Yanbu City

Yanbu City is a Saudi city located on the Red Sea coast, about 200 kilometres west of Madinah, 300 kilometres south of Al-Wajh and 300 kilometres north of Jeddah, and it is divided into three cities: Yanbu Al-Bahr, Yanbu Al-Nakhl and Yanbu Industrial City.[1]

Yanbu is known as the "Pearl of the Red Sea" for the natural and tourism assets that make it a favoured destination for visitors from Madinah Province and the Kingdom's other regions, combining a long-established historic district, a modern industrial city, and major ports and service facilities.[1][10][15]

Yanbu City lies on the Red Sea coast, about 200 kilometres west of Madinah Province, 300 kilometres south of Al-Wajh and 300 kilometres north of Jeddah.[1]

The city is spread across three cities: Yanbu Al-Bahr on the coast, Yanbu Al-Nakhl inland, and Yanbu Industrial City, where the industrial complexes and the facilities of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu are located.[1]

The historic part of Yanbu dates back at least 2,500 years and contains ancient standing monuments, most notably the old Al-Sour district.[1] The district reflects the traditional coastal building style and was the important commercial centre of Yanbu City; it lies in the southern part of the governorate and contains old popular houses that once housed the merchants of Yanbu.[1]

The buildings of Al-Sour were constructed from sea stone (Al-Munqabi), with palm trunks and tamarisk trunks used for the ceilings, and they are distinguished by their facades, mashrabiyyas and wooden doors. Among its best-known buildings are Bayt Babtain, Bayt Al-Khatib, Bayt Jabarti and Bayt Al-Shami, together with the commercial agencies, the heritage Al-Zaytiyah and the popular Souq Al-Layl.[1]

The historic area of Yanbu governorate, known as Historic Yanbu, is one of the most important visitor attractions. It lies at the heart of Yanbu overlooking the Red Sea shore and contains old shops and houses and the heritage Souq Al-Layl with the heritage corners that evoke the life of earlier generations, where traders stand before their stores displaying traditional crafts and family products.[17] Work on developing this heritage fabric continues: the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage completed the rehabilitation of a number of buildings in the first phase of the Historic Yanbu project, covering the heritage hotel, the commercial agencies and the cultural buildings, with emphasis on completing the infrastructure of the historic area so that it becomes a prominent tourist destination on the Kingdom's tourism map.[10]

The historic markets of Yanbu Al-Bahr have regained their lustre after the market was architecturally redesigned in its old spirit and with its wooden doors, making heritage towns and old markets a destination for visitors, especially as Yanbu's fine climate coincides with the mid-year holiday and the launch of the Saudi Winter Season.[11]

The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu oversees Yanbu Industrial City. In 2014 the Royal Commission in Yanbu signed an agreement for the smart Yanbu Industrial City development project with the company "Bayanat" to manage, develop, operate and maintain the unified network for communications and information technology services, in an effort to make Yanbu Industrial City the first smart city in the Kingdom.[6]

The "Modon" oasis in Yanbu was inaugurated on 8 June 2023 over an area of 500,000 square metres, to strengthen the value chain and create an attractive environment for investment and to support entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises. The inauguration saw the signing of logistics and industrial contracts with an investment value of up to 20 million riyals.[9]

King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu is the largest on the Red Sea coast for loading crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals, and its capacity reaches 210 million tonnes a year.[2] In the first half of 2018 the port handled about 40 million tonnes of various goods and petroleum derivatives, with total imports of 16 million tonnes and exports of 24 million tonnes, across 900 ships.[2]

The port continues to develop its facilities and services. On 15 April 2026 the President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu reviewed the strategic and expansion projects at the port and the infrastructure and services provided to the industrial cities of Yanbu.[18]

The desalination plants in Yanbu are a mainstay in supplying Madinah Province with desalinated water. On 26 May 2014 the Saline Water Conversion Corporation inaugurated the first desalination unit in the Yanbu Phase Three project with a production capacity of 94,360 cubic metres a day, part of six units, four of which were manufactured in international factories, while the remaining two units are to be manufactured inside the Kingdom.[4] On completion of the project the export capacity reaches 550,000 cubic metres a day to cover the growing demand for desalinated water in Madinah Province.[4]

