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

Buraydah Buraydah or Buraidah (Arabic: بريدة) is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Province in north-central Saudi Arabia. Renowned as the agricultural capital of Saudi Arabia and often referred to as the food basket of the Kingdom, the cit ...

and north of

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the second largest city in Al-Qassim Province with a population of 184,600 (2022 census). Historically, Unaizah was an important stopping point for Muslim pilgrims coming from Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Persia (now Iran) on their way to

Makkah Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above sea level. Its metropo ...

. Many scientists and historians believe that Unaizah was inhabited hundreds of years before the spread of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, citing its reference in numerous poems from some of the most important poets of pre-Islamic Arabia such as

Imru' al-Qais Imruʾ al-Qais Junduh bin Hujr al-Kindi () was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet from Najd in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, and the last King of Kinda. He is sometimes considered the father of Arabic poetry. His qaṣīda, or long poe ...

Geography

Unaizah is in the south of

Al-Qassim Province The Qassim Province ( ' , 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 1,336,179 and ...

and at the heart of the historical region of

Najd Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...

. It is located roughly 30 kilometers from

(the capital of the province) and more than 300 kilometers north of the Saudi capital,

. Unaizah lies in the northern-central region of the

and to the south of the

Wadi al-Rummah Wadi al-Rummah or ar-Rummah () 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 rises near Medina at Jibāl al Abyaḑ (the White Mountain). It ...

(Rumma Valley), which is the longest

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

on the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

. It is surrounded by

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

to its north and west, which are known locally as the Al-Ghamis Sands. The Al-Ghadha Woods are located to the north of the city. Next to Unaizah is the Al-Aushaziyah

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...

(or Sabkha), which is considered an official part of the city.

Climate

Unaizah has a hot desert climate (Köppen Climate Classification BWh), with long, extremely hot summers and short, very mild winters. The average high temperature in August is . The city experiences very little precipitation, especially in summer, but receives a fair amount of rain in March and April. It is also known to have dust storms during which the dust can be so thick that visibility is under .

Agriculture

Unaizah is an agricultural area and produces

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

of various strains. The region also grows

grape 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 approximately 8,0 ...

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...

s, mandarins,

oranges The orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange (''Citrus × aurantium''), is the fruit of a tree in the family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', between the pomelo (''Citrus m ...

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

s and

dates Date or dates may refer to: * Date, the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') * Jujube, also known as red date or Chinese date, the fruit of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activit ...

Leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...

s (

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 southwestern Asia and North Africa, but it is cultivated in many othe ...

) are a very important part of the local culture of Unaizah. They are popular among the locals and comprise a significant portion of the local agricultural industry. An annual Date Season Festival has been held in September since the early 2000s, giving Unaizah the distinction of hosting the second largest date festival in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

and the Middle East. The festival rivals the date festival of neighboring Buraydah's, which is sometimes known as "Buraydah, the City of Dates".Hot Dates in the Saudi Desert -- The world’s second-largest date festival shifts into high gear.
Andrew Leber,

Slate.com ''Slate'' is an online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States. It was created in 1996 by former '' New Republic'' editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. In ...

, 2017-09-25 Unaizah's 2008 (4th) annual Date Festival was known as the "Unaizah International Date Festival", though the city's title "Unaizah, the Kingdom of Dates" was retained as a motto. Many people from different places of the Middle East come to see this festival and buy dates because they know there is a good quality of dates.

Government

The Unaizah Municipality (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: بلدية عنيزة or

baladiyah Baladiyah () is a type of Arabic administrative division that can be translated as "district", "sub-district" or "municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers ...

: البلدية ) was founded in in Unaizah. It carries out the civic administration for the Metropolitan area of Unaizah. The municipality was established for the purpose of maintaining villages, regulating construction projects and systematizing public health, safety measures and the construction of the infrastructure of the city such as roads, the stormwater drainage network and street lighting. The Unaizah Municipality has 3 main agencies: *Services Agency : Responsible of maintenance and operation of facilities in the city. *Project Management Agency: Responsible of managing and regulating the construction projects in the city. *Urbanization and Planning Agency: Responsible of urban planning and administrating lands and properties in the city. The municipality has had 16 mayors since it was founded. there is 18 villages and offices within the range of Unaizah Municipality.

