Portal:Saudi Arabia

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The Saudi Arabia Portal – بوابة المملكة العربية السعودية

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Saudi Arabia's Location

Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia and the Middle East. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about 2150000 km² (830000 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest country in Asia and the largest in the Middle East. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; Oman to the southeast; and Yemen to the south. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt and Israel. Saudi Arabia is the only country with a coastline along both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland, steppe, and mountains. The capital and largest city is Riyadh; other major cities include Jeddah and the two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina. With a population of 32.2 million, Saudi Arabia is the fourth most populous country in the Arab world. (Full article...)

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The Mecca Province (Arabic: مِنْطَقَة مَكَّة, romanized: Minṭaqat Makka, Arabic pronunciation: [ˈmin.tˤa.qat ˈmak.ka]), officially Makkah Province, is one of the 13 provinces of Saudi Arabia. It is the third-largest province by area at 153,128 km² (59,123 sq mi) and the most populous with a population of 8,557,766 as of 2017, of which 4,041,189 were foreign nationals and 4,516,577 were Saudis. It is located in the historic Hejaz region, and has an extended coastline on the Red Sea. Its capital is Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, and its largest city is Jeddah, which is Saudi Arabia's main port city. The province accounts for 26.29% of the population of Saudi Arabia and is named after the Islamic holy city of Mecca.

Historically, the area was inhabited by the Quraysh, the Banu Kinanah and the Thaqif, among other tribes. Part of the Hejaz region, the province has seen several exchanges of power between many Islamic realms within a short period of time. The province gains its significance as it contains the city of Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, and several other historic Islamic sites, such as the village of Hudaybiyyah, where the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is said to have been agreed upon. More recently, the province was modernized under the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after the oil boom.

Most of the population is concentrated in three cities: Jeddah, Mecca and Ta'if. Jeddah is the largest city in the province and the second-largest in Saudi Arabia with an estimated population of 2,867,446 as of 2020. Mecca is the second-largest city in the province and third-largest in the kingdom at 1,323,624. After the city of Ta'if at third place, Rabigh, Shafa, Turbah and Jumum are other populous cities and towns in the region. The region receives Muslim pilgrims of the Umrah and the Hajj around the year and its population increases by up to 2 million during the Hajj. It has approximately 700 kilometres (430 mi) of coastline on the Red Sea and hosts oil refineries in Rabigh, port and oil export facilities in Jeddah, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the King Abdullah Economic City. The province also hosts part of the Haramain high-speed railway line, which is Saudi Arabia's first and only high-speed railway line. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that due to U.S. support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen, both Saudi Arabia and the United States may be held responsible for war crimes?
... that the 2021 film West Side Story was banned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, likely due to the transgender character Anybodys?
... that Saudi Arabian broadcaster beoutQ pirated and resold beIN Sports programmes during the Qatar diplomatic crisis?
... that the bombing of Mokha was described as one of the deadliest attacks by the Saudi Arabian–led coalition against Yemen, leaving between 65 and 120 dead, including 10 children?
... that the documentary film Jihad Rehab features interviews with former inmates from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp who are now in the Care Rehabilitation Center, a "jihad rehab" in Saudi Arabia?
... that The Twins, a 1930 story by Abd al-Quddus al-Ansari, was called the first Saudi Arabian novel?

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News

12 July 2024 –: The International Olympic Committee announces that Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympics Esports Games in 2025. (ESPN)
10 July 2024 – Russia–Saudi Arabia relations, International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War: Bloomberg reports that Saudi Arabia warned the G7 earlier this year that it would sell off Eurobonds and French bonds if the G7 proceeded with the seizure of US$280 billion in Russian frozen assets to give to Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent)
23 June 2024 – 2024 Hajj disaster: The Saudi health minister announces that 1,301 people are now confirmed to have died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage. (Al Arabiya)
21 June 2024 – 2024 Hajj disaster: At least 1,119 pilgrims, more than half of whom are from Egypt, are now confirmed to have died from heat-related causes during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia. (Barron's); President of Tunisia Kais Saied dismisses the Minister of Religious Affairs after 49 Tunisians are reported to have died in this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. (Al Arabiya)

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Related portals

Religions in Saudi Arabia

Arab states

Other countries

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WikiProjects

WikiProject Saudi Arabia

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Things you can do

Expand Saudi Arabia stub articles located at Category:Saudi Arabia stubs
Request a new article about Saudi Arabia
Request a new picture about Saudi Arabia

