Tabuk

Tabuk, the capital of northwestern Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province, lies 50 kilometers from Jordan’s border, with date palm groves dotting its edges and desert plains stretching beyond. Walk through the 16th-century Tabuk Castle, where Ottoman soldiers once guarded trade routes, or trace the cracked stone walls of Ain Sukkrah, an Iron Age spring used by the Prophet Muhammad’s army. The city serves as a base for visiting Red Sea developments like NEOM, where construction crews work on solar-powered cities, while nearby mountains like Jabal al-Lawz still get winter snow. You can examine Ottoman-era pottery in the Tabuk Museum, housed in a restored Hejaz Railway station, or visit the Repentance Mosque rebuilt with twin minarets and a domed prayer hall. This region connects ancient caravan routes with Saudi Arabia’s current efforts to build tech-driven urban centers along the coast.

Key Historical Sites

Tabuk Castle, built in 1559 from stone and sunbaked bricks, reveals the city’s role in protecting trade caravans traveling between Damascus and Medina. Climb its narrow staircases to reach watchtowers that once scanned for approaching armies, then descend to see arrowheads and coins from the 7th-century Tabuk expedition displayed in glass cases. Five kilometers west, the Repentance Mosque stands on the site where the Prophet Muhammad led prayers during his military campaign, its current white-and-beige structure completed during King Faisal’s rule. Outside the city, sections of the Hejaz Railway’s iron tracks remain embedded in the sand near collapsed stations that once housed Ottoman troops. Archaeologists recently uncovered Thamudic rock carvings near these ruins, adding to evidence of pre-Islamic settlements.

Mountains and Coastal Areas

Jabal al-Lawz, part of the Midian range, reaches 2,580 meters and often has snow on its peaks from December to February, creating temporary streams in nearby valleys. Along the Red Sea coast, 200 kilometers southwest of Tabuk, islands like Sila and Barda host coral reefs where parrotfish and clownfish swim between branching acropora colonies. The Ain Sukkrah spring, 15 minutes by car from downtown, still irrigates date farms through channels first dug during the Abbasid Caliphate. Summer temperatures here regularly hit 43°C, pushing outdoor activities to early mornings, while winter nights sometimes drop below 5°C, requiring jackets. Farms near the Astra village grow roses and lilies in greenhouses, exporting over 20 million stems annually to European markets.

Current Infrastructure Projects

NEOM, a planned city spanning 26,500 square kilometers west of Tabuk, aims to run entirely on wind and solar power, with its first residential district scheduled to open in 2026. Engineers are constructing a 170-kilometer linear urban zone called The Line, designed to house nine million people without cars, using high-speed transit systems. South of NEOM, the AMAALA resort project will add three luxury complexes with spas and private beaches along a 120-kilometer coastline stretch near Al-Wajh. The Red Sea Project further south limits visitor numbers to 500,000 yearly across 90 islands to protect hawksbill turtle nesting sites and mangrove forests. Tabuk’s airport expanded its runway in 2022 to handle direct flights from Istanbul and London, reducing travel time for international investors.

Daily Life and Customs

At Tabuk’s Tuesday Market, artisans sell camel-leather sandals and black-and-red patterned rugs woven by local Bedouin tribes using techniques passed down for generations. Families often share Fatteh for Friday meals—a dish of crispy flatbread soaked in broth, topped with rice and lamb chunks, served in large copper trays. The Saudi Falcons Club organizes hunting trips from October to March, training birds to catch hares in the desert, and hosts annual races where falcons compete for speed prizes. Over 30,000 date palms grow in the city’s northern farms, producing Sukkari dates known for their caramel-like sweetness, harvested each September. During the Janadriyah Heritage Festival, riders compete in camel races stretching 8 kilometers across hard-packed desert tracks.

Schools and Research

The University of Tabuk’s archaeology department leads excavations at Al-Bida’a, a Nabataean site with tombs carved into sandstone cliffs resembling those in Petra. Expatriate children attend the British International School near the airport, which follows GCSE curricula and offers Arabic language classes twice weekly. At the Tabuk Regional Library, researchers can study 14th-century Ottoman land deeds or 3D scans of Lihyanite inscriptions found near Khaybar. New apartment complexes north of the city center house engineers and architects working on NEOM, many recruited from Riyadh and Jeddah. The government recently opened three hospitals specializing in cardiac care, staffed by doctors from Egypt and Pakistan.

Getting Around

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Airport added six new gates in 2023, handling flights to Amman three times weekly and Cairo daily during peak seasons. Rent a 4x4 at the airport to drive the 650-kilometer Desert Highway to Medina, passing volcanic fields and roadside cafes serving mint tea and lamb kebabs. Taxis charge fixed rates to major sites—expect to pay 15 SAR for a ride from the Hejaz Railway Museum to Tabuk Castle. Shared minibuses leave hourly from the city’s southern bus station for coastal towns like Duba, a three-hour trip where you’ll see truck convoys carrying wind turbine blades to NEOM construction sites. From Al-Wajh’s marina, book a half-day boat tour to Farsan Island to snorkel above star corals and blue-spotted stingrays.