi.net on Tabouk

Provinces of Saudi Arabia {{SaudiArabia-geo-stub