Mecca, also spelled Makkah, is a city in the Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula, and the plain of Tihamah in Saudi Arabia, and is also the capital and administrative headquarters of the Makkah Region. The city is located 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above sea level, and 340 kilometres (210 mi) south of Medina. Its resident population in 2012 was roughly 2 million, although visitors more than triple this number every year during the Ḥajj period held in the twelfth Muslim lunar month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah.
Medina, also transliterated as Madīnah, is a city in the Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula and administrative headquarters of the Al-Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. At the city's heart is al-Masjid an-Nabawi, which is the burial place of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and it is one of three holiest cities in Islam, the other being Mecca and Jerusalem.
The Arabian peninsula, simplified Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian plate. From a geographical perspective, it is considered a subcontinent of Asia.
Najd or Nejd is a geographical central region of Saudi Arabia that alone accounts for almost a third of the population of the country. Najd consists of modern administrative regions of Riyadh, Al-Qassim, and Ha'il.
The Hejaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. The region is so called as it separates the land of the Najd in the east from the land of Tihamah in the west. It is also known as the "Western Province". It is bordered on the west by the Red Sea, on the north by Jordan, on the east by the Najd, and on the south by 'Asir Region. Its largest city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. As the site of the two holiest sites in Islam, the Hejaz has significance in the Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape.
The Rub' al Khali desert is the largest contiguous sand desert (erg) in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km2 (250,000 sq mi) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It is part of the larger Arabian Desert.
The Eastern Province is the largest province of Saudi Arabia by area. The province's capital is the city of Dammam, which hosts the majority of the region's population and its seat of government. The Eastern Province is the third most populous province in Saudi Arabia, after Makkah and Riyadh. Dammam is the province's most populous city, and the sixth most populous city in the country. The current governor of the Eastern Province is Prince Saud bin Nayef Al Saud.
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province, plus several government departments, are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province, and the sixth largest in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina and Taif. Like the other 12 regional capitals of Saudi Arabia, Dammam is not included within any governorate; instead, it is governed as a "municipality" headed by a mayor.
Qatif or Al-Qatif is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the east to King Fahd International Airport in the west. This region has its own municipality and includes the Qatif downtown and many other smaller cities and towns.
The International School of Choueifat (ISC) is a collection of private international schools run by SABIS school system in various countries of the Middle East. The first International School of Choueifat was founded in Choueifat, Lebanon in 1886 and later expanded to various parts of the Persian Gulf region. The first Choueifat school in the Persian Gulf opened in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates in 1975 and subsequently others opened in other cities across the Middle East. Since 1983 the School has also had a branch at Ashwicke Hall on the old Roman Fosse Way near Bath in England, which is also used as a summer school where students can study and learn sports during the harsh summers in the Middle East. In 1985 a branch was opened at Minneapolis in the US.
In Arabic names, a nisba is an adjective indicating the person's place of origin, tribal affiliation, or ancestry, used at the end of the name and occasionally ending in the suffix -iyy(ah). Nisbah is originally an Arabic word that was passed to many other languages such as Turkish, Persian and Urdu.
The Saudi–Yemeni War was a war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 1934.
Al-Aḥsāʾ, al-Ḥasāʾ, or 'Hadjar' is a traditional oasis historical region in eastern Saudi Arabia whose name is used by the Al-Ahsa Governorate, which makes up much of that country's Eastern Province. The oasis is located about 60 km (37 mi) inland from the coast of the Persian Gulf.
Al Buraimi is a governorate of Oman which was split from the Ad Dhahirah Region. Until October 2006, the area was part of Ad Dhahirah Region. At this time, the new governorate was created from the Wilayats (Provinces) of Al Buraymi and Mahdah. A third wilayat, As-Sunaynah, was created from parts of the two.
Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with over 16 million visiting in 2017. Although most tourism in Saudi Arabia still largely involves religious pilgrimages, there is growth in the leisure tourism sector. As the tourism sector has been largely boosted lately, the sector is expected to be the white oil for Saudi Arabia. This is proved as tourism sector is expected to generate $25 billion in 2019. Potential tourist areas include the Hijaz and Sarawat Mountains, Red Sea diving and a number of ancient ruins.
Rotana Hotel Management Corporation PJSC is a hotel management company in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. It has a portfolio of over 100 properties in 26 cities and operates five sub brands which include Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana, Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana., and The Residences by Rotana.
Jazan University is a public research university based in the city of Jazan. Founded in 2006, it is the province's only university and one of the largest public, nonprofit institutions of higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. JazanU has a main central campus that rests by the Red Sea on the southwest coast of Saudi Arabia and also has satellite campuses in Sabya, Abu Arish, Farasan, Ad-darb, Samtah, Al-Daer and Al-Ardah.
El Arish International Airport is an airport near El Arish, Egypt. In 2011 the airport served 5,991 passengers.
Palestinian Airlines is an airline based in Arish, Egypt, which is completely owned by the Palestinian Authority but not recognized by the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation. It stopped its operations in 2005 but resumed service in May 2012. Its current base is El Arish International Airport. Palestinian Airlines is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
Abu Samra is a settlement in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan. It used to be part of the Jariyan al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan.
