:Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

{{See also|History of Saudi Arabia|Midian}}

File:قلعة تبوك.jpg]]

The historical place of Midian roughly corresponds to what is now region of Tabuk.{{cite book |last=Edwards |first=Grace |title=Saudi Arabia |chapter=6: Tabuk and Medina Provinces |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |pages=188–246 |isbn=978-1-7847-7933-7 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Saudi_Arabia/Z9PrEAAAQBAJ |date=2023-12-19}} Tabuk Castle, known as the castle of Aṣ-ḥāb al-Aykah ("Companions of the Wood"), is mentioned in the Quran.{{qref|15|78-79|b=y}}{{qref|26|176-189|b=y}}{{qref|38|13-15|b=y}}{{qref|50|12-14|b=y}} The castle dates back to about 3500 BCE and has been restored many times; the last was in 1652. Several forts and stations were built along the Syrian pilgrimage route, from the Jordanian border to Medina to welcome the pilgrims. The fort consists of two floors built around an open courtyard with a mosque, a well, and a stairway leading to the watch towers used by the guards. Tabuk Castle is considered an archaeological landmark of the region and is open to visitors.

Ptolemy mentioned a place by the name 'Tabawa', at the northwestern corner of Arabia. This name may be a reference to 'Tabuka' or 'Tabuk'. If this is true, the town may be as old as Ptolemy's time. Pre-Islamic Arab poets such as Antra and Nabiqa mention the mountain 'Hasmi' in their poems.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Tabouk became famous for the Expedition of Tabuk in 630, during the period of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Since then, it remained a gateway to North Arabia. It was visited by Charles Montagu Doughty in 1877.

Tabuk was captured by the Arab forces in 1918, three weeks after the British capture of Damascus.{{Cite book |last=Saunders |first=Nicholas J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v771DwAAQBAJ |title=Desert Insurgency: Archaeology, T. E. Lawrence, and the Arab Revolt |date=2020-08-12 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-103071-0 |page=683 |language=en}} Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the 1991 Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi Scud missiles and air attacks{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}.

The region is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, walls, the Syrian-Egyptian pilgrimage route, and the remains of the Hejaz railway, the main station of which is located in Tabuk.

Hundreds of localities with rock art and inscriptions dating to different chronological periods and ranging from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk. A study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability and both human and animal figures were represented in it. Numerous sites in the area with Thamudic, Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found.

Ain Sukkrah is an ancient ‘ayn ({{langx|ar|عَيْن|spring}}) dating back to Pre-Islamic Arabia ("Era of Ignorance"). During the expedition of Tabuk, it was remembered that Muhammad camped for more than ten days near the spring and drank from its water.Book of hadith of Sahih Muslim

{{See also|Demographics of Saudi Arabia}}

In 1950, Tabuk had a population of 12,000. By 2022, this number had grown to 594,350.{{Cite web |title=Tabuk Governorate |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/saudiarabia/tabuk/0701__tab%C5%ABk/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}

{{See also|Education in Saudi Arabia}}

Universities include:

• University of Tabuk
• Fahad bin Sultan University

Private schools include:

• British International School of Tabuk
• International Indian School Tabuk
• Pakistan International School of Tabuk
• Philippine International School
• King Abdulaziz Model schools
• Tabuk International School
• Bangladesh International School, Tabuk

File:Tabuk of university - panoramio.jpg|The University of Tabuk

File:British International School of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia - 20110428.jpg|British International School of Tabuk

{{See also|Climate of Saudi Arabia|Geography of Saudi Arabia}}

File:ثلوج علقان (11390714016).jpg near Tabuk]]

{{Weather box

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|location=Tabuk (1991–2020)

|Jan record high C = 28

|Feb record high C = 29

|Mar record high C = 35

|Apr record high C = 37

|May record high C = 41

|Jun record high C = 42

|Jul record high C = 44

|Aug record high C = 44

|Sep record high C = 41

|Oct record high C = 38

|Nov record high C = 33

|Dec record high C = 28

|year record high C =

|Jan high C = 17.7

|Feb high C = 20.6

|Mar high C = 24.9

|Apr high C = 29.5

|May high C = 33.8

|Jun high C = 36.9

|Jul high C = 38.2

|Aug high C = 38.7

|Sep high C = 36.1

|Oct high C = 31.1

|Nov high C = 23.8

|Dec high C = 18.9

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 10.5

|Feb mean C = 13.1

|Mar mean C = 17.3

|Apr mean C = 21.8

|May mean C = 26.2

|Jun mean C = 29.3

|Jul mean C = 30.9

|Aug mean C = 31.2

|Sep mean C = 28.4

|Oct mean C = 23.4

|Nov mean C = 16.7

|Dec mean C = 11.7

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 3.3

|Feb low C = 5.3

|Mar low C = 8.7

|Apr low C = 12.9

|May low C = 17

|Jun low C = 20

|Jul low C = 22

|Aug low C = 22.2

|Sep low C = 19.3

|Oct low C = 15.1

|Nov low C = 9.6

|Dec low C = 4.7

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = -7

|Feb record low C = -7

|Mar record low C = -4

|Apr record low C = 0

|May record low C = 7

|Jun record low C = 11

|Jul record low C = 15

|Aug record low C = 15

|Sep record low C = 10

|Oct record low C = 5

|Nov record low C = -3

|Dec record low C = -6

|year record low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 9.1

|Feb precipitation mm = 2.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 4.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 1.2

