Uyun al-Jiwa Governorate

Uyun al-Jiwa Governorate is a governorate in al-Qassim Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated northwest of the province. It is one of the five least populated governorates in the province, with only 2.2 percent of al-Qassim Province population living there, equivalent to about 29,178 people according to the 2022 Saudi Census.

Uyun al-Jiwa is a Category (B) governorate and has seven administrative centers: al-Busaiteen, Ghaf al-Jiwa, Authal, al-Taraq, al-Mukharram, Rawd al-Jiwa, and Kabad. It is located approximately forty-two km from Buraydah, the seat of the emirate of the province.

Uyun al-Jiwa Governorate is steeped in history and tradition and cited in ancient Arab poetry; it was the hometown of Arab poet and knight Antarah Bin Shaddad, who referred to Uyun al-Jiwa in his long poem (mu'allaqah), saying: O homeland of Abla in al-Jiwa, speak! Good morning to you, and may you remain safe from harm. He also left there his rock, Hasat al-Nasla, the irrefutable historical evidence of the poet's life and story with his beloved Abla, characterized by its unique formation shaped by the wind and the natural elements, whose historical significance goes beyond the romantic story of the Arab poet and his beloved. The rock contains Thamudian inscriptions dating back between the second century BCE and the first or second century AD, offering key evidence of human settlement in the province.

Uyun al-Jiwa Governorate contains many historical and tourist monuments, such as the heritage village of Uyun al-Jiwa which contains many ancient urban landmarks, such as al-Mashaqiq, which are ancient wells and water channels beaked deep into the bedrock. Some of them are artistically folded with stones, others reaching more than one hundred m in length and half a meter wide, spreading out in different locations across the village.

The genesis of al-Mashaqiq dates back hundreds of years and is linked to the early origins of the village, as each group of wells is connected to underground channels, comprised of fissures in the ground, to take advantage of the presence of more water quantities in some of them and compensate for shortages in others. These channels often pass underneath the houses, are very ancient, and whose inventor is unknown. Locals believe their origins date back to the pre-Islamic era, and their ownership changes hands between farm owners within their farms.

The College of Science and Arts of Qassim University is located in Uyun al-Jiwa Governorate and first received female students in the academic year 2013-2014. Currently, the college has several specializations, including: Mathematics, Physics, Special Education, Shariah and Islamic Studies: Legal System.

Residents and visitors of Uyun al-Jiwa Governorate rely on Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Buraydah, the closest international airport, thirty-four km away, which is an international airport with a capacity of approximately seven hundred thousand passengers per year.

Highway 65 crosses the governorate’s territory, which starts from Howtat Bani Tamim in the center of the Kingdom and ends in al-Qurayyat in the far north of the Kingdom. It is the main land access route to and from Uyun al-Jiwa.