Rafha رفحاء | |
|---|---|
City andGovernorate | |
 Location of Rafha Governorate within the Northern Borders Province | |
  Rafha Location of Rafha within Saudi Arabia | |
| Coordinates:29°38′19″N043°30′05″E / 29.63861°N 43.50139°E /29.63861; 43.50139 | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Northern Borders |
| Region | Badiyat al-Sham |
| Seat | Rafha City |
| First settled | 15th century |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Rafha Municipality |
| Area | |
• City andGovernorate | 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Metro | 84,536 (Rafha Governorate)[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (SAST) |
| Area code | 014 |
Rafha (Arabic: رفحاء,romanized: Rafḥāʼ) is acity andgovernorate in northernSaudi Arabia. It is part of theNorthern Borders Province and is located near the border withIraq. As of the 2022 census, it has a population of 84,536.[1]
Rafha is the second-largest city in theNorthern Borders Province, afterArar. It is situated approximately halfway betweenHafar al-Batin andArar City, making it a key location in the province.
The site originates in the 15th Century AD.[2]
The city started to grow between 1949 and 1950, especially following the establishment of theTrans-Arabian pipeline. Those in charge of the pipeline decided to establish various stations to strengthen the pumping mechanism and rate in this area. The area, during this period, was initially called the "Pipeline Governorate". The job opportunities available in this station gradually attracted people to it until these population centers turned into one of the main cities along the pipeline line. Additionally, Rafha was one of the richest and prosperous cities on earth during the golden period of islam. Furthermore, when Rafha was founded (somewhere around 1876) its original king was named Rafha, which is where its name comes from. His friend, Thew, also had a mountain named after him in rafha.[3]
Even though people started to move in 1949,[3] the city itself was founded in 1950, under the reign ofKingAbdulaziz.[4] At this date,Mohammed Al-Alawi became the first governor of the area, and did so for the following 17 years, until 1967.[5]
By the 1950s, the "oldmarket" in the area opened up to the public and supplied the population of the city and nearby towns in the region, becoming one of the significant landmark of the city.[6]
In total there were three official visits by two kings of Saudi Arabia, including King Abdulaziz andKing Salman.[7]
The city hostedIraqirefugees since the start of theGulf War up to November 2008.[8]
The name "Rafha" originates from a nearby hill (known locally as a qārah) situated to the northwest of the current city. The hill itself was named after a woman called Rafha, who lived with her family in the vicinity. According to local tradition, there was a small depression (known as a quwayrah) to the east of the area that was also called Rafha. When a well was later dug beside this location, it was named "Bir Rafha" (Rafha Well). Over time, the entire settlement came to be known by this name.
Köppen climate classification classifies its climate ashot desert (BWh).[9][10]
| Climate data for Rafha (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) | 34.2 (93.6) | 42.0 (107.6) | 43.2 (109.8) | 46.0 (114.8) | 48.5 (119.3) | 51.1 (124.0) | 48.9 (120.0) | 46.5 (115.7) | 41.7 (107.1) | 36.4 (97.5) | 32.2 (90.0) | 51.1 (124.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 25.3 (77.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 37.3 (99.1) | 41.5 (106.7) | 43.1 (109.6) | 43.6 (110.5) | 40.5 (104.9) | 34.4 (93.9) | 24.3 (75.7) | 18.8 (65.8) | 31.5 (88.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) | 13.1 (55.6) | 18.0 (64.4) | 23.9 (75.0) | 29.8 (85.6) | 33.5 (92.3) | 35.1 (95.2) | 35.3 (95.5) | 32.3 (90.1) | 26.4 (79.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 12.2 (54.0) | 24.0 (75.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.9 (40.8) | 6.5 (43.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 16.2 (61.2) | 21.6 (70.9) | 24.5 (76.1) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.2 (79.2) | 23.4 (74.1) | 18.8 (65.8) | 11.4 (52.5) | 6.5 (43.7) | 16.4 (61.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5.8 (21.6) | −5.0 (23.0) | −2.0 (28.4) | 3.0 (37.4) | 12.1 (53.8) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 12.2 (54.0) | 4.3 (39.7) | −3.0 (26.6) | −5.6 (21.9) | −5.8 (21.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 13.1 (0.52) | 8.6 (0.34) | 12.5 (0.49) | 10.1 (0.40) | 3.3 (0.13) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.9 (0.11) | 18.2 (0.72) | 9.9 (0.39) | 78.6 (3.09) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 13.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 64 | 54 | 43 | 36 | 25 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 32 | 49 | 61 | 37 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organization,[11] Jeddah Regional Climate Center (humidity 1985-2010)[12] | |||||||||||||
Rafha Domestic Airport serves the governorate, offering scheduled domestic flights and connecting Rafha to major cities within Saudi Arabia.