Tabuk
تبوك | |
|---|---|
Snow in the Midian Mountains | |
 Location of Tabuk within Tabuk Province | |
| Coordinates: 28°23′50″N 36°34′44″E / 28.39722°N 36.57889°E / 28.39722; 36.57889 | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Tabuk Province |
| Region | Hejaz |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Tabuk Municipality |
| Population (2022 census) | |
• City | 594,350 |
| • Metro | 623,665 (administrative center) |
| GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total (Metro) | $29.6 billion[1] |
| • Per capita | $43,100 |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (SAST) |
| Area code | 014 |
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Tabuk (Arabic: تَبُوْك Tabūk, Arabic: [taˈbu:k]) is the seat city of Tabuk Province in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It lies near the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border and houses the Second Air Force Base of Saudi Arabia.[2]
History and prehistory
The 1068 Near East earthquake, was a pair of major earthquakes that occurred in 1068; the first of which whose epicentre was in the area of Tabuk.[3]
Tabuk Province is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, sections of the Syrian and Egyptian pilgrimage (Hajj) routes, as well as remains of the Hejaz railway, an important station of which is located in Tabuk.
Hundreds of localities with rock art and inscriptions dating to different archaeological periods ranging from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk. A study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability with representations of both human and animal figures. Numerous sites in the area with Thamudic, Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found.
The ancient region of Midian roughly corresponds to what is now the Tabuk Province.[4] According to tradition, a fortified place belonging to the Aṣ-ḥāb al-Aykah ("Companions of the Wood"), the term used in the Quran for the Midianites,[5][6][7][8] is identified with Tabuk or even its fort, although the extant one is less than five centuries old.
2nd-century Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy mentioned a place by the name 'Tabawa', at the northwestern corner of Arabia. This name may be a reference to 'Tabuka' or 'Tabuk'. If this is true, the town may be as old as Ptolemy's time. Pre-Islamic Arab poets such as Antra and Nabiqa mention the mountain 'Hasmi' in their poems.[citation needed]
Tabouk became famous for the Expedition of Tabuk in 630, during the period of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Since then, it remained a gateway to North Arabia.
Ain Sukkrah is an ancient ‘ayn (Arabic: عَيْن, romanized: spring) dating back to Pre-Islamic Arabia ("Era of Ignorance").[clarification needed] It is remembered that Muhammad camped for more than ten days near the spring during the expedition of Tabuk, and drank from its water.[9]
The Hajj fort of Tabuk we see today dates back to the 16th century, during the Ottoman period and has been restored many times since. Several forts and stations were built along the Syrian Hajj (pilgrimage) route, from Damascus to Medina, to welcome and protect the pilgrims performing the Hajj. The fort consists of two floors built around an open courtyard with a mosque, a well, and a stairway leading to the watch towers used by the guards. The Tabuk fort is considered a historical landmark of the region and is open to visitors.
Tabuk was visited by Charles Montagu Doughty in 1877.
Tabuk was captured by the Arab forces in 1918, three weeks after the British capture of Damascus.[10]
Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the 1991 Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi Scud missiles and air attacks.[citation needed]
Education
University of Tabuk
The University of Tabuk (UT) was established in 2006 as part of a national effort to expand higher-education access across the Kingdom. Since its founding, the university has grown to include multiple colleges and specialized research centers, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as Medicine, Engineering, Business Administration, Computer Science, and Education.[11]
UT also operates several branch campuses across the province, including in Umluj, Haql, Tayma, and Duba, providing educational opportunities to students outside the city of Tabuk.
Other Universities and Institutions
Tabuk is home to additional higher-education institutions, most notably Fahd bin Sultan University (FBSU), a private university offering programs in Engineering, Business, Computer Science, and Humanities.[12] The province also hosts a branch of the Saudi Electronic University, offering flexible online and on-campus bachelor’s and graduate programs.[13]
Technical and Vocational Education
Technical and vocational training in Tabuk Province is overseen by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). Institutions for male students include Tabuk Technical College, Umluj Technical College, Haql Technical College, Al-Wajh Technical College, and branches in Tayma and Duba. For female students, the Technical College for Girls in Tabuk provides diploma programs and vocational training in a range of technical and administrative fields.
