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Unaizah (Arabic : عنيزةʿUnaizah) or officially The Governorate of Unaizah (also spelled Onaizah, Onizah, or Unayzah; Arabic : محافظة عنيزةMuḥāfiẓat ʿUnaizah) is a Saudi Arabian city in the Al Qassim Province. It lies south of the province capital Buraydah and north of Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the second largest city in Al-Qassim Province with a population of 184,600 (2022 census). [2]
Historically, Unaizah was an important stopping point for Muslim pilgrims coming from Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and Persia (now Iran) on their way to Makkah. Many scientists and historians believe that Unaizah was inhabited hundreds of years before the spread of Islam, citing its reference in numerous poems from some of the most important poets of pre-Islamic Arabia such as Imru' al-Qais.
Unaizah is in the south of Al-Qassim Province and at the heart of the historical region of Najd. It is located roughly 30 kilometers from Buraydah (the capital of the province) and more than 300 kilometers north of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Unaizah lies in the northern-central region of the Najd and to the south of the Wadi al-Rummah (Rumma Valley), which is the longest valley on the Arabian Peninsula. It is surrounded by sand dunes to its north and west, which are known locally as the Al-Ghamis Sands. The Al-Ghadha Woods are located to the north of the city. Next to Unaizah is the Al-Aushaziyah salt lake (or Sabkha), which is considered an official part of the city.
Unaizah has a hot desert climate (Köppen Climate Classification BWh), with long, extremely hot summers and short, very mild winters. The average high temperature in August is 43.6 °C (110.5 °F). The city experiences very little precipitation, especially in summer, but receives a fair amount of rain in March and April. It is also known to have dust storms during which the dust can be so thick that visibility is under 10 m (33 ft).
Unaizah is an agricultural area and produces wheat and barley of various strains. The region also grows grapes, grapefruits, lemons, leeks, mandarins, oranges, pomegranates and dates.
Leeks (kurrat) are a very important part of the local culture of Unaizah. They are popular among the locals and comprise a significant portion of the local agricultural industry.
An annual Date Season Festival has been held in September since the early 2000s, giving Unaizah the distinction of hosting the second largest date festival in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The festival rivals the date festival of neighboring Buraydah's, which is sometimes known as "Buraydah, the City of Dates". [3] [4]
Unaizah's 2008 (4th) annual Date Festival was known as the "Unaizah International Date Festival", though the city's title "Unaizah, the Kingdom of Dates" was retained as a motto. Many people from different places of the Middle East come to see this festival and buy dates because they know there is a good quality of dates.
The Unaizah Municipality (Arabic: بلدية عنيزة or baladiyah Arabic: البلدية ) was founded in AH 1381 (1961/1962) in Unaizah. It carries out the civic administration for the Metropolitan area of Unaizah. The municipality was established for the purpose of maintaining villages, regulating construction projects and systematizing public health, safety measures and the construction of the infrastructure of the city such as roads, the stormwater drainage network and street lighting. The Unaizah Municipality has 3 main agencies:
The municipality has had 16 mayors since it was founded.
n | Mayor | From | To |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Abdullah bin Saleh Al Muhaimid | 1381 AH | 1388 AH |
2 | Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Bassam | 1388 AH | 1389 AH |
3 | Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Dahman | 1389 AH | 1390 AH |
4 | Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Humaidi | 1390 AH | 1396 AH |
5 | Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jamaan | 1396 AH | 1396 AH |
6 | Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Hammad | 1396 AH | 1403 AH |
7 | Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Bassam | 1396 AH | 1409 AH |
8 | Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Naeem | 1409 AH | 1413 AH |
9 | Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Nadawi | 1413 AH | 1413 AH |
10 | Fahd bin Muhammad Al-Jubeir | 1413 AH | 1420 AH |
11 | Abdullah bin Suleiman Al-Attiyah | 1420 AH | 1421 AH |
12 | Eng. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mazrou’ | 1421 AH | 1426 AH |
13 | Eng. Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Khalil | 1426 AH | 1432 AH |
14 | Eng. Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al-Bassam | 1432 AH | 1440 AH |
15 | Eng. Khalaf Hamdan Al-Otaibi | 1440 AH | 1442 AH |
16 | Eng. Faris bin Muhammad Al-Qahtani | AH 1442 (2020/2021) | Incumbent |
there is 18 villages and offices within the range of Unaizah Municipality.
