Tabuk City

Tabuk City is a Saudi city whose presence dates back to more than 500 years before the Common Era, and it was there that the Battle of Tabuk, the last of the Prophet's battles, took place, in Rajab 9 AH.[2]

Al-Tawbah Mosque formed the nucleus from which the city grew, with its neighbourhoods and markets.[2] The city holds archaeological and cultural landmarks, among them the Tabuk Archaeological Fortress, the Tabuk Museum and the Hejaz Railway Museum, alongside water and service projects and seasonal events.[1][4][5][8]

The presence of Tabuk City dates back to more than 500 years before the Common Era, and in Rajab 9 AH the Battle of Tabuk, the last of the Prophet's battles, took place there, after the return from the siege of Taif about six months earlier.[2]

Al-Tawbah Mosque served as a station around which Levantine pilgrims settled on their journey to perform the Hajj and on their return, being an important landmark beside which stands the Tabuk Fortress.[2]

Al-Tawbah Mosque is one of the mosques built by the rightly guided Caliph Umar ibn Abdulaziz in 98 AH, and it was restored several times thereafter, until King Faisal bin Abdulaziz visited it in 1393 AH and ordered that it be rebuilt in the style of the Prophet's Mosque, which was accomplished within one year, and the mosque accommodates three thousand worshippers.[2]

The mosque is regarded as the nucleus from which Tabuk City grew, with its neighbourhoods and markets, and close to it lies the oldest market in the Tabuk region, now called Al-Jadah, the commercial destination of the people of the region for 200 years.[2] Near its site are the remains of the noble Companion Dhu al-Bijadayn, may Allah be pleased with him.[3]

The Tabuk Archaeological Fortress is one of the stations of the Levantine Hajj Route, and its construction dates back to 976 AH; it was restored in 1064 AH, fully renovated in 1259 AH, renovated again in 1370 AH, and given comprehensive restoration in 1413 AH.[1]

The fortress consists of two floors, a water well, a mosque and watchtowers, and its age exceeds five centuries; it is a principal station on the route of the pilgrims from the Levant to Madinah.[5] The standing of the fortress is bound up with the site where the Prophet, peace be upon him, stayed during the Battle of Tabuk.[1]

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage played a role in renovating and rehabilitating the fortress in 1434 AH, so that it became the 'Tabuk Archaeological Fortress Museum'.[1]

The Tabuk Museum contains eight main halls as well as classrooms and halls for receiving visitors, and its total area exceeds 20,000 square metres; the total cost of the museum and the museum display project also reached 100 million riyals.[4]

Tabuk City is also home to the Hejaz Railway Museum, which holds historical pieces, steam locomotives and carriages housed inside the terminal station of the railway that once linked the Levant and the Hejaz.[5]

Wadi Al-Akhdar is among the most important wadis of the region; it extends for 150 km, rises in Harrat Ar-Raha and drains into Qa' Sharura, which lies north of Tabuk, and its most important tributaries include Wadi Qana and Wadi Ar-Ramamiyah.[11]

The storage capacity of the Wadi Damm Dam exceeds 2.5 million cubic metres, and it is one of the city's most important water projects, having helped to retain rainwater, regulate its discharge and protect the neighbouring areas from floods.[8]

During 1428 AH the Agricultural Bank in the Tabuk region signed 138 contracts to lend to farmers, fishermen and specialised agricultural projects, worth fifty million riyals.[12]

The contracts covered a cooling project, a greenhouse project and an olive press, alongside ordinary loans such as drilling artesian wells, irrigation methods, fruit trees, date palm offshoots and water extraction equipment.[12] Since its establishment in 1395 AH, the branch has provided loans and grants worth one billion, seven hundred and six million riyals.[12]

Tabuk Regional Airport was in the early seventies of the Hijri calendar a dirt airstrip used by Dakota aircraft on their routes to other cities and to Jordan and Lebanon at the time, and it was then developed in the eighties of the Hijri calendar with aprons for aircraft parking and runways for landing.[6]

The cost of the airport's future development project exceeded 200 million riyals, and the project includes halls for departing and arriving passengers with a total area of up to 12,600 square metres, and a royal lounge with an area of 1,060 square metres.[7]

The Roses and Fruit Festival is held in the Tabuk region at three sites, foremost among them Prince Fahd bin Sultan Park, the Tabuk Heritage Fortress and the Prince Sultan Civilisation Centre, and it is organised by the Tabuk Region Tourism Development Council.[9]

The Tabuk Winter Festival is likewise held in Prince Fahd bin Sultan Park in Tabuk City and targets all members of the family with varied events and activities.[10]

Q: What are the most prominent milestones in the history of Tabuk City? A: Its presence dates back to more than 500 years before the Common Era, and the Battle of Tabuk, the last of the Prophet's battles, took place there in Rajab 9 AH.[2]

Q: Which mosque formed the nucleus of the city? A: Al-Tawbah Mosque, which was built by the rightly guided Caliph Umar ibn Abdulaziz in 98 AH and accommodates three thousand worshippers.[2]

Q: What are the city's most prominent archaeological and cultural landmarks? A: The Tabuk Archaeological Fortress, whose construction dates back to 976 AH and which was rehabilitated as a museum in 1434 AH, the Tabuk Museum and the Hejaz Railway Museum.[1][4][5]

Q: What are the most prominent events the city hosts? A: The Roses and Fruit Festival and the Tabuk Winter Festival.[9][10]

Q: What are the city's most prominent water and service projects? A: The Wadi Damm Dam, with a storage capacity exceeding 2.5 million cubic metres, and Tabuk Regional Airport.[8][6]

Tabuk City brings together a history extending from more than 500 years before the Common Era [2], archaeological and cultural landmarks led by the Tabuk Archaeological Fortress, the Tabuk Museum and the Hejaz Railway Museum [1][4][5], wadis and water, service and agricultural projects [8][11][12], and seasonal events.[9][10]

Related topics on the platform include Madinah Region and Tayma Governorate.