Arar عرعر | |
|---|---|
 Arar Water Tower | |
 Location of Arar within the Northern Borders Province | |
  Arar Location within Saudi Arabia | |
| Coordinates:30°58′31″N41°01′23″E / 30.97528°N 41.02306°E /30.97528; 41.02306 | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Northern Borders |
| Region | Badiyat al-Sham |
| City Established | 1951; 74 years ago (1951) |
| Named after | Wadi Arar |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Arar Municipality |
| Area | |
• Total | 21,360 km2 (8,250 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 536 m (1,759 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 202,719 |
| • Density | 9.491/km2 (24.58/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (SAST) |
| Area code | 014 |
| Website | www |
Arar (Arabic: عرعر) is acity in northernSaudi Arabia. It is the seat of theNorthern Borders Province. The city is located near the border withIraq. As of the 2022 census, it has a population of 202,719.[1]
The city of Arar was founded in 1951 following the construction of theTrans-Arabian Pipeline bySaudi Aramco. Initially, Arar served as anoil pumping station, equipped with a health center and worker housing. The early workforce primarily consisted of individuals fromAl-Ahsa,Hail,Yanbu, andAl-Wajh.[citation needed] In 1954, a summit was held in Arar betweenKing Saud of Saudi Arabia andKing Hussein of Jordan during their respective reigns. In 1968, the remains of an ancient city were discovered approximately 30 km from Arar. The site yielded numerous finely crafted sculptures and statues of aquatic creatures such as turtles and fish. Additionally, around 200 inscriptions in theSafaitic andThamudic scripts were found.[citation needed]Iraqi Airways Flight 163 crashed near theArar Domestic Airport on 25 December 1986.[2] The plane was flying from Baghdad, Iraq, to Amman, Jordan. In 1990, theArar border crossing withIraq was officially closed following theGulf War, except during theHajj season. It was partially reopened in 2017 for limited travel and religious purposes, and later fully reopened on November 18, 2020.[3] TheIslamic State had planned to attack the city as part of theirinvasion of Iraq.[4]On 5 January 2015, two Saudi border guards were killed in a suicide attack by the Islamic State at theArar Border Crossing.[5] However, thereafter ISIS was diminished militarily by other events elsewhere and could not pursue further attacks in the city. In 2019,KingSalman andCrown PrinceMohammed bin Salman visited the city.
Arar is located in the northernmost part ofSaudi Arabia, approximately 1,100 kilometers northwest ofRiyadh and about 60 kilometers from theIraqi border.[6] It serves as the capital of theNorthern Borders Province (Al-Ḥudūd Aš-Šamāliyya).
Arar lies within a vast rocky limestone plain characterized by arid desert landscapes. The city's elevation is approximately 536 meters (1,759 feet) above sea level.[7]
The city is situated alongWadi Arar, a majorvalley in the central part of theNorthern Borders Province of Saudi Arabia. The wadi originates about 125 kilometers southwest of Arar, flowing in a southwest-to-northeast direction. It passes through Arar and merges with several other wadis and shaʻibs (dry tributaries) before crossing the border into Iraq. Historically, Wadi Arar supported rich vegetation and native wildlife, and in recent years, environmental restoration projects have been initiated to combat desertification and restore biodiversity.[8][9]
According to theKöppen–Geiger climate classification system, Arar has ahot desert climate (BWh).[10] Winds in the region generally blow from the east or west, and rarely from the south. Over recent decades, rainfall levels have gradually declined. Although the city is located in a desert region, snowfall is not uncommon and typically occurs every two to three years.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Arar (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.0 (80.6) | 33.2 (91.8) | 38.1 (100.6) | 41.2 (106.2) | 45.1 (113.2) | 48.0 (118.4) | 49.0 (120.2) | 48.8 (119.8) | 47.2 (117.0) | 42.7 (108.9) | 40.0 (104.0) | 30.3 (86.5) | 49.0 (120.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.0 (60.8) | 18.7 (65.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 29.8 (85.6) | 35.6 (96.1) | 40.2 (104.4) | 42.4 (108.3) | 42.6 (108.7) | 39.2 (102.6) | 32.8 (91.0) | 23.1 (73.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 30.1 (86.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) | 11.8 (53.2) | 16.8 (62.2) | 22.4 (72.3) | 28.1 (82.6) | 32.4 (90.3) | 34.6 (94.3) | 34.7 (94.5) | 31.1 (88.0) | 24.8 (76.6) | 16.1 (61.0) | 10.8 (51.4) | 22.7 (72.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) | 5.5 (41.9) | 9.6 (49.3) | 15.0 (59.0) | 20.3 (68.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 22.9 (73.2) | 17.6 (63.7) | 10.1 (50.2) | 5.2 (41.4) | 15.5 (59.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.3 (20.7) | −5.0 (23.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 1.0 (33.8) | 12.0 (53.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 14.8 (58.6) | 7.5 (45.5) | −2.9 (26.8) | −5.0 (23.0) | −6.3 (20.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 10.1 (0.40) | 6.2 (0.24) | 5.7 (0.22) | 6.4 (0.25) | 1.7 (0.07) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 4.2 (0.17) | 11.6 (0.46) | 8.0 (0.31) | 54.0 (2.13) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 10.5 |
| Source:NOAA[11] | |||||||||||||
The nameArar (Arabic: عرعر) is derived from the name of a nearby valley calledWadi Arar. The term "Arar" is linked to the Arabic verbʿarara, which means "to cut" or "to tear the earth," reflecting the valley’s distinctive erosive landscape.
While the word "Arar" is also the Arabic name for theJuniperus procera tree (ʿarʿar), which is native to the southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia, the juniper tree itself does not naturally grow in the northern region where the city is located. The association with the juniper tree is primarily linguistic and historical rather than botanical.
Historical Arabic literature, including poetry byImru' al-Qais and writings by geographers such asYaqut al-Hamawi and Al-Hijri, mentionWadi Arar, indicating that the name has long been linked to the region well before the establishment of the modern city.[12]
Arar is home toPrince Abdullah bin Musaad Sports City Stadium, amulti-purpose stadium that opened in 1981. The stadium is primarily used for football matches and serves as the home ground ofArar FC, the city's main football club. It has a seating capacity of 6,000 spectators.[13]
Arar Domestic Airport serves as the primary airport for the city, providing domestic flights that connect Arar to other major cities in Saudi Arabia.[14]
 Main Saudi Arabian cities by population | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000 and more | |
| 300,000-999,999 | |
| <300,000 | |
Source:cdsi.gov.sa | |