Alhufayrah | Albuaiten | Al'awniyyah | Wadi Aljanah |
---|---|---|---|
Alrawghani | Alwahlan | Wadi Abu Ali | Aldal'ah |
Manzelt Abu Ali | Aladaen | Alfardah | alanbaryah |
alrafiah | Alghabshyah | alaushazia | Almubarkiya |
Albarbk | Alnaam |
Unaizah is home to some pioneers in education; the first Saudi person from Al-Qassim Province to earn a PhD. degree was from Unaizah, and his name was Abdulaziz Al-Khowaiter. [5] The first Saudi female from Al Qassim Province to earn a PhD degree was also raised in this city. Her name was Ebtisam Al Bassam. [6]
One of the first cities to embrace female education in Al-Qassim Province and Najd was Unaizah. It faced resistance from neighboring provinces and brought Unaizah at the forefront of a national debate. After lengthy negotiations, the capital city of Qassim, Buraidah a sister city of Unaizah, officially recognized the right of an education for females, partly due to King Abdulaziz's interference in settling the dispute. [7]
Today, there are many public schools in Unaizah for all three educational levels (primary, intermediate, and secondary). There are also two private schools and one private international school. There is also a boys' technological secondary school in the city and a technological college, as well as a girls' educational college. Qassim University is located approximately 30 kilometers north of the city, and enrolls both males and females. [8]
The people of Unaizah are well known for their hospitality and acceptance for people from other races and religions. The famous Charles Montagu Doughty lived in the city during his odyssey and wrote highly about the city.
Amin al-Rihani (the famous Franco-Lebanese scholar and traveler) spoke highly of the city's architecture and works of art in his book "Kings of Arabia" likening it to Paris thereby coining the nickname "Paris of Najd" for the city. [9]
There are twelve tourist festivals and activities recognized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities, and a calendar has been made for these events.
Unaizah, has renewed its status as a trailblazer of Tourism in the Qassim Province
— Prince Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud (the Governor of Al-Qassim and Chairman of the province's Tourism Council) [10]
The tourist attractions in Unaizah range from festivals to private meetings in family ranches. Some of the most notable venues in which festivals are held are the following:
There are five hotels in Unaizah, two of which are currently under construction, in addition to the rental apartments and suites distributed all around the city:
Although Unaizah is thought to be relatively more accepting of visitors than its neighbors, its tourism industry faces criticism for a number of reasons. One such criticism is its disregard for infrastructure maintenance. [11]
All of the Saudi citizens of Unaizah are Sunni Muslim with a small minority of Dharmic religions, (mostly Hinduism) brought and practiced in the city by Asian workers (mainly Indians). As with the rest of Saudi Arabian cities, non-Islamic worship houses are not allowed. The majority of the city's inhabitants are socially conservative. One of Saudi Arabia's leading religious clerics Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen was a student of the Sheikh Abd ar-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa'di, an Unaizah native. Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen was born and raised in Unaizah. He lived in Unaizah where many mosques have been built and named after him.
The Qassimi cuisine in general, and the cuisine of Unaizah is very famous for its delicious food, and for its renowned and tasty traditional meals such as Jereesh, Margoug, Gersan, and Metazeez.
As for sweets, along with other Qassimi sweets, the Qassimi Kleeja is a well-known sweet all over Saudi Arabia and in Eastern Arabia.
Like other Saudi cities, the Najdi Kabsa is the most traditional lunch. The Yemeni Mandi is also popular as a lunch meal.
Unaizah is very active in terms of sports. Football is the most popular sport all over Saudi Arabia, and it is very popular in Unaizah, it is played in school's P.E. (i.e. Physical Education) lessons, and it is common to see a group of kids playing it in the streets.
There are two local clubs in Unaizah, the Saudi Al Najmah club, [12] and the Al Arabi club.
The city has experienced very high rates of population growth. Unaizah officially counted population in the city limits in 2010 was 163,729.
Unaizah is served by six major Arabic-language newspapers, Al Jazirah , Al Riyadh , Okaz , Al Watan , Al Hayat , Al Yaum . Unaizah has one local magazine, that issues every four months, it is called Paris Najd, named after the widest spread nickname of Unaizah. In addition to many other national and international magazines distributed everywhere in the city's markets.
Television stations serving the city area include Saudi TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al Ekhbariyah, ART channels network and hundreds of cable, satellite and other specialty television providers.