Education

Unaizah is home to some pioneers in

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

; the first Saudi person from

to earn a PhD. degree was from Unaizah, and his name was Abdulaziz Al-Khowaiter. The first Saudi female from Al Qassim Province to earn a PhD degree was also raised in this city. Her name was Ebtisam Al Bassam. One of the first cities to embrace female education in

and

was Unaizah. It faced resistance from neighboring provinces and brought Unaizah at the forefront of a national debate. After lengthy negotiations, the capital city of Qassim,

Buraidah Buraydah or Buraidah (Arabic: بريدة) is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Province in north-central Saudi Arabia. Renowned as the agricultural capital of Saudi Arabia and often referred to as the food basket of the Kingdom, the cit ...

a sister city of Unaizah, officially recognized the right of an education for females, partly due to

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

's interference in settling the dispute. Today, there are many public schools in Unaizah for all three educational levels (primary, intermediate, and secondary). There are also two

private schools A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...

and one private

international school International schools are private schools that promote education in an international environment or framework. Although there is no uniform definition or criteria, international schools are usually characterised by a multinational student body an ...

. There is also a boys' technological secondary school in the city and a technological college, as well as a girls' educational college.

Qassim University Qassim University is a major public university in Saudi Arabia. The main campus of Qassim University covers about eight square kilometers in the heart of the region. Qassim University has over 38 Colleges, offering over 30 PhD, 70 master's, 120 ...

is located approximately 30 kilometers north of the city, and enrolls both males and females.

Western travelers

The people of Unaizah are well known for their hospitality and acceptance for people from other races and religions. The famous

Charles Montagu Doughty Charles Montagu Doughty (19 August 1843 – 20 January 1926) was a British poet, writer, explorer, adventurer and traveller, best known for his two-volume 1888 travel book '' Travels in Arabia Deserta''. Early life and education Son of Rev. Ch ...

lived in the city during his odyssey and wrote highly about the city.

Amin al-Rihani Ameen Rihani (Amīn Fāris Anṭūn ar-Rīḥānī; / ALA-LC: ''Amīn ar-Rīḥānī''; November 24, 1876 – September 13, 1940) was a Lebanese-American writer, intellectual and political activist. He was also a major figure in the ''mah ...

(the famous

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

- Lebanese scholar and traveler) spoke highly of the city's architecture and works of art in his book " Kings of Arabia" likening it to Paris thereby coining the nickname "Paris of Najd" for the city.

Tourism

There are twelve tourist

festivals A festival is an event 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, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

and activities recognized by the

Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities The Ministry of Tourism (MoT; ), before 2020 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), until 2015 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and prior to 2008 as the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), is ...

, and a calendar has been made for these events. The

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

in Unaizah range from

to private meetings in family ranches. Some of the most notable venues in which festivals are held are the following: * Almusawkaf * Onaizah Mall * Othaim Mall * Al-Ghada Park * Al Bassam Mansion, a traditional house and a private museum * Al Hajeb Parks * Al Hamdan House, a traditional house and a private museum * Asia Resort and Park * Dream Land, the largest

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

in Al Qassim Province and reportedly the Central Region * Judaida Local Market * King Fahd Cultural Center * The Roman amphitheater * Salih Bin Salih Cultural Center * The Unaizah House for Traditional Legacy * Caravanserai Museum, a little museum of antiques, family memories, traditional things, and historical stories There are five

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...

in Unaizah, two of which are currently under construction, in addition to the

rental Renting, also known as hiring or letting, is an agreement where a payment is made for the use of a good, service or property owned by another over a fixed period of time. To maintain such an agreement, a rental agreement (or lease) is sign ...

apartments An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

and suites distributed all around the city: * Al Fahd Crown (under construction) * Golden Tulip (under construction) * Radisson Blu Hotel (under construction) * Onaizah Hotel * Boudl Although Unaizah is thought to be relatively more accepting of visitors than its neighbors, its tourism industry faces criticism for a number of reasons. One such criticism is its disregard for infrastructure maintenance.

Culture

Religion

All of the Saudi

citizens Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...

of Unaizah are

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

with a small minority of

Dharmic religions Indian religions, sometimes also termed Dharmic religions or Indic religions, are the religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent. These religions, which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism,Adams, C. J."Classification o ...

, (mostly

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

) brought and practiced in the city by Asian workers (mainly Indians). As with the rest of Saudi Arabian cities, non-Islamic worship houses are not allowed. The majority of the city's inhabitants are socially conservative. One of Saudi Arabia's leading religious clerics

Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (; 9 March 192910 January 2001), commonly known by his Ibn al-Uthaymin (), was a Saudi Islamic scholar. Family Background and Birth Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaymin Al-Wuhaybi Al-Tamimi was born during the ...

was a student of the

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Abd ar-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa'di, an Unaizah native.

was born and raised in Unaizah. He lived in Unaizah where many mosques have been built and named after him.

