Al-Qasim province
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القصيم al-Qasim
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| Basic data | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Capital | Buraida |
| surface | 58,046 km² |
| Residents | 1,402,974 (2015) |
| density | 24 inhabitants per km² |
| ISO 3166-2 | SA-05 |
| politics | |
| governor | Faisal ibn Mishal Al Saud |
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Coordinates: 25 ° 48 ' N , 42 ° 54' E
al-Qasim , also al-Qaseem or al-Qassim ( Arabic منطقة القصيم, DMG minṭaqat al-Qaṣīm , pronunciation : [ ælqɑˈsˁiːm ]), is a province of Saudi Arabia . The 58,046 km² province has around 1.4 million inhabitants and is located in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula . The province is considered an important agricultural area within Saudi Arabia. In al-Qasim are more than 400 cities and towns, where in the capital Buraida almost half of the inhabitants live in the province.
etymology
Al-Qasim means something like "a fertile land" or "a land that is covered with trees". Calligonum comosum from the knotweed family, which grows on dunes, is typical of the region .
geography
The province is located in the middle of Saudi Arabia, about 400 km northwest of Riyadh . On the eastern border lies the province of Riyadh, in the west the province of Medina borders on al-Qasim. al-Qasim is on average 600 to 750 meters above sea level.
A specialty of al-Qasim is the Wadi ar-Rumma . This extends over a length of about 600 km over the entire province to Medina . It also represents the longest valley in the entire Arabian Peninsula.
climate
al-Qasim has a hot desert climate typical of the Arabian Peninsula . Dry and hot, occasionally mild summers alternate with cold, rainy winters.
history
There is very little information about the province's pre-Islamic period. Imru 'al-Qais reports on Unaiza and other cities, but most of the places he mentions cannot be found to this day.
During the Abbasid period , a well-known pilgrimage and trade route for travelers from Persia and Mesopotamia led through the province . This so-called Zubeida Street started in Kufa and ended in Mecca . The road was significantly expanded by Harun ar-Raschid and named after his wife Zubeida. A number of rest points for pilgrims emerged along the road, which later developed into cities, such as today's capital Buraidah.
In the late 16th century, the province was conquered by the Abu Ulayan dynasty under Rashid Al Duraiby . He made Buraida the capital. Only Unaiza was continued to rule by the Al-Sulayers .
The Abu Ulayan ruled the emirate until finally it from Muhanna Salih Abalkhail , leader of Abalkhail - Dynasty was conquered. In 1890 the emirate was conquered by Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid , the emir of Ha'il , but was regained by the Abalkhail in 1904.
In 1907 the province finally became part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .
economy
Together with tourism, agriculture is the region's most important source of income. Although al-Qassim has always been known for its fertility, the production of wheat has increased here in the last few decades to such an extent that the desert state of Saudi Arabia has become an exporter of staple foods. In addition to wheat, grapefruits , limes , mandarins , oranges and a variety of vegetables are grown in the region .
The region around the city of Buraida is one of the largest date producers in the world. Every year in September a date festival is held here, to which mainly dealers from the Gulf Cooperation Council come to purchase large contingents of the fruit. The city has the world's largest camel market .
The second largest city Unaiza also organizes an annual date festival in order to attract a large number of tourists to the region in coordination with other annual festivals initiated by the city council.
Agriculture traditionally plays a major role in this region and has contributed to the creation of local dishes through its diverse products. So eat z. B. the residents of Unaiza leek or the residents of Rass prefer chili .
Infrastructure
Due to its central location, the province is well connected to the motorway and road network of Saudi Arabia . There is also a regional airport in the provincial capital.
Schools and hospitals, both public and private, exist in every major city, as is the case throughout Saudi Arabia. The University of Qassim is located between the two main cities of Buraidah and Unaizah .