The city has been ruled by the Al Sulaim family (Sons of Sulaiman Al-Zamil) since 1818. They came to power when Prince Yehya Al-Sulaim in 1822 killed the governor appointed by the Ottoman emperor, Abdullah Al-Jamei. This dynasty still rules the city according to a written treaty between them and the Saudi royal family. Some of the most famous families in Saudi Arabia originate from Unaizah, including Al Juffali, Al Saikhan, Al Ohaly, Alsmaeel, AlGarawi, Al Abalkhail, Al Ghothami, Al Hatlani, Al Ghumayz, Al Sulaiman, Al Hamdan, Al Akeel, Al Fadl, Al Tamimi, Al Zamil (ALZamel), Al Olayan, Al Bassam, Al Gadhi, Al Matrody, Al Salloum, Al Saheel, Al Subaiee, Al Senany, Al Mansour, Al Yahya, Al Thukair, Al Turki, Al Dubayan, Al Shoshan, Al Shubaili, Al Shebel, Al Damigh, Al Othaimeen, Al Malloohi, Al Marzooki, Al Manei, Al Se'di, Al Abeeki, Al Houthi, Al Khwaiter, Al Sowayil, Al Daffaa, Al Jaffali, Al Dukhayyel, Al Dakheel, Al Abdeli, Al Suhaimi families and many others.
Unaizah is well known for its hospitality, hence, there are a variety of tourism Festivals in the year. These include dates, and healthy crops festivals. There is also a bi-annual cultural festival which is a trademark for this city. It was the only city of the Najd region to invite a Saudi Shiite cleric to speak in a public event, in a grass-roots effort to promote a united national identity. This drew criticism from conservatives in neighboring cities.[ citation needed ]
The House of Al Saud is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, the modern founder of Saudi Arabia. It forms a subtribe of the larger prominent ancient Banu Hanifa tribe of Arabia, from which well known 7th century Arabian theologist Maslama ibn Ḥabīb originates. The most influential position of the royal family is the King of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarch. The family in total is estimated to comprise 15,000 members; however, the majority of power, influence and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them. Some estimates of the royal family's wealth measure their net worth at $1.4 trillion. This figure includes the market capitalization of Saudi Aramco, the state oil and gas company, and its vast assets in fossil fuel reserves, making them the wealthiest family in the world and the wealthiest in recorded history.
The Qassim Province, also known as the Qassim Region, is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of the country near the geographic center of the Arabian Peninsula, it has a population of 1,336,179 and an area of 58,046 km2. It is considered one of the "bread baskets" of the country for its agricultural tradition and assets.
The Emirate of Diriyah, also known as the first Saudi state, was established in February 1727. In 1744, the emir of a Najdi town called Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud, and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab signed a pact to found a socio-religious reform movement to unify the many states of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Rashidi dynasty, also called Al Rashid or the House of Rashid, was a historic Arabian House or dynasty that existed in the Arabian Peninsula between 1836 and 1921. Its members were rulers of the Emirate of Ha'il and the most formidable enemies of the House of Saud, rulers of the Emirate of Nejd. They were centered in Ha'il, a city in northern Najd that derived its wealth from being on the route of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and was also a commercial center. The rulers of Ha'il were the sons of Abdullah bin Rashid, founder of the dynasty.
Buraidah is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. It is known for its dates festival which is the biggest in the world with extensive variety of dates. It has been called the city of dates. On November 8, 2021, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "UNESCO" included the city of Buraidah among the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities.
The Emirate of Nejd or Imamate of Nejd, also known as the Second Saudi State was existing between 1824 and 1891 in Nejd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha'il of what is now Saudi Arabia. Saudi rule was restored to central and eastern Arabia after the Emirate of Diriyah, the first Saudi state, having previously been brought down by the Ottoman Empire's Egypt Eyalet in the Ottoman–Wahhabi War (1811–1818).
Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud was the founder of the Emirate of Najd, also known as Second Saudi State and ruled Najd from 1823–1834 following administration by the Ottoman Empire.
Rass is a Saudi Arabian City, located in Al Qassim Province. It lies southwest of Buraydah, the capital of the province and north of Riyadh, the national capital.
The Masmak Fort, also called the Masmak Fortress or Masmak Palace, is a historic clay and mudbrick fort in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in close proximity to the al-Hukm Palace in the Qasr al-Hukm District. Commissioned in 1865 by Abdullah bin Faisal, it was completed in 1895 following the takeover of the town by the Rashidi dynasty. The fortress was the main theatre for the Battle of Riyadh in 1902, which marked the prelude to the unification of Saudi Arabia. It was opened to the general public in 1995 after its conversion into a museum.