General Education
Public schools in Tabuk—covering elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels—operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, serving communities throughout the province.
Geography and climate
| Climate data for Tabuk (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
29 (84) |
35 (95) |
37 (99) |
41 (106) |
42 (108) |
44 (111) |
44 (111) |
41 (106) |
38 (100) |
33 (91) |
28 (82) |
44 (111) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.7 (63.9) |
20.6 (69.1) |
24.9 (76.8) |
29.5 (85.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
36.9 (98.4) |
38.2 (100.8) |
38.7 (101.7) |
36.1 (97.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
23.8 (74.8) |
18.9 (66.0) |
29.2 (84.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) |
13.1 (55.6) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
26.2 (79.2) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.4 (83.1) |
23.4 (74.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.3 (37.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.7 (47.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.3 (66.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
13.3 (56.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7 (19) |
−7 (19) |
−4 (25) |
0 (32) |
7 (45) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
15 (59) |
10 (50) |
5 (41) |
−3 (27) |
−6 (21) |
−7 (19) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 9.1 (0.36) |
2.3 (0.09) |
4.4 (0.17) |
1.2 (0.05) |
1.8 (0.07) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.1 (0.00) |
2.9 (0.11) |
3.3 (0.13) |
1.7 (0.07) |
27.8 (1.09) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 5.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 51 | 42 | 35 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 34 | 43 | 51 | 34 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
−1 (30) |
0 (32) |
0 (32) |
2 (36) |
4 (39) |
6 (43) |
7 (45) |
6 (43) |
5 (41) |
3 (37) |
1 (34) |
3 (37) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 263.5 | 251.4 | 282.1 | 282.0 | 300.7 | 348.0 | 368.9 | 347.2 | 306.0 | 288.3 | 252.0 | 244.9 | 3,535 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.5 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 9.7 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization,[14] Jeddah Regional Climate Center (humidity 1985-2010)[15] (Red Sea International Airport) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun 1986-1990),[16] Time and Date (dewpoints, 1985-2015) | |||||||||||||
Transportation
Air
Prince Sultan International Airport serves as the primary airport for the city, offering both domestic and international flights that connect Tabuk to major destinations across Saudi Arabia and abroad.[17][18]
See also
- Provinces of Saudi Arabia
- List of governorates of Saudi Arabia
- List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia
- Hejaz Mountains
References
- ^ "TelluBase—Saudi Arabia Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ Mackey, Sandra (2002), The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom, New York: W.W. Norton and Company, p. 234, ISBN 0-393-32417-6 Updated Edition. Norton Paperback. First edition: 1987; Pbk.
- ^ Ambraseys, N. N.; Melville, C. P.; Adams, R. D. (2005). The Seismicity of Egypt, Arabia and the Red Sea: A Historical Review. Cambridge University Press. pp. 30–32, 101. ISBN 978-0-521-02025-1.
- ^ Edwards, Grace (2023-12-19). "6: Tabuk and Medina Provinces". Saudi Arabia. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 188–246. ISBN 978-1-7847-7933-7.
- ^ Quran 15:78-79
- ^ Quran 26:176-189
- ^ Quran 38:13-15
- ^ Quran 50:12-14
- ^ Book of hadith of Sahih Muslim
- ^ Saunders, Nicholas J. (2020-08-12). Desert Insurgency: Archaeology, T. E. Lawrence, and the Arab Revolt. Oxford University Press. p. 683. ISBN 978-0-19-103071-0.
- ^ "University of Tabuk". ut.edu.sa. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "Fahd bin Sultan University". fbsu.edu.sa. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "Saudi Electronic University". seu.edu.sa. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Climate Data for Saudi Arabia". Jeddah Regional Climate Center. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Tabuk / Saudi-Arabien" (PDF). Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "HZ-AAK Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ DoD Flight Information Publication (Enroute) – Supplement Europe, North Africa and Middle East. St. Louis, Missouri, United States: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2021. pp. B-419 – B-420.
External links
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- Tabouk - Saudi Arabia
- Tabuk City on Saudi Tourism Site Archived 2017-04-05 at the Wayback Machine
