Al-Wajh Governorate محافظة الوجه | |
|---|---|
City andGovernorate | |
  Beach promenade in Al-Wajh (top) and Al-Wajh duringWorld War I (bottom) | |
 Map Showing the Governorate’s Location within Tabuk Province | |
  Al-Wajh Governorate Location of Al-Wajh within Saudi Arabia | |
| Coordinates:26°17′0″N36°25′0″E / 26.28333°N 36.41667°E /26.28333; 36.41667 | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Tabuk Province |
| Region | Hejaz |
| Seat | Al-Wajh City |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Al-Wajh Municipality |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Metro | 49,948 (Al-Wajh Governorate) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (SAST) |
| Area code | 014 |
Al-Wajh (also spelled Al-Wejh,Arabic: الوجه) is acoastalcity andgovernorate[1] in northwesternSaudi Arabia, located on theRed Sea inTabuk Province.
Al-Wajh played a pivotal role during theArab Revolt inWorld War I. In 1917,the city was taken by the forces ofFaisal I, and it was subsequently used as a strategic base for launching a series of coordinated attacks on theHejaz railway.[2] (SeeHMSAnne for the British side of that operation.)
Historically, the city has been known by several other names, including Al-Hijr Port,Hegra, Al-Yaqoubi, and Al-Udhri.[3]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 50,000 | — |
| 2022 | 49,948 | −0.01% |
| Source: | ||
The governorate is served by theAl-Wajh Domestic Airport,[4] a small airport located on its outskirts. It offers flights to several major destinations within Saudi Arabia, includingJeddah,Riyadh, andMedina.
Al-Wajh is the subject of a painting byClarkson Frederick Stanfield, an engraving of which was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832 as
El Wuish, Red Sea. along with a poetical illustration byLetitia Elizabeth Landon that reflects on the slowness of navigation amongst the numerous coral reefs in the area.[5]
| Climate data forAl-Wajh Domestic Airport (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.2 (93.6) | 36.0 (96.8) | 38.4 (101.1) | 41.8 (107.2) | 48.0 (118.4) | 46.0 (114.8) | 46.0 (114.8) | 45.5 (113.9) | 45.2 (113.4) | 43.0 (109.4) | 40.0 (104.0) | 37.0 (98.6) | 48.0 (118.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) | 25.5 (77.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 29.8 (85.6) | 32.3 (90.1) | 33.4 (92.1) | 34.5 (94.1) | 34.7 (94.5) | 33.7 (92.7) | 32.6 (90.7) | 30.1 (86.2) | 26.7 (80.1) | 30.5 (86.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.2 (68.4) | 22.2 (72.0) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.6 (81.7) | 29.0 (84.2) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.3 (84.7) | 27.8 (82.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 21.2 (70.2) | 25.6 (78.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) | 14.7 (58.5) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.2 (79.2) | 24.7 (76.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 19.2 (66.6) | 15.9 (60.6) | 20.5 (68.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) | 6.1 (43.0) | 9.5 (49.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 21.4 (70.5) | 22.0 (71.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 12.4 (54.3) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.1 (41.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 11.0 (0.43) | 3.8 (0.15) | 1.4 (0.06) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.9 (0.04) | 10.1 (0.40) | 8.2 (0.32) | 36.4 (1.43) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 4.1 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 57 | 58 | 58 | 60 | 67 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 67 | 59 | 57 | 65 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 260 | 249 | 288 | 294 | 313 | 345 | 357 | 347 | 294 | 295 | 258 | 239 | 3,539 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 8.4 | 8.8 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 9.8 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 | 9.7 |
| Source 1:NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1970–1979, sun 1986-1990)[7] | |||||||||||||
