Arar, Saudi Arabia

This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. For other uses, see Arar (disambiguation).

Arar عرعر
City and Governorate
Arar Water Tower
Arar Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 30°58′31″N 41°01′23″E
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Northern Borders
Established	1951
Area
• Total	21,360 km^2 (8,250 sq mi)
Elevation	536 m (1,759 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	202,719
• Density	9.5/km^2 (25/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3
Area code	+966-14
Website	www.arar-mu.gov.sa

Arar (Arabic: عرعر ʿArʿar  [ˈʕarʕar] lit.: "Juniper") is the capital of Northern Borders Province in Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 202,719 (2022 census).^[1]

Arar is located in northern Saudi Arabia near the Iraqi border. It is known for its fertile pasture lands^{[citation needed]} which lends itself well to its principal occupation of sheep and camel herding.^{[citation needed]} The population of the entire Northern Borders Province, including the cities of Rafha, Turaif and Alaoiqilah and suburban villages and their inhabitants, was 373,577 at the 2022 census. Arar serves as a significant supply stop for travelers on the Saudi Arabian highway 85.

History

The city of Arar was founded in 1951, after the construction of the Aramco oil pipeline (Tapline) was completed. It was initially an oil pumping station with a health center and worker housing. Workers at Arar were primarily from the regions of Al-Ahsa, Ha'il, Yanbu and Al Wajh.^{[citation needed]}

Arar got its name from the original oil field that existed before the town, "Field RR", one of many in the country, where it was known by the locals as "R.R." which later became ʿArʿar.^{[citation needed]} The name Arar means juniper in Arabic.^[2]

In 1968, the remains of an ancient city were unearthed 30 km from the city of Arar. The site yielded numerous sculptures of fish, turtles and other aquatic animals.^{[citation needed]}

A summit meeting between King Saud and King Hussein of Jordan took place in Arar during the reigns of the two monarchs.^[when?]

Iraqi Airways Flight 163, crashed near the 'Ar'ar airport on 25 December 1986.^[3] The plane was flying from Baghdad, Iraq to Amman, Jordan.

The Islamic State had planned to attack the city as part of their 2014 insurgency.^[4] On 5 January 2015 two Saudi border guards were killed in a suicide attack by the Islamic State at the Arar Border Crossing.^[5] However, thereafter ISIS was diminished militarily by other events elsewhere and could not pursue further attacks in the city.

Geography

Arar is located in the north of Saudi Arabia, in the heart of a vast rocky limestone plain. It lies about 1100 km northwest of Riyadh, and about 60 km from the Iraqi border.^[6]

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies the climate of Arar as hot desert (BWh).^[7] Winds generally blow from the east or west, rarely from the south. The rainfall in the region has declined gradually over recent years. Snow is not uncommon, falling on average every two to three years.^{[citation needed]}

Climate data for Arar (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	27.0 (80.6)	33.2 (91.8)	38.1 (100.6)	41.2 (106.2)	45.1 (113.2)	48.0 (118.4)	49.0 (120.2)	48.8 (119.8)	47.2 (117.0)	42.7 (108.9)	40.0 (104.0)	30.3 (86.5)	49.0 (120.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	16.0 (60.8)	18.7 (65.7)	23.9 (75.0)	29.8 (85.6)	35.6 (96.1)	40.2 (104.4)	42.4 (108.3)	42.6 (108.7)	39.2 (102.6)	32.8 (91.0)	23.1 (73.6)	17.5 (63.5)	30.1 (86.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	9.3 (48.7)	11.8 (53.2)	16.8 (62.2)	22.4 (72.3)	28.1 (82.6)	32.4 (90.3)	34.6 (94.3)	34.7 (94.5)	31.1 (88.0)	24.8 (76.6)	16.1 (61.0)	10.8 (51.4)	22.7 (72.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	3.7 (38.7)	5.5 (41.9)	9.6 (49.3)	15.0 (59.0)	20.3 (68.5)	24.1 (75.4)	26.3 (79.3)	26.3 (79.3)	22.9 (73.2)	17.6 (63.7)	10.1 (50.2)	5.2 (41.4)	15.5 (59.9)
Record low °C (°F)	−6.3 (20.7)	−5.0 (23.0)	0.0 (32.0)	1.0 (33.8)	12.0 (53.6)	17.0 (62.6)	21.1 (70.0)	20.1 (68.2)	14.8 (58.6)	7.5 (45.5)	−2.9 (26.8)	−5.0 (23.0)	−6.3 (20.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	10.1 (0.40)	6.2 (0.24)	5.7 (0.22)	6.4 (0.25)	1.7 (0.07)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	4.2 (0.17)	11.6 (0.46)	8.0 (0.31)	54.0 (2.13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	2.0	1.3	1.2	1.3	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.8	1.3	10.5
Source: NOAA[8]

Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ed Sports City

Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ed Sports City, opened in 1981, is a multi-purpose stadium in Arar. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Arar FC. The stadium has a capacity of 6,000 people.^[9]

Notable people

• Amjed Bedewi, diplomat.
• Bander Faleh, football player.
• Ibn al-Khattab, mujahid warlord.
• Aziz Farhan Al-Enizi, Islamic Scholar

References

1. "Northern Borders Region (Saudi Arabia): Places in Governorates - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
2. "Bab.la".
3. "THE WORLD; 62 Are Killed In Hijacking Of Iraqi Jetliner". The New York Times. 28 December 1986.
4. "Reported ISIS Member Says They Will Destroy The Kaaba In Mecca, 'Kill Those Who Worship Stones'". Huffington Post. 1 July 2014.
5. "Two Saudi guards killed in suicide attack on Iraq border". The Guardian. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
6. Hiro, Dilip (19 August 2002). "Iraq Woos Its Neighbors". The Nation. 275 (6). Archived from the original on 8 May 2016.
7. "Climate: Arar - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
8. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Arar". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
9. "مدينة الأمير عبدالله بن مساعد الرياضية بعرعر" [Prince Abdullah bin Musaed Sports City in Arar] (in Arabic). The Ministry of Sports. Retrieved 2020-09-11.