|May precipitation mm = 1.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 0.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 0.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 0.8

|Sep precipitation mm = 0.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 2.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 3.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 1.7

|year precipitation mm = 27.8

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 1.0

|Feb precipitation days = 0.7

|Mar precipitation days = 0.8

|Apr precipitation days = 0.3

|May precipitation days = 0.5

|Jun precipitation days = 0.0

|Jul precipitation days = 0.0

|Aug precipitation days = 0.1

|Sep precipitation days = 0.0

|Oct precipitation days = 0.7

|Nov precipitation days = 0.5

|Dec precipitation days = 0.4

|year precipitation days = 5.0

|Jan humidity = 51

|Feb humidity = 42

|Mar humidity = 35

|Apr humidity = 27

|May humidity = 24

|Jun humidity = 22

|Jul humidity = 22

|Aug humidity = 24

|Sep humidity = 27

|Oct humidity = 34

|Nov humidity = 43

|Dec humidity = 51

|year humidity = 34

| Jan sun = 263.5

| Feb sun = 251.4

| Mar sun = 282.1

| Apr sun = 282.0

| May sun = 300.7

| Jun sun = 348.0

| Jul sun = 368.9

| Aug sun = 347.2

| Sep sun = 306.0

| Oct sun = 288.3

| Nov sun = 252.0

| Dec sun = 244.9

| year sun =

|Jand sun = 8.5

|Febd sun = 8.9

|Mard sun = 9.1

|Aprd sun = 9.4

|Mayd sun = 9.7

|Jund sun = 11.6

|Juld sun = 11.9

|Augd sun = 11.2

|Sepd sun = 10.2

|Octd sun = 9.3

|Novd sun = 8.4

|Decd sun = 7.9

|yeard sun = 9.7

| Jan dew point C = 0

| Feb dew point C = -1

| Mar dew point C = 0

| Apr dew point C = 0

| May dew point C = 2

| Jun dew point C = 4

| Jul dew point C = 6

| Aug dew point C = 7

| Sep dew point C = 6

| Oct dew point C = 5

| Nov dew point C = 3

| Dec dew point C = 1

|source 1 =World Meteorological Organization,{{cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/SaudiArabia/CSV/Tabuk_40375.csv |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020 |publisher=World Meteorological Organization |access-date=2 August 2023}} Jeddah Regional Climate Center (humidity 1985-2010){{cite web |url=http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Tabuk.RTF |title=Climate Data for Saudi Arabia |publisher=Jeddah Regional Climate Center |access-date=June 13, 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401174647/http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Tabuk.RTF |archive-date=1 April 2016}} (Red Sea International Airport)

|source 2 =Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun 1986-1990),

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_403750_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Tabuk / Saudi-Arabien

| publisher = Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

| access-date = September 17, 2016}}

[https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/saudi-arabia/tabuk/climate Time and Date] (dewpoints, 1985-2015)

}}

{{See also|Transport in Saudi Arabia}}

Tabuk Regional Airport is served by Saudia{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720710-0 |title=HZ-AAK Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |accessdate=5 September 2010}} and other airlines, with both domestic and international destinations.{{Cite book |title=DoD Flight Information Publication (Enroute) – Supplement Europe, North Africa and Middle East |publisher=National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency |year=2021 |location=St. Louis, Missouri, the U.S.A. |pages=B-419 – B-420}}

{{Portal|Saudi Arabia}}

• 1068 Near East earthquake, catastrophic event whose epicentre was in the area of Tabuk{{cite book |title=The Seismicity of Egypt, Arabia and the Red Sea: A Historical Review |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fxnnk2inWT0C&pg=PA31 |first1=N. N. |last1= mbraseys |first2=C. P. |last2=Melville |first3=R. D. |last3=Adams |year=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-02025-1 |pages=30–32; 101}}
• Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Hegra)
• AlUla
• Rakuba
• Mawqaq  
• Hejaz
• Hijaz Mountains

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Tabuk}}

• [http://www.alnokhba.com/saudi-arabia/cities-information-tabouk.htm Tabouk - Saudi Arabia]
• [http://sauditourism.sa/en/Explore/Regions/Tabuk/Tabuk/Pages/default.aspx Tabuk City on Saudi Tourism Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405125931/http://www.sauditourism.sa/en/Explore/Regions/Tabuk/Tabuk/Pages/default.aspx |date=2017-04-05}}

{{Saudi cities}}

{{Ottoman Hajj Routes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Tabuk Province

Category:Provincial capitals of Saudi Arabia

Category:Jordan–Saudi Arabia border

Category:Cities in Saudi Arabia