Overview
Al-Qassim lies in the north-centre of the Kingdom, roughly equidistant from the eastern and western coasts. It borders Hail, Madinah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province and touches the Northern Borders in the north-west. Its emirate is based in Buraidah. [1]
It is one of five regions not named after their capital and covers about 73,000 km². [1]
Administration
Formed administratively in 1992, the region has 13 governorates and 154 centres: Unaizah, Ar-Rass, Al-Mithnab, Al-Bukayriyah, Al-Badai, Al-Asyah, An-Nabhaniyah, Uyun Al-Jiwa, Riyadh Al-Khabra, Ash-Shimasiyah, Uqlat As-Suqur, Dariyah and Abanat. [1]
Agriculture
Despite scarce rain, Al-Qassim is classed as an agricultural region with rich vegetation, some of the world's largest palm farms and date markets, and Wadi Al-Rumah, the Kingdom's longest seasonal watercourse, running west to east. See also date palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia. [1]
Climate
Al-Qassim is hot for most of the year, peaking in August and September and falling to about 5 °C in some governorates in winter; its sparse rain falls mostly in spring and winter. [1]
History and literature
Related people
- PersonPrince Badr bin AbdulmohsenHis Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is a Saudi poet nicknamed "the engineer of the word" and one of the most prominent pioneers of modern poetry in the Saudi and Arab spheres, whose poetic career spanned more than five decades. He received official honours inside the Kingdom and abroad, and his complete poetic works were collected and translated into English and French.
- 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.
Services
The region hosts Qassim University, based in Buraidah, and Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz International Airport west of Buraidah. [1]
Tourism and nature
- NatureDahna DesertThe Kingdom's third-largest desert, an arc of red sand about 1,200 km long linking the Great Nafud to the Rub al Khali across five regions.
- NatureWadi Al-RumahThe Kingdom's longest seasonal watercourse, about 510 km, rising in the Khaybar lava field and crossing seven governorates of Hail and Al-Qassim to the Thuwayrat sands.
Related topics
- Agricultural heritage and traditional knowledgeDate Palm Cultivation in Saudi ArabiaDate palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia combines food production with knowledge of irrigation, pollination and fruit care. Al-Ahsa illustrates its links to farming heritage.
- HistoricDarb ZubaydahThe Kufa pilgrimage road linking Iraq to Makkah through five Saudi regions, used since before Islam and named after the spring dug by Zubaydah bint Ja'far.
- EventUnification of Saudi ArabiaKing Abdulaziz's path from the recovery of Riyadh in 1902 to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 23 September 1932, now National Day.
- EventThe Capture of RiyadhThe Capture of Riyadh was King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud's recovery of the city of Riyadh and his entry into it with his men on 5 Shawwal 1319 AH, corresponding to 16 January 1902, together with his pledge of allegiance as Emir there. It was followed by the unification of Najd, the capture of Al-Ahsa, and his official recognition as ruler of Najd, Qassim, and Al-Ahsa.
- EventBattle of Rawdat MuhannaThe Battle of Rawdat Muhanna was fought at Rawdat Muhanna in the Qassim region between the forces of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and the forces of the Emirate of Al Rashid. It was followed by King Abdulaziz's consolidation of his authority over Qassim, the official Ottoman recognition of him as King over Najd, Qassim and Al-Ahsa, and the subsequent unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- 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.
- EventBattle of Al-BukayriyahThe Battle of Al-Bukayriyah was fought in 1904 between the forces of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud on one side and the Ottoman Empire (the Turks) and Al Rashid on the other, within the course of the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The records of the Saudi state are preserved in the India Office in London, covering the events of the period from 1902 to 1931.
- HistoricAflajAflaj is a traditional irrigation system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that conveys water from springs, wellsprings and channels to agricultural land, and one of its most prominent models is known locally as the buried channels (Al-Kharaz) in Aflaj Governorate in the Riyadh region. The Al-Ahsa Oasis offers a broad model of spring and channel networks that have developed through modern projects to convert them and raise their efficiency.
- EventBattle of JarrabThe Battle of Jarrab is among the events of the confrontation between Najd and Hail at the outset of World War I, and it was connected with developments in the region, including the military plan of the Ottoman authorities in 1914 and Britain's efforts to make contact with King Abdulaziz; the events of the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia then continued until the proclamation of the Kingdom in 1351 AH / 1932.
- 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.
- EventBattle of MulaydaThe Battle of Mulayda was fought in 1308 AH/1891 and stands among the last decisive episodes in the history of the Second Saudi State, whose era ended the following year, 1309 AH/1891. It was followed by the departure of Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal with his family from Riyadh to Kuwait, and by the role of his daughter Noura in encouraging her brother Abdulaziz, until the recapture of Riyadh in 1319 AH/1902.
- RegionBuraydah CityBuraydah is a Saudi city in Qassim Province, known for a dates economy in which Qassim's production reaches more than 390,000 tons annually and its dates are exported to more than 100 countries. The city is home to the water tower registered in the National Register of Modern Urban Heritage and to the Aqilat Museum, and it has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy.
- 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.
- TopicAlinma BankAlinma Bank is a Saudi bank established under Royal Decree No. (M/15) dated 28 Safar 1427 AH, with a founding capital of SAR 15 billion. It offered 70% of its shares for public subscription on the seventh of April 2008, and its net profits in its first financial year reached SAR 390 million.
- HistoricHoubara BustardThe houbara bustard is a desert bird and one of the most prominent birds of the Arabian Peninsula, with an environmental and cultural value linked to the desert environment and the history of falconry, and it plays a role in preserving ecological balance in arid and semi-arid environments. The Kingdom's efforts to protect it span breeding centres and reintroduction in the royal reserves.
- 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.
- HistoricNabati PoetryNabati poetry is a popular literary art rooted in the Arabian Peninsula that reflects the language of everyday life and addresses different groups of society, and it holds a central role in shaping literary and sung culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states. It is an extension of Arabic poetry in its reliance on transmission by hearing.
- RegionUnaizah CityUnaizah City is one of the historic towns of Qassim Province, and its history is bound up with commercial, agricultural, and scholarly activity that helped shape its local identity. It holds prominent heritage and scholarly landmarks, among them the Al-Bassam Heritage House, the Al-Musawkaf traditional market, and the Sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen Mosque.
- 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.
- HistoricSaudi DatesSaudi Dates is a national product and a leading agricultural crop in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its sector holds more than 37 million palm trees with a production exceeding 1.9 million tons annually, and the value of its exports reached about SAR 1.938 billion in 2025, extending to more than 125 countries.