Tabuk Province

Tabuk Province is one of the thirteen administrative provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Kingdom, bordered from the north by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; from the west by the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea; from the east by al-Jawf and Hail provinces; and from the south by al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Province.

The Emirate of Tabuk Province conducts its business from its headquarters in Tabuk City on King Abdullah Road, which is about eight km from Tabuk Airport, and takes the visual identity of the Ministry of Interior as its logo. Prince Fahd Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz is the incumbent governor of Tabuk Province and has been since 1987.

On December 12, 2023, a Royal Order was issued appointing Prince Khalid Bin Saud Bin Abdullah Bin Faisal Bin Abdulaziz as deputy governor of Tabuk with excellent rank.

Tabuk Province occupies an area of 136,000 km, equivalent to 6.9 percent of the Kingdom's territory, making it the fifth by area compared to other provinces of the Kingdom.

Six governorates fall under its geographical and organizational scope: Dhabba, Tayma, Umluj, al-Wajh, Haql, and al-Bida, as well as eighty-three centers.

All governorates in Tabuk Province have a sea view on the Red Sea coast, except for Tayma and the city of Tabuk, yet only 24.8 percent of the province’s residents live on the coast.

Tabuk Province contains one hundred islands with diverse ecosystems, including coral, sandy, continental, and volcanic. By virtue of its diverse biotope, agriculture, and fishing are at the forefront of the province's economic activities.

Tabuk Province is the eighth most populous province of the Kingdom, with a population of about 886,036, according to the 2022 Saudi Census, equivalent to about 2.8 percent of the total Saudi population. The province has a population density of about six people per km of its territory.

The province is distinct for its diverse natural environment and warm tropical climate, and it is the only province in the Kingdom that overlooks two bodies of water: the Red Sea and its eastern branch, the Gulf of Aqaba.

Due to its vast area and diverse terrain, the climate varies in the Tabuk Province in coastal governorates compared to inland areas. Rainfall is limited to winters, with temperatures reaching zero degrees Celsius, whereas temperatures top forty degrees Celsius in the summer. The main feature of Tabuk's winter is the snowfall on Jabal al-Lawz, which attracts residents and hikers to its peak each year.

Aerial image of al-Wajh City in Tabuk Province. (SPA)

Tabuk Province is currently an investment zone, the Kingdom's new future destination, and one of the fundamental pillars of Saudi Vision 2030. Within its territory, three megaprojects are underway: NEOM, AMAALA, and the Red Sea Project. The King Salman Bridge Project extends from the coastline, connecting the Kingdom's northwest with the Arab Republic of Egypt, and is the only bridge linking Asia and Africa.

The NEOM Project is located within the geographical scope of the northern Tabuk Province, stretching across an area of 26,500 km, equivalent to the areas of Slovenia, Luxembourg, and Malta combined. The project is designed to become home to more than one million people by 2030.

To the south of the NEOM project is AMAALA, a project dedicated to convalescence, health, and therapy. It is designed to be the Riviera of the Middle East and is divided into an island, an upgraded coast, and three bays.

The area is home to a project dedicated to exploring, rehabilitating, preserving, and protecting ninety islands in the Red Sea, and 80 percent of the world's population can reach the project area in less than eight hours.

The earliest evidence of life in Tabuk Province dates back to 500 BCE, comprised of traces of footprints belonging to humans, elephants, and wild animals, which represent the earliest history of man's existence in the Arabian Peninsula.

What is known today as Tabuk Province was home to the perishing Arabs, including the peoples of Thamud, Nabataeans, and Arameans. It used to be called Tabu or Tabuwa, as evidenced by ancient Greek and Thamudian inscriptions and archaeological sites in Tayma and the village of al-Maleha.

Tabuk Province has one public university, located in the administrative capital Tabuk City, and bearing its name, with branches spread across the governorates of the province.

Residents and visitors of the province rely on the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk City and al-Wajh Domestic Airport. Also, due to the province’s overlapping borders with al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Province, residents of Umluj Governorate in Tabuk Province can reach Prince Abdul Mohsin Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Province within an hour's drive. Umluj residents, on the other hand, are a five-hour drive from Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport, located 487 km away.