Qaryat al-Ulya Governorate

Qaryat al-Ulya Governorate is a Category (B) governorate in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the second-smallest city by population in the province and oversees twenty-two centers. In ancient times, it was a source of water for nomads. Today, it is home to just 0.4 percent of the province's population, according to the 2022 Saudi Census, with an estimated 21,788 people.

Qaryat al-Ulya Governorate is located 307 km northwest of Dammam, the seat of the emirate of the province. It is bordered from the north by al-Khafji Governorate; from the north and west by Hafr al-Batin Governorate; and from the south by al-Ahsa Governorate and the Riyadh Province.

Although the Eastern Province dominates the Kingdom's entire east coast, Qaryat al-Ulya is one of three landlocked governorates in the province, although it is only 133 km from the coast.

Qaryat al-Ulya has a multitude of advantages, including fertile soil, abundant water at depths very close to the earth’s surface, and about two thousand farms producing a total of 250,000 t of wheat.

Qaryat al-Ulya was known as a land port in the northeast of the Kingdom, a juncture for several important ancient roads, a nexus connecting the Kingdom, Kuwait, and Iraq, and an import center generating income for the Kingdom at the time. Up until 1960, it was a border and customs station for travelers to countries east and north of the Kingdom.

The governorate is served by King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, 289 km from the city center. It is an international airport with a capacity of up to ten million passengers per year. Locally, al-Qaisumah International Airport in Hafr al-Batin is the nearest airport, located 188 km northwest of Qaryat al-Ulya.

Secondary Highway 550 is the city's main land access route, which provides access to the governorate and enables travel between the Kingdom's main metropolitan centers.

Given its history and settlement activity, Qaryat al-Ulya Governorate was also known as one of the transit stations for pilgrims east of the Arabian Peninsula, specifically pilgrims arriving from Basra and Bahrain en route to Makkah al-Mukarramah. The governorate is also distinct for its historical and archaeological landmarks, including the historical A’ali Palace, ordered to be built by the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud in 1936.

The historical A’ali Palace is one of a series of palaces that King Abdulaziz ordered built throughout the Kingdom's provinces to serve as local seats of government. King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated the palace, which was constructed using stone, mud, and logs. It included several government departments: the emirate, the Passport and Citizenship Department, the Finance Department, the Postal Department, the Police Department, and a wireless communications center. Hence, it is one of the most important historical and archaeological monuments in the governorate, as the palace contributed to the advancement of the area in which it was built.