Overview
Administration
No governorate is named Al-Jawf; the name covers the whole region, which includes Sakaka and the governorates of Al-Qurayyat, Dumat Al-Jandal, Tabarjal and Suwayr, with several administrative centres. [1]
Governorates and cities
Antiquities
Sites here record early human settlement and the early Islamic period, including inscriptions and Zabal Castle in Sakaka, Muwaysin Castle, Marid Castle, Kaf Palace and the Mosque of Umar ibn al-Khattab. The region was a station on an overland route linking Arabia to the north. [1]
Farming and renewable energy
Al-Jawf is described as a varied food basket, with the Kingdom's largest olive farm and modern irrigation. It is also a renewable-energy hub, with a wind farm at Dumat Al-Jandal and the Sakaka solar power plant. [1]
Nature and climate
Dumat Al-Jandal Lake lies in the north of the region and hosts festivals on its shores. The climate is desert-continental, hot and dry in summer and cold in winter, sometimes freezing in January. Jouf University is based in Sakaka. [1]
Related people
- PersonAbdulmajeed AbdullahAbdulmajeed Abdullah is a Saudi artist who performed national operettas at the National Festival for Heritage and Culture and at National Day celebrations, performed a tableau before the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques at the celebration of the people of the Tabuk Region, and attended cultural events including Souq Okaz and the “Lahn Al-Mamlakah” festival. His documented participation extends from 1426 AH/2005 CE to 1445 AH/2023 CE, most notably his receipt of the “Honorary Entertainment Makers Award”.
- PersonImam Muhammad bin Abdul WahhabImam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab was a Saudi reformer who lived and taught in Diriyah and called for the oneness of God and a return to what the Prophet, peace be upon him, brought; his call became tied to the Saudi family, and from Diriyah the influence of the First Saudi State spread.
Related topics
- EventTreaty of Jeddah (1927)The Treaty of Jeddah is an agreement signed in 1927 between King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and Britain. In it Britain recognized Abdulaziz as King of the Hijaz and Najd, affirmed his right to conclude treaties with other states, and brought the Treaty of Darin to an end.
- HistoricThe Great Nafud DesertThe Great Nafud Desert is a vast sand sea in the north of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, covering about 65,000 km², or nearly 3.2% of the Kingdom's land area, with wide parts lying within the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve. It contains a diversity of dune forms and notable landmarks such as Jabal Al-Ulaym and Nafud Al-Ashyakh.
- HistoricKing Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Nature ReserveKing Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve is a royal nature reserve in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the largest reserve in the Middle East, with a total area of 130,700 square kilometres extending across four administrative regions. It contains broad biodiversity and rock art sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- HistoricHarrat Al-Harrah ReserveHarrat Al-Harrah Reserve is a high-conservation natural area in northwestern Saudi Arabia, extending across the Northern Borders and Al-Jawf regions within the boundaries of the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve. It features a volcanic plateau and plant and wildlife diversity, and is the first reserve established by the Saudi Wildlife Authority.
- HistoricAl-Sadu WeavingAl-Sadu is a handweaving craft based on weaving threads of camel hair, goat hair and sheep wool. It is known among the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who used it to make hair houses, carpets, daily necessities and tribal clothing, and its weaving was registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO.
- HistoricKabsaKabsa is a traditional Saudi dish and one of the popular foods of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, known across the Gulf Cooperation Council states as machboos and in Al-Ahsa Governorate as majboos. It has been adopted by George Mason University in the United States on the menu of its international restaurant, and it appears at heritage festivals and events inside the Kingdom and beyond.
- HistoricAl-DahhaAl-Dahha is a performing art and folk heritage particular to the northern regions of Saudi Arabia, performed collectively in one or two facing rows in which the poet Al-Badda' sings, and closed with the dance of Al-Hashi. Al-Dahha features prominently in national festivals, social occasions and weddings.
- HistoricAl-Heda'aAl-Heda'a is an art of light verse recited to delight camels and urge them onward through traditional oral expressions that enable herders to call their camels, gather them and communicate with them; it is known as camel Al-Heda'a and is passed down by the people of the Arabian Peninsula from generation to generation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led the file for its inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and it was inscribed on 30 November 2022.
- HistoricSamriSamri is one of the folk arts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, performed to the beating of drums with distinctive dances, and its name goes back to 'Samar'. It is among the most prominent traditional performing arts in the Najd region and its north, and it has a presence in Al-Jawf and Hail and at national festivals and social occasions.
- TopicNational Renewable Energy ProgramThe National Renewable Energy Program is a national program supervised by the Ministry of Energy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to raise the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix used for electricity generation. It was announced in February 2017 as part of the drive to diversify energy sources and support Saudi Vision 2030, and it aims for the share of gas and renewable energy in the electricity generation mix to reach about 50% by 2030.
- HistoricNajdi ArchitectureNajdi Architecture is a Saudi architectural style that expresses the urban identity of the Najd region, and it draws on local construction materials in a design adapted to the desert climate. Its applications continue in modern urban projects, competitions and cultural events inside the Kingdom and abroad.
- RegionSakaka CitySakaka City is a Saudi city in Al-Jouf region, home to the archaeological landmarks of Za'bal Castle and Sisra Well, alongside service and development projects and seasonal festivals.
- HistoricGhada TreeThe Ghada tree is a desert plant and one of the most famous plants of the deserts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; it reaches a height of 4 metres and its roots extend for tens of metres until they reach water. It spreads from the Rub' al Khali desert in the south to the northern edge of the An-Nafud desert, it stabilises sand dunes, and Al-Ghada Park in Unaizah Governorate holds the largest botanical garden in the world of Ghada trees.