Unaiza
| عنيزة Unaiza |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 25 ° 5 ' N , 43 ° 59' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Saudi Arabia | ||
| al-Qasim | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | SA-05 | ||
| Residents | 152,895 (2010) | ||
 |
|||
Unaiza , also Unaizah or Unayza , Arabic عنيزة, DMG ʿUnaiza , is a city in the province of al-Qasim in Saudi Arabia . It is located south of the provincial capital Buraida and north of Riyadh , the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the second largest city in al-Qasim province with a population of 152,895 (2010 census).
geography
Unaiza is located in the south of al-Qasim province and in the heart of the historic Najd region . It is about 30 kilometers from Buraida (the capital of the province) and more than 300 kilometers north of the Saudi capital Riyadh. The city is located in the northern central region of the Najd and south of the Wadi ar-Rumma (Rumma Valley), the longest valley on the Arabian Peninsula . The city is surrounded by sand dunes to the north and west. A salt lake is also part of the urban area.
climate
The winters in Unaiza are relatively cold and rainy, and the summers are hot aneroid summers with low humidity. Unaiza's summer weather is described as comparatively mild and suitable for agriculture. With this type of weather, Unaiza became known as one of the largest cities for date growing.
history
Historically, Unaiza was an important stopping point for Muslim pilgrims from Mesopotamia (now Iraq ) and Persia (now Iran ) on their way to Mecca . Many scholars and historians believe that Unaiza was settled hundreds of years before the spread of Islam, citing numerous poems by some of the most important poets of pre-Islamic Arabia, such as Imru 'al-Qais .
The city has been ruled by the Al-Sulaim family since 1818. They came to power when Prince Yehya Al-Sulaim killed the governor appointed by the Ottoman Sultan in 1822 . This dynasty still rules the city today under a written contract between them and the Saudi royal family. The city is home to some of the most powerful families in the country.
economy
The region around Unaiza is an important agricultural area and produces wheat and barley of various varieties. In the region also are grapes , grapefruits , lemons , leeks , tangerines , oranges , pomegranates and dates produced. The cultivation of leeks in particular plays an important cultural role. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the annual Date Season Festival has taken place in September, which Unaiza has been honored to host the second largest date market in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The date market in Unaiza competes with that in neighboring Buraida.
religion
All of the Saudi citizens of Unaiza are Sunni Muslims with a small minority of Indian religions (mostly Hinduism ) brought to the city by Asian guest workers (mostly Indians) and practiced there. As in the other Saudi Arabian cities, non-Islamic places of worship are not allowed. The majority of city dwellers are religiously conservative. One of the leading religious clergy in Saudi Arabia, Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymin was from the city. Several mosques are named after him today.
gallery
Individual evidence
- ↑ General Authority for Statistics. Accessed January 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Andrew Leber: Want to Understand Saudi Arabia? Check Out the World's Second-Largest Date Market. September 25, 2017, accessed on January 21, 2020 .