A desalination and power generation plant is being built on the Red Sea coast south of the Yanbu desalination plants, with a production capacity of 550,000 cubic metres of water a day and 2,500 megawatts of electricity, of which 1,850 megawatts is for the Saudi Electricity Company and 650 megawatts for Marafiq.[5]

On 30 July 2014 King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu received the Korean vessel "dongbang jiant 3" carrying the world's largest water desalination unit, for transport and installation at the Yanbu saline water desalination plant; it is the second of four units planned for the plant.[3]

Yanbu governorate is known, through Yanbu Al-Nakhl centre, for growing henna and producing more than 700,000 kilograms a year, and it contains more than 430 henna farms; a henna festival was held at the celebrations centre in Yanbu Al-Nakhl with the participation of more than 20 farmers.[13] On 3 March 2020 the "Al-Hadrah" caravan event set out from the Tuesday market (Souq Al-Suwaig) in Yanbu Al-Nakhl to Yanbu Al-Bahr, loaded with goods produced by the farms of Yanbu Al-Nakhl, as part of the "Al-Tasnidah" event, an authentic Yanbu heritage tradition in which caravans set out from Souq Al-Suwaig, one of the most famous markets of the Arabian Peninsula.[12]

On 25 February 2020 the Governor of Yanbu chaired a meeting on developing the springs of Yanbu Al-Nakhl attended by the relevant bodies, and affirmed the interest of the Governor of Madinah Province in finding solutions to make use of the springs, develop the surrounding areas and preserve this national resource.[16]

Al-Yanbuawi art is a maritime colour born from the throats of fishermen in the Red Sea ports, and accounts of veteran sailors indicate that its beginnings go back centuries, when it was known as "Al-Madd".[14] It tells of the fisherman's journey through the night sea, and its melodies are sung on the simsimiyya instrument; it usually begins with a mawwal, then the dawr, then the tabheerah, and local archives have documented more than 2,000 recordings of it.[14]

The art spread with sea voyages and trade exchange from the Yanbu coast to the coasts of Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, and it continues to be present as one of the oldest Saudi maritime arts, preserving its authenticity despite the introduction of modern instruments into its contemporary performances.[14]

The waterfront of Yanbu Industrial City extends more than 11 kilometres along the Red Sea coast and includes green spaces and equipped parks, and within the Royal Commission's system it contains the largest natural mangrove reserve in Yanbu, enhancing quality of life and creating job opportunities through the tourism, recreational and residential projects.[7]

Yanbu is a summer destination that combines the beauty of nature with varied recreational options; it is distinguished by relatively moderate maritime weather in which temperatures do not exceed 32 degrees Celsius, and it contains resorts, accommodation facilities and tourism services, with growing demand for water sports, jet skis and sea trips.[15]

Yanbu City is served by Prince Abdul Mohsen bin Abdulaziz Airport. On 28 November 2019 flyadeal launched its first scheduled flights from the airport, with two daily scheduled flights from Riyadh and Dammam, making it the eighth operating airline at the airport.[8]

Q: Where is Yanbu City located? A: On the Red Sea coast, about 200 kilometres west of Madinah, 300 kilometres south of Al-Wajh and 300 kilometres north of Jeddah.[1]

Q: Into how many cities is Yanbu divided? A: Three cities: Yanbu Al-Bahr, Yanbu Al-Nakhl and Yanbu Industrial City.[1]

Q: How old is the historic part of Yanbu City? A: The historic part of Yanbu (Al-Sour district) dates back at least 2,500 years.[1]

Q: What is Yanbu Al-Nakhl centre known for? A: Growing henna and producing more than 700,000 kilograms a year on more than 430 farms.[13]

Q: What is the nickname of Yanbu City? A: The "Pearl of the Red Sea".[15]

Yanbu City combines a historic heritage extending thousands of years on the Red Sea coast with an industrial and service renaissance spanning industrial cities, ports, desalination plants and tourism destinations.[1][2][15] Related topics on the platform include Madinah Province, Jubail City, Jeddah and Saudi Vision 2030.