5 CITIES

Abha, Al-Ula, Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh

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Abha

Abha is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia. It is situated 2,270 metres (7,450 feet) above sea level in
the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha's mild climate
makes it a popular tourist destination for Saudis. Saudis also call the city the Bride of Mountain due to its
position above the sea.

Al-Ula

Al-Ula is an ancient Arabic oasis city located in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia. Situated in the Hejaz, a
region that features prominently in the history of Islam as well as several pre-Islamic Semitic civilizations,
al-‘Ulā was a market city on the historic incense route that linked India and the Persian Gulf to the Levant
and Europe. The immediate vicinity contains a unique concentration of precious artifacts, including well-
preserved ancient stone inscriptions that illustrate the development of the Arabic language, and a
concentration of rock dwellings and tombs that date from the Nabatean and Dedanite periods that
coincided with Greco-Roman influence during classical antiquity. Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World
Heritage Site, Hegra (also known as Al-Hijr, or Mada'in Salih), is located 22 km (14 mi) north of the city, in
Al-Ula governorate. Built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans, Hegra is often compared with its
sister city of Petra, in Jordan. Meanwhile, the ancient walled city of Al-Ula ("Old Town"), situated near the
oasis that allowed for its settlement, contains a dense cluster of mud-brick and stone houses.Al-Ula was
also the capital of the ancient Lihyanites (Dedanites). Today, the city of Al-Ula is within the Governorate of
Al-Ula , one of seven constituent counties of Medina province. The city is located 110 km (68 mi) southwest
of Tayma and 300 km (190 mi) north of Medina.The city (municipality) covers 2,391 square kilometres (923
sq mi),[4] and has a population of 40,760 (2022). In addition to the ancient old town, a more recent
historical city, displaying the settlement patterns of Arabic-Islamic urbanism, remains occupied and is
currently experiencing a renaissance. The area is also known for its striking landscape of rocks, canyons,
and wadis, and the contrast between these dry surroundings and the lush, palm-filled oases near the city's
centre. Al-Ula was once a key stop on the Hejaz Railway, linking Damascus to Medina.

Jeddah

Jeddah , is a port city in Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, located along the Red Sea coast in the Hejaz
region. Jeddah is the commercial center of the country. It is not known when Jeddah was founded, but
Jeddah's prominence grew in 647 when the Caliph Uthman made it a travel hub serving Muslim travelers
going to the holy city of Mecca for Islamic pilgrimage. Since those times, Jeddah has served as the gateway
for millions of pilgrims who have arrived in Saudi Arabia, traditionally by sea and recently by air.

With a population of about 3,751,722 people as of 2022, Jeddah is the largest city in Makkah Province, the
largest city in Hejaz, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia (after the capital Riyadh), and the ninth-largest
in the Middle East. It also serves as the administrative centre of the OIC. Jeddah Islamic Port, on the Red
Sea, is the thirty-sixth largest seaport in the world and the second-largest and second-busiest seaport in
the Middle East (after Dubai's Port of Jebel Ali).

Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca Sharif, the holiest city in Islam, 65 kilometers (40 mi) to the east,
while Medina, the second-holiest city, is 360 kilometers (220 mi) to the north. Economically, Jeddah is
focusing on further developing capital investment in scientific and engineering leadership within Saudi
Arabia, and the Middle East.[9] Jeddah was ranked fourth in the Africa, MiddIe East, and 'stan countries
region in the Innovation Cities Index in 2009.[10]

Jeddah is one of Saudi Arabia's primary resort cities and was named a Beta world city by the Globalization
and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC). Given the city's close proximity to the Red Sea, fishing
and seafood dominate the food culture unlike other parts of the country. In Arabic, the city motto is
"Jeddah Ghair", which translates to "Jeddah is different".
Dammam

Dammam, is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. With a population of 1,532,300 as of 2022,
Dammam is the kingdom's fourth-most populous city after Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca. Dammam
constitutes the core of the Dammam metropolitan area, also known as the Greater Dammam area, which
comprises the 'Triplet Cities' of Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar. The region is closely linked to the city
through social, economic, and cultural ties. As of 2022, the Dammam metropolitan area's population was
2,190,900.

The area that eventually became Dammam was settled by the Dawasir tribe around 1923, with permission
of King Ibn Saud. The area was originally a fishing hamlet. It developed after the discovery of oil in the
region, becoming a port city and an administrative center. Following the unification of Saudi Arabia,
Dammam was made the capital of the newly formed Eastern Province.

Dammam is known for being a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry, contributing to the
export volume of the city's King Abdul Aziz Sea Port. With a cargo capacity of 2,038,787 TEUs as of 2022,
the port is the second largest on the Persian Gulf, the third largest in Saudi Arabia, and eight largest in the
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by cargo capacity.

The city and the rest of the Eastern Province are served by the King Fahd International Airport (KFIA), the
largest airport in the world in terms of land area (approximately 780 km2 [300 sq mi]), located about 31 km
(19 mi) northwest of the city.

Riyadh

Riyadh , is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia.[6] It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the
centre of the Riyadh Governorate. The current form of the metropolis emerged as an offshoot of the
eponymous walled town following the dismantling of its defensive fortifications in the 1950s, after which
the city underwent several phases of expansion and urbanization.

It is the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula, and is situated in the center of the an-Nafud desert, on the
eastern part of the Najd plateau. The city sits at an average of 600 meters (2,000 ft) above sea level, and
receives around 5 million tourists each year, making it the forty-ninth most visited city in the world and the
6th in the Middle East. Riyadh had a population of 7.0 million people in 2022, making it the most-populous
city in Saudi Arabia, 3rd most populous in the Middle East, and the 38th most populous in Asia.

The first mention of the city by the name Riyadh was in 1590, by an Arab chronicler. In 1737, Deham Ibn
Dawwas, who was from the neighboring Manfuha, settled in and took control of the city. Deham built a
wall around the city, and the best-known source of the name Riyadh is from this period, thought to be
referring to the earlier oasis towns that predated the wall built by Ibn Dawwas. In 1744, Muhammad ibn
'Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance with the Emir of Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud, and they took Riyadh
from Deham. However their state, now known as the First Saudi State, collapsed in 1818. Turki ibn
Abdullah founded the Second Saudi State in the early 19th century and made Riyadh his capital in 1825.
However, his reign over the city was disrupted by a joint Ottoman–Rashidi alliance. Finally, in the early
20th century, 'Abdulaziz ibn Saud, known in the west simply as Ibn Saud, retrieved his ancestral kingdom of
Najd in 1902 and consolidated his rule by 1926 with the final Saudi conquest of Hejaz, subsequently
naming his kingdom 'Saudi Arabia' in September 1932 with Riyadh as the capital. The town was the
administrative center of the government until 1938, when Ibn Saud moved to the Murabba Palace. In the
1950s, the walls were dismantled and Riyadh metropolis outgrew as an offshoot of the walled town.