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Najran
Qatif
Ras Tanura
Riyadh
Sakaka
Sharurah
Tabouk
Taif
Thaj
Unaizah
Usfan
Uyaynah
Najran
Najran lies in the south-west of the Kingdom. It is bounded by Yemen to the south; Al-Silayel and Wadi Al-Dawasir to the north; Dhahran Al-Janoub and the Asir region to the west; and Oman in the east.
Although Najran has a desert climate, the heavy monsoon rains that fall in the spring, combined with its underground water reserves, produce fertile agricultural land.
Originally Najran was a small trading town known as Abul Saud. In 1965, New Najran was established. The new town was provided by the Government with educational, health and civil defense facilities.
Of particular note has been the large scale tree-planting program, creating parks in Najran itself and in the surrounding villages.
Najran also boasts the largest water dam in the Kingdom, the Najran Valley Dam, with a storage capacity of 85 million cubic meters (3,000 million cubic feet).
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Qatif
Qatif is an oasis city located in the north eastern part of the Kingdom, lying along the coast of the Arabian Gulf, some 20 kilometers north of Dammam. Qatif is the centre of the most important agricultural and fishing areas of the Kingdom. The soil in the region is rich and Qatif itself is surrounded by an abundance of palm trees.
Qatif's inhabitants are mainly farmers, fishermen, and those engaged in some aspect of the oil industry.
The city is well supplied with educational and healthcare facilities. There are a number of schools and health centres, a 300-bed general hospital and a smaller specialist hospital.
In addition to its involvement in the oil industry and commerce, the Qatif region has a thriving agricultural sector, producing a wide range of crops, including dates, cereals, vegetables, fruit and poultry. Qatif is also the main supplier of fish to the Eastern region.
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Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura, the site of the Saudi Aramco Ras Tanura oil refinery, is the world's largest petroleum port. It is located in the Eastern region of the Kingdom, north of Dhahran.
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Sakaka
Sakaka, an oasis town, is located in Al Jouf region, north east of Al Jouf oasis. It lies on the old caravan route from the Meditarranean to the south of the Arabian peninsula. With the help of government investment to improve agriculture in the region, Sakaka has developed its agricultural production (predominantly dates and dairy produce).
On the northern edge of the town is the citadel of Qasr Za'abel. The citadel was built in the early 19th century and restored by the Saudi Government in 1994. It is remarkable for its irregular shape dictated by the contour of the hill on which it is built.
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Sharurah
Al-Sharurah is located in the south of the Kingdom, a little more than 200 miles east of the town of Najran within the Rub al-Khali desert. At Al-Sharurah is the King Khalid air base and an army brigade.
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Tabouk
Tabouk lies in the north west of the Kingdom. The Tabouk region stretches north to Halat Ammar and Bir Bin Hammas; south to Omluj; east to Taima and Markaz; and west to the Red Sea.
Standing high above sea level, the town of Tabouk enjoys an equitable climate. Tabouk has enjoyed the benefits of a comprehensive development program, energetically implemented.
Tabouk is a town of great antiquity. In 500 B.C. Tabouk (then known as Taboo) was, with Al-Ola, the capital of Al-Ayaneyean. Tabouk is rich in historic monuments dating from before and after the time of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Today, it happily combines an egregious past with the benefits of modern development.
Below you can see a selection of pictures from Tabouk.
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Taif
Taif (which lies south east of Jiddah and the Holy City of Makkah) stands 1,800 meters above sea-level on the eastern slopes of the Al-Sarawat mountains. Its cooler temperatures have made it a traditional summer resort for both these cities and, in the summer months, the seat of government is moved from the dry heat of Riyadh to the more equable climate of Taif.
Taif embraced Islam in the ninth year of the Hijira. It was amongst the first cities, after Madinah, to accept the word of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Taif is famous for its agricultural produce which includes grapes and honey.
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Thaj
Thaj lies in the Kingdom's Eastern region. Today Thaj is a village, set in a desert - but 2,000 years ago it was a bustling city on an important trade route running between Mesopotamia and the Yemen.
A ruined fortress is one indication of Thaj's former importance.
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Unaizah
Unaizah lies to the south of Buraidah in the Qasim region. It has a desert climate (hot summers and cold winters).
The Unaizah region has made a substantial contribution to the Kingdom's agricultural and fisheries development programs. In addition to the wide variety of wheat and barley strains which it produces, the region grows grapes, grapefruit, lemons, mandarins, oranges and pomegranates. It is particularly famous for its date palms.
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Usfan
Usfan is a small town located 40 miles north-east of the center of Jeddah. In the past, Usfan was the last stop for pilgrims on their journey from the north (Syria and Jordan) to the Holy City of Makkah. Today it is the site of the junction of two of the Kingdom's modern expressways.
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Al-Uyaynah
Al-Uyaynah, the birthplace in 1703 of Muhammad Abdul Wahhab, is located in the central Nejd.
In the middle of the 18th century, Al-Uyaynah was the seat of the powerful Al-Mu'ammar family of the Bani Tamim. When Muhammad Abdul Wahhab returned from his travels around the Middle East and began to preach the pure form of Islam to which he was committed, he met with a mixed reception. In the end, the Al-Muammar family compelled him to leave the town.
Driven from his town of birth, Abdul Wahhab travelled some 40 miles to Ad-Diriyah, which, since 1726, had been the seat of the local prince Muhammad bin Sa'ud.
Abdul Wahhab was welcomed by Muhammad bin Saud. He continued his preaching, attracting great support from the surrounding tribesmen. In 1745, an alliance was formed between Muhammad bin Saud and Muhammad Abdul Wahhab that was to change the history of the Arabian peninsula.
Al-Uyaynah was one of the first towns to fall under the sway of the new alliance. Riyadh held out for another 27 years but then succumbed.
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Resources:
https://www.cia.gov
http://www.saudinf.com
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://i-cias.com
http://www.mofa.gov.sa
http://www.saudinf.com
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General Facts
