Arar, Saudi Arabia

This page is about the city in Saudi Arabia. For other uses, see Arar.

Arar

عرعر

City

Arar Water Tower

Arar Water Tower

Location of Arar within the Northern Borders Province

Location of Arar within the Northern Borders Province

Arar

Location within Saudi Arabia

Coordinates:  [ ⚑ ] : 30°58′31″N 41°01′23″E﻿ / ﻿30.97528°N 41.02306°E﻿ / 30.97528; 41.02306
Country| 25px Saudi Arabia
Province| Northern Borders
Region| Badiyat al-Sham
City Established| 1951; 75 years ago (1951)
Named for| Wadi Arar
Government

• Type| Municipality
• Body| Arar Municipality
Area

• Total| 21,360 km2 (8,250 sq mi)
Elevation

| 536 m (1,759 ft)
Population

(2022)

• Total| 202,719
• Density| 9.5/km2 (25/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC+03:00 (SAST)
Area code(s)| 014
Website| www.arar-mu.gov.sa

Arar (Arabic: عرعر) is a city in northern Saudi Arabia. It is the seat of the Northern Borders Province. The city is located near the border with Iraq. As of the 2022 census, it has a population of 202,719.[1]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Climate
* 3 Etymology
* 4 Sports
* 5 Transportation
* 5.1 Air
* 6 Notable people
* 7 See also
* 8 References

## History

In 1954, a summit was held in Arar between King Saud of Saudi Arabia and King Hussein of Jordan during their respective reigns.

Iraqi Airways Flight 163 crashed near the Arar Domestic Airport on 25 December 1986.[2] The plane was flying from Baghdad, Iraq to Amman, Jordan.

In 1990 the Arar border crossing with Iraq. was officially closed following the Gulf War, except during the Hajj season. It was partially reopened in 2017 for limited travel and religious purposes, and later fully reopened on November 18, 2020[3]

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.

In 2019, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the city.

## Geography

Arar is located in the northernmost part of Saudi Arabia, approximately 1,100 kilometers northwest of Riyadh and about 60 kilometers from the Iraqi border.[6] It serves as the capital of the Northern Borders Province (Al-Ḥudūd Aš-Šamāliyya).

Arar lies within a vast rocky limestone plain characterized by arid desert landscapes. The city's elevation is approximately 536 meters (1,759 feet) above sea level.[7]

The city is situated along Wadi Arar, a major valley in the central part of the Northern Borders Province of Saudi Arabia. The wadi originates about 125 kilometers southwest of Arar, flowing in a southwest-to-northeast direction. It passes through Arar and merges with several other wadis and shaʻibs (dry tributaries) before crossing the border into Iraq. Historically, Wadi Arar supported rich vegetation and native wildlife, and in recent years, environmental restoration projects have been initiated to combat desertification and restore biodiversity.[8][9]

### Climate

According to the Köppen–Geiger climate classification system, Arar has a hot desert climate (BWh).[10] Winds in the region generally blow from the east or west, and rarely from the south. Over recent decades, rainfall levels have gradually declined. Although the city is located in a desert region, snowfall is not uncommon and typically occurs every two to three years. Script error: No such module "weather box".

## Etymology

The name Arar (Arabic: عرعر) is derived from the name of a nearby valley called Wadi Arar. The term "Arar" is linked to the Arabic verb ʿarara, which means "to cut" or "to tear the earth," reflecting the valley’s distinctive erosive landscape.

While the word "Arar" is also the Arabic name for the Juniperus procera tree (ʿarʿar), which is native to the southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia, the juniper tree itself does not naturally grow in the northern region where the city is located. The association with the juniper tree is primarily linguistic and historical rather than botanical.

Historical Arabic literature, including poetry by Imru' al-Qais and writings by geographers such as Yaqut al-Hamawi and Al-Hijri, mention Wadi Arar, indicating that the name has long been linked to the region well before the establishment of the modern city.[12]

## Sports

Arar is home to Prince Abdullah bin Musaad Sports City Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium that opened in 1981. The stadium is primarily used for football matches and serves as the home ground of Arar FC, the city's main football club. It has a seating capacity of 6,000 spectators.[13]

## Transportation

### Air

Arar Domestic Airport serves as the primary airport for the city, providing domestic flights that connect Arar to other major cities in Saudi Arabia.[14]

## Notable people

* Bander Faleh – professional football player.

* Ibn al-Khattab – Islamic rebel separatist and former commander of the Chechen Mujahideen during the Second Chechen War.

## See also

Note: This topic belongs to "Saudi Arabia " portal

* List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia
* List of wadis of Saudi Arabia
* Arar border crossing

## References

1. ↑ "Northern Borders Region (Saudi Arabia): Places in Governorates - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". https://www.citypopulation.de/en/saudiarabia/northern/.
2. ↑ "THE WORLD; 62 Are Killed In Hijacking Of Iraqi Jetliner". The New York Times. 28 December 1986. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/28/weekinreview/the-world-62-are-killed-in-hijacking-of-iraqi-jetliner.html.
3. ↑ "Iraq, Saudi Arabia reopen Arar border crossing after 30 years". Al Jazeera. November 18, 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/18/iraq-saudi-reopen-arar-border-crossing-after-30-years.
4. ↑ "Reported ISIS Member Says They Will Destroy The Kaaba In Mecca, 'Kill Those Who Worship Stones'". Huffington Post. 1 July 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/01/isis-destroy-kaaba-mecca_n_5547635.html?&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067.
5. ↑ "Two Saudi guards killed in suicide attack on Iraq border". The Guardian. 5 January 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/05/saudi-guards-killed-suicide-attack-iraq-border-isis.
6. ↑ Hiro, Dilip (19 August 2002). "Iraq Woos Its Neighbors". The Nation 275 (6). https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-90137599/iraq-woos-its-neighbors-comment.
7. ↑ "Arar, Saudi Arabia - Elevation". Topographic Map. https://en-ca.topographic-map.com/map-l1j1kd/Arar/.
8. ↑ Osman, A. K.; Al-Ghamdi, F.; Bawadekji, A. (2014). "Floristic diversity and vegetation analysis of Wadi Arar: A typical desert Wadi of the Northern Border region of Saudi Arabia". Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 21 (6): 554–565. doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2014.02.001. PMID 25