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Manal al-Sharif (Arabic: منال الشريف; born 25 April 1979) is a Saudi women's rights activist who helped start a right to drive campaign in 2011. Wajeha al-Huwaider filmed al-Sharif driving a car as part of the campaign. The video was posted on YouTube and Facebook. Al-Sharif was detained on 21 May 2011, released, and then rearrested the following day. On 30 May, al-Sharif was released on bail, on the conditions of returning for questioning if requested, not driving, and not talking to the media. The New York Times and Associated Press associated the women's driving campaign as part of the Arab Spring and the long duration of al-Sharif's detention due to Saudi authorities' fear of protests.

Following her driving campaign, al-Sharif remained an active critic of the Saudi government, tweeting on issues including imprisoned female foreign workers, the lack of elections for the Shura Council, and the murder of Lama al-Ghamdi. Her work has been recognized by Foreign Policy, Time, and the Oslo Freedom Forum. (Full article...)

List of Good articles
Muhammad Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia Black Stone Jeddah Tower Legal system of Saudi Arabia Siege of Mecca (692) Demolition of al-Baqi Women's football in Saudi Arabia Faisal of Saudi Arabia Hajj Al-Masjid an-Nabawi 2018 Ad Diriyah ePrix Siege of Mecca (683) Wojdan Shaherkani McMahon–Hussein Correspondence Alid revolt of 762–763 Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi Battle of the Trench

Selected picture

Image 1A view of Jabal Sawda, a peak located in Saudi Arabia, with an elevation of around 3,000 metres (9,843 ft).^[1]
Image 2Sunset view from Farasan Island, the largest island of the Farasan Islands, in the Red Sea. It is located some 50 km offshore from Jizan, the far southwestern part of Saudi Arabia.
Image 3Nasseef House is a historical structure in Al-Balad, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As of 2009 it is a museum and cultural center which has special exhibits and lectures given by historians.

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More did you know

...that the Arab Socialist Action Party, the main secular opposition group in Saudi Arabia at the time, faced a massive crackdown in the spring of 1982?

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Topics

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General images

The following are images from various Saudi Arabia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The tribes of Arabia at the time of the spread of Islam (expandable map) (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 2Faisal (left) and Nasser in Cairo, 1969 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 3Saudi football fans cheering for their national football team at the FIFA World Cup (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 4Red and white keffiyeh commonly worn in the desert held with a black agal (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 5VOX Cinemas movie theater (center) at Riyadh Front in 2023 (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 6Soldiers in the Arab Army during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918, carrying the Flag of the Arab Revolt and pictured in the Arabian Desert. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 7The first Saudi State 1727–1818 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 8Bisht Being Sewn in Al-Ahsa (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 9The surviving insurgents of the seizure of the Grand Mosque, 1979 under custody of Saudi authorities, c. 1980. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 10The Rashidun Caliphate reached its greatest extent under Caliph Uthman, c. 654 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 11Sections of Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 12Saudi males dressed and prepared for ardah, the national dance. It also includes swords, poetry, and singing. (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 13Pakistani workers at Al Masjid Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 14Abdulaziz (left) and Roosevelt aboard USS Quincy during their historic 1945 meeting (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 15Wedding in Saudi Arabia (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 16King Abdullah practicing falconry, a traditional pursuit in Saudi Arabia (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 17Saudi woman wearing a niqāb in Riyadh. Many women commonly wear a niqab or a burqa in Saudi Arabia. (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 18Supplicating pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram, Mecca (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 19Residential homes in Yanbu (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 20The Arabian Peninsula in 1914 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 21A Saudi woman riding a horse at Souk Okaz, a yearly cultural festival in the outskirts of Taif (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 22The Mosque of the Prophet in Medina containing the tomb of Muhammad (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 23Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt (1789–1848) (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 24Abdulaziz (left) and Farouk checking an Egyptian Army unit in 1946. Other people picture include princes Fahd, Abdullah, and Mishaal, as well as prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 25Serenata, a Filipino children's choir in Jeddah (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 26A family fishing in Jeddah (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 27Wall painted with Al-Qatt Al-Asiri (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 28Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 29Dammam No. 7, the oil well where commercial volumes of oil were first discovered in Saudi Arabia on March 4, 1938. (from History of Saudi Arabia)