Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

History and prehistory

The 1068 Near East earthquakes were a pair of major earthquakes that occurred in 1068; the first of which whose epicentre was in the area of Tabuk.

Tabuk Province is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, sections of the Syrian and Egyptian pilgrimage (Hajj) routes, as well as remains of the Hejaz railway, an important station of which is located in Tabuk.

Hundreds of localities with rock art and inscriptions dating to different archaeological periods ranging from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk. A study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability with representations of both human and animal figures. Numerous sites in the area with Thamudic, Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found.

The ancient region of Midian roughly corresponds to what is now the Tabuk Province. According to tradition, a fortified place belonging to the Aṣ-ḥāb al-Aykah ("Companions of the Wood"), the term used in the Quran for the Midianites, is identified with Tabuk or even its fort, although the extant one is less than five centuries old.

2nd-century Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy mentioned a place by the name 'Tabawa', at the northwestern corner of Arabia. This name may be a reference to 'Tabuka' or 'Tabuk'. If this is true, the town may be as old as Ptolemy's time. Pre-Islamic Arab poets such as Antra and Nabiqa mention the mountain 'Hasmi' in their poems.

Tabuk became famous for the Expedition of Tabuk in 630, during the period of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Since then, it remained a gateway to North Arabia.

Ain Sukkrah is an ancient ‘ayn (Arabic: عَيْن, romanized: spring) dating back to Pre-Islamic Arabia ("Era of Ignorance"). It is remembered that Muhammad camped for more than ten days near the spring during the expedition of Tabuk, and drank from its water.

The Hajj fort of Tabuk seen today dates back to the 16th century, during the Ottoman period and has been restored many times since. Several forts and stations were built along the Syrian Hajj (pilgrimage) route, from Damascus to Medina, to welcome and protect the pilgrims performing the Hajj. The fort consists of two floors built around an open courtyard with a mosque, a well, and a stairway leading to the watch towers used by the guards. The Tabuk fort is considered a historical landmark of the region and is open to visitors.

Tabuk was visited by Charles Montagu Doughty in 1877.

Tabuk was captured by the Arab forces in 1918, three weeks after the British capture of Damascus.

Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the 1991 Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi Scud missiles and air attacks.