Hofuf

Hofuf (also Hufuf , Hofof , Arabic الهفوف, DMG al-Hufūf ) is a city in eastern Saudi Arabia in the province of Ash-Sharqiyya . With over 660,000 inhabitants, it is the urban center of the al-Hasa oasis; the entire urban region has more than 1 million inhabitants. Sometimes the names of the city and the oasis are used synonymously, although the al-Hasa oasis also includes other cities, for example al-Mubarraz, which is immediately north of Hofuf .

geography

Aerial view of the al-Hasa region, in the southwest of Hofuf

location

Hofuf is located in the interior of the Arabian Peninsula, around 300 kilometers east of the capital Riyadh , and around 80 kilometers from the coast of the Persian Gulf . To the west of the city is Ghawar , the largest oil field in the world. Dammam is about 130 kilometers northeast of Hofuf.

climate

Hofuf is located in the subtropical climate zone , more precisely in the dry subtropics . In the summer months between May and September, the average maximum temperature rises to 39 to 43 degrees Celsius, accompanied by strong sunlight. The minimum temperatures in summer are 22 to 26 degrees Celsius on average. In winter, between December and February, the maximum temperature averages 20 to 23 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperatures in winter are 8 to 10 degrees Celsius on average.

The humidity in and around Hofuf is low, especially in summer. The average annual rainfall of around 67 millimeters falls almost exclusively in the period from December to April.

Average monthly temperatures and precipitation for Hofuf

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	19.9	22.8	27.9	32.7	38.6	41.6	42.6	42.5	40.2	35.2	28.2	22.3	O	32.9
Min. Temperature (° C)	8.2	8.8	13.4	17.8	21.7	23.9	25.6	24.5	21.9	17.8	13.0	9.9	O	17.3

Precipitation ( mm )	21st	8th	16	13	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	6th	Σ	67

Hours of sunshine ( h / d )	6.7	7.3	6.9	8.0	9.4	11.1	11.0	10.4	10.0	9.4	8.9	6.8	O	8.8

Humidity ( % )	62	54	44	40	26th	19th	21st	29	37	43	50	57	O	40.1

Source: wetterkontor.de

Culture and sights

The Qasr Sahud fortress in the north of the city

Hofuf is considered to be one of the most important cultural centers in Saudi Arabia. Fort Qasr Ibrahim, built under Turkish rule in 1551, is one of the most important sights . With its high fortification towers and meter-thick mud walls, it shapes the cityscape in the city center. The Hofuf Museum describes the geography and history of the al-Hasa region.

Economy and Infrastructure

education

Hofuf is the location of several universities, including the King Faisal University .

traffic

In addition to domestic flights to Riyadh and Jeddah , international flights to Dubai have also been offered from Al-Ahsa Airport in Hofuf since 2014 . Hofuf also has a Saudi railway station with connections to Dammam and Riyadh. The city is also connected to Riyadh and Dammam as well as the Qatari capital Doha via motorways.

literature

Gerhard Heck, Manfred Wöbcke, DuMont Reiseverlag, 2011: Arabian Peninsula ( preview on Google )

Individual evidence

↑ www.citypopulation.de: Population figures for Saudi Arabia , accessed on January 27, 2014.

↑ saudigazette.com.sa: flydubai adds Hofuf to Kingdom network ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 29, 2014 @1@ 2

[1] www.citypopulation.de: Population figures for Saudi Arabia , accessed on January 27, 2014.

[2] saudigazette.com.sa: flydubai adds Hofuf to Kingdom network ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 29, 2014 @1@ 2