Tabuk (Arabic: مِنْطَقَة تَبُوْكMinṭaqat Tabūk) is a province of Saudi Arabia, located along the northwestern coast of the country, facing Egypt across the Red Sea. It has an area of 146,072 km2 and a population of 910,030 (2017).[2] Its capital is Tabuk. The governor is Fahd bin Sultan since 1987.[3] In recent years, the province has received substantial media attention due to the Saudi government's planned Neom City project in the province.[4]
History
Ancient temples in what used to be Midian, nowadays the region of Tabuk
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 of 1916–1918.[5]The province has traditionally been inhabited by the Howeitat tribe.
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.[7] In the past, a narrow-gauge railway (1,050 mm / 3 ft 511⁄32 in track gauge) ran from Damascus to Medina through Tabuk. Remains of the railway can be found in Tabuk, where a large station was built. The station has since been restored.[8]
List of governors
The governors of the region since 1926 are as follows:[9]
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
^"Saudi King Orders Appointment of Faisal bin Salman as Special Adviser, Salman bin Sultan as Governor of Madinah Region". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
^"Population Characteristics surveys" (PDF). General Authority for Statistics. 2017.
^Sabri, Sharaf (2001). The house of Saud in commerce : a study of royal entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. New Delhi: I.S. Publications. ISBN 8190125400. OCLC 47863742.
^"Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince reveals project 'THE LINE' in futuristic city of NEOM". 10 January 2021.
^"Tabūk | Saudi Arabia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
^"Saudi Arabia: Regions & Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". citypopulation.de.
^"Tabouk City Profile, Saudi Arabia". The Saudi Network. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