Cuisine

The Qassimi cuisine in general, and the cuisine of Unaizah is very famous for its delicious food, and for its renowned and tasty traditional meals such as ''Jereesh'', ''Margoug'', ''Gersan'', and ''Metazeez''. As for sweets, along with other Qassimi sweets, the Qassimi Kleeja is a well-known sweet all over Saudi Arabia and in

Eastern Arabia Eastern Arabia () is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province), and the United Arab ...

. Like other Saudi cities, the

Kabsa Kabsa (), also known as Makboos () or Machboos ( ) is an Arab mixed rice dish that originates from Saudi Arabia or Yemen. It is commonly regarded as a national dish in all the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It can also be found in r ...

is the most traditional lunch. The

Yemeni Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south ...

Mandi is also popular as a lunch meal.

Sports

Unaizah is very active in terms of

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

is the most popular sport all over

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and it is very popular in Unaizah, it is played in school's P.E. (i.e. Physical Education) lessons, and it is common to see a group of kids playing it in the streets. There are two local clubs in Unaizah, the Saudi ''Al Najmah club'', and the ''Al Arabi club''.

Population

The city has experienced very high rates of population growth. Unaizah officially counted population in the city limits in 2010 was 163,729.

Media

Unaizah is served by six major

-language

newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

, '' Al Jazirah'', '' Al Riyadh'', ''

Okaz ''Okaz'' () is an Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in Jeddah. The paper was launched in 1960 and its sister publication is '' Saudi Gazette''. The paper is simultaneously printed in both Riyadh and Jeddah and has offices all over Sau ...

'', '' Al Watan'', '' Al Hayat'', '' Al Yaum''. Unaizah has one local

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

, that issues every four months, it is called ''Paris Najd'', named after the widest spread

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

of Unaizah. In addition to many other national and international magazines distributed everywhere in the city's markets.

Television stations A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's s ...

serving the city area include Saudi TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al Ekhbariyah, ART channels network and hundreds of cable, satellite and other specialty television providers.

Ruling dynasty

The city has been ruled by the Al Sulaim family (Sons of Sulaiman Al-Zamil) since 1818. They came to power when Prince Yehya Al-Sulaim in 1822 killed the governor appointed by the

Ottoman emperor The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its height, the Ottoman Empire spa ...

, Abdullah Al-Jamei. This dynasty still rules the city according to a written treaty between them and the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling fa ...

. Some of the most famous families in

originate from Unaizah, including Al Juffali, Al Saikhan, Al Ohaly, Alsmaeel, AlGarawi, Al Abalkhail, Al Ghothami, Al Hatlani, Al Ghumayz, Al Sulaiman, Al Hamdan, Al Akeel, Al Fadl, Al Tamimi, Al Zamil (ALZamel), Al Olayan, Al Bassam, Al Gadhi, Al Matrody, Al Salloum, Al Saheel, Al Subaiee, Al Senany, Al Mansour, Al Yahya, Al Thukair, Al Turki, Al Dubayan, Al Shoshan, Al Shubaili, Al Shebel, Al Damigh, Al Othaimeen, Al Malloohi, Al Marzooki, Al Manei, Al Se'di, Al Abeeki, Al Houthi, Al Khwaiter, Al Sowayil, Al Daffaa, Al Jaffali, Al Dukhayyel, Al Dakheel, Al Abdeli, Al Suhaimi families and many others. Musaad Al-Sulim

* Mohammad al-Yahya, first Saudi Arabian CEO at the bank of HSBC * Heythem Abdullah ALZamel, one of the First Saudi Trauma/Acute Care Surgeons; educated and trained in the United States. * Abdullah al-Senany, poet, educator, and calligrapher * Azzam al-Kadi, laparoscopic and trauma surgeon, public figure, and assistant professor at Al Qassim University * Mohammad al-Sebayel, the first Arab surgeon to perform a human liver transplant * Abdulaziz al-Hazzaa,

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

notable for his different voice levels. * Musa'ad al-Senany, Saudi Minister of Labor and Social Affairs * Khalid Al-Mansour, Saudi retired footballer * Abdullah al-Nuaim, Riyadh city manager, vice president of

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulalziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in Saudi Arabia. It was known as Riyadh U ...

, founder and President of the Board of Trustees,

King Fahad National Library The King Fahad National Library (KFNL, ) is the legal deposit and copyright library for Saudi Arabia. KFNL was established in 1983 in response to an initiative made by the people of Riyadh when King Fahd ascended the throne. The project was anno ...

* Abdulaziz al-Nuaim, member of the Saudi Shura Council. * Abdullah al-Hamdan, Saudi Air Force general * Abdullah bin Sulaiman al-Hamdan, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, adviser to

* Abdullah Al Shebel, president of

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (), commonly known as Al-Imam University (IMAMU) (Arabic: إمامو), is a public university in the sub-municipality of Shemal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1950 as an Islamic semin ...

* Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al Zamil, industrial engineer and politician, Minister of Industry and Electricity * AbdalRahman al-Subeit, vice president of the

Saudi Arabia National Guard The Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), also known as the White Army, is one of the three major branches of the military forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The national guard is under the administrative control of the Ministry of National ...

* AbdalRahman Abalkhail, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and Saudi Ambassador to Egypt * Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs * Mohammad Al-Sowayel, President of

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST; ) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a governmental organization established in 1977 as the Saudi Arabian National Center for Science & Technology (SANCST; ); in 1985, it was renamed King Abdulaziz ...

* Ahmad Al Dubayan, director of the Islamic Cultural Centre in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

* Ali Al Khayat, poet and writer * Abdullah Al Shoshan, poet * Abdullah Al-Houthi, Former General Manager and Controller of Sabick Inc * Saleh Al-Dabibi, Lawyer * Muhammed Al-Houthi, Former Goalkeeper for Al-Najma SC and the Saudi International Team. Featured on the "Coke Collectible Cans" that featured various "Gold Star" players on the Saudi Arabia National Team. He is seen in the first row, third can. * Abdul Rahman Al-Dabibi, Former Captain of Al-Camel Milk FC. * Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel, former Saudi Ambassador to the United States * Ebraheem Alsuleiman (Alakeel), former chief of Crown Prince Faisal's Royal Court and former Saudi Ambassador to Egypt * Yusef Al-Bassam, President of the Saudi Development Fund * Lubna Olayan, prominent businesswoman * Muhammad Al Shubeili, former Saudi Ambassador to Iraq and Malaysia * Muhammad Al Zughaiby, Minister of Transportation * Abdulmohsen Al-Bassam, Retired officer in the Royal Saudi Air Force and a former astronaut. He was the back-up payload specialist for Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on

STS-51-G STS-51-G was the 18th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fifth flight of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. The seven-day mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 17, 1985, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif ...

. * Nassir Al-Salloum, Minister of Transportation * Dawood Alsulaim, pilot, major general, and former Saudi

Military Attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

to the United Kingdom. * Saleh Al Abbad, former chief of the Saudi Royal Court. * Saleh Al Nugaidan, draughtsman,

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, and

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

. * Sulaiman S. Olayan, one of Saudi Arabia's leading businessmen whose autobiography is titled "From Unaizah to Wall Street." * Sulaiman Al Sulaim, former Minister of Commerce and Finance and Chairman of Saudi American Bank * Abdulrahman Rashed Alkhayat,

Royal Saudi Navy The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF), or Royal Saudi Navy, is the maritime arm of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and one of the five service branches of the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia. Its primary role is monitoring and defending Sa ...

admiral * Saad Al-Sowayan, anthropologist and writer * Abdul-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di, a Sunni Muslim scholar and former imam of the city's Jami' mosque * Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen, a Sunni Muslim scholar and former imam of the city's Jami' mosque

In the news

Unaizah is well known for its hospitality, hence, there are a variety of tourism Festivals in the year. These include dates, and healthy crops festivals. There is also a bi-annual cultural festival which is a trademark for this city. It was the only city of the

region to invite a Saudi

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

cleric to speak in a public event, in a grass-roots effort to promote a united national identity. This drew criticism from conservatives in neighboring cities.

Gallery

Image:Bin Uthaimeen Mosque, Unaizah.jpg, Bin Uthaimeen Mosque Image:Grand Mosque of Unayzah.jpg, Al Gadhi Mosque Image:Unaizah View.jpg, Al Gadhi Mosque and The Municipality Building Image:Unaizah Hotel.jpg, Onaizah Hotel Image:Aerial view of Al Ghadha.jpg, Aerial view of Al Ghadha Desert Festival 2007 Image:King Abdulaziz Road, Unaizah.jpg, King Abdulaziz Road

References

External links

Information about the city

Unaizah's Department of Education

Municipality website
{{Saudi cities Populated places in Al-Qassim Province Cities in Saudi Arabia