The Royal Family of Al-Sulaim is the dynasty that has sat on the throne of Unaizah in Saudi Arabia since 1817. They became the rulers after prince Yahia bin Sulaiman Al Zamil Al-Sulaim (1817–1836) killed the governor appointed by the Ottomans. Prince Yahia continued to govern the state until he was killed in the battle of Bag’a with bin Al Rashid of Ha'il.
Qassim University is a major public university in Saudi Arabia. The main campus of Qassim University covers about eight square kilometers in the heart of the region. Qassim University has over 38 Colleges, offering over 30 PhD, 70 master's, 120 Bachelor's and diploma degrees. Qassim University has over 50,000 students. 6000 Faculty and staff members. During 2016/2017 academic year, 7019 male and 9692 female students were newly enrolled at Qassim University. Qassim University is among the top 7 Saudi universities. In 2015, QS ranked Qassim University as 46 among Arab Region Rankings.
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The Emirate of Jabal Shammar, also known as the Emirate of Haʾil or the Rashidi Emirate, was a state in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula, including Najd, existing from the mid-nineteenth century to 1921. Shammar had been a confederation in the Arabian Peninsula. Jabal Shammar in English is translated as the "Mountain of the Shammar". Jabal Shammar's capital was Ha'il. It was led by the monarchy of the Rashidi dynasty. It included parts of modern-day Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Jordan.
Az Zulfi is a city in Riyadh Province in central Saudi Arabia, about 260 kilometres northwest of Riyadh. It is connected by Roads 418 and 535 which both link with the main Highway 65 which connects Riyadh to Buraidah which is about 101 kilometres by road to the west of Al Zulfi. Zulfi also forms a governorate of Riyadh Province. The Al-Yamama/Tuwaiq mountain range begins in the desert to the north of Al Zulfi.
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation is a Saudi international literary award for the translation of works to/from Arabic. The Chairman of the award is Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah. The award is located in King Abdul Aziz Public Library in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was established on 31 October, 2006 upon the approval of the King Abdulaziz Public Library Council. The vision of the award is "to promote cultural exchange among peoples of the world and to advance intellectual interaction among civilizations." The first award was presented in 2008 for works published in 2007.
Sheikh Ibrahim bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel was a Saudi Arabian statesman, diplomat, and military officer who served as the Saudi Arabian minister of foreign affairs from 1960 to 1962. Appointed on 22 December 1960 by King Saud, he succeeded the future king Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and was succeeded by him again on 16 March 1961. He was noted for being the first non-royal to hold the position of foreign minister. He also served as the Saudi Arabian ambassador to both the United States and Iraq, as the minister of agriculture, and later as a member of the Council of Ministers and an advisor to the Royal Court.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Nasser Al-Saadi, also known as al-Siʿdī (1889–1957), was an Islamic Scholar from Saudi Arabia. He was a teacher and an author in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia. He authored more than 40 books in several different fields including tafsir, fiqh, and 'aqidah. al-Sa'di was an influential figure in the field of tafsir and his book of tafsir entitled Taysir al-Kareem al-Rahman has been described as arguably one of the most popular tafsirs written by modern salafi scholars. He served as the imam and khateeb for the largest jami' mosque and director of the religious training school, al-Ma'had al-'Ilmi, of Unayzah.
Jiluwi bin Turki Al Saud (1819–1875) was one of the children of Turki bin Abdullah who ruled the Emirate of Najd between 1819 and 1834 with an interruption from 1820 to 1824.
Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid was one of the Emirs of Jabal Shammar and is known for defeating the Saudi State in the battle of Mulayda which ceased to exist for a second time in 1891. His reign lasted from 1869 to 1897, and he was the most influential ruler of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar for which he is called Muhammad the Great.
Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Aboudi, was a Saudi writer, author and traveller, born in the city of Buraidah, and received his initial education there. Then he worked as a teacher and then director of the Scientific Institute in Buraidah. He also served as the Director and Secretary General of the Islamic University of Madinah for thirteen years. He held the position of Assistant Secretary-General of the Muslim World League. His work in the League and before that at the Islamic University in Medina as its Secretary-General allowed him to visit most parts of the world. His numerous observations and insights resulted in more than one hundred and sixty books on travel literature, thus achieving a record number in Arab travel books. He was awarded the Medal of Merit in Literature in the year 1394 AH, 1974 AD.