Rafha (

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 ...

: رفحاء) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions ...

in northern

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 ...

. It is part of the

Northern Borders Province The Northern Borders Province, also known as the Northern Borders Region ( ' is a province in Saudi Arabia, situated in the northern region, bordering Iraq to the north and northwest, and Jordan to the west. History Historically, the province ...

and is located near the border with

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. As of the 2022 census, it has a population of 84,536.

Overview

Rafha is the second-largest city in the

, after Arar. It is situated approximately halfway between

Hafar al-Batin Hafar al-Batin ( '), also frequently spelled ''Hafr al-Batin'', is a city in the Hafar al-Batin Governorate, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located 430 km north of Riyadh, 94.2 km from the Kuwait b ...

and Arar, making it a key location in the province.

Etymology

The name "Rafha" originates from a nearby hill (known locally as a qārah) situated to the northwest of the current city. The hill itself was named after a woman called Rafha, who lived with her family in the vicinity. According to local tradition, there was a small depression (known as a quwayrah) to the east of the area that was also called Rafha. When a well was later dug beside this location, it was named "Bir Rafha" (Rafha Well). Over time, the entire settlement came to be known by this name.

Climate

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).

References

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Overview

Etymology

Climate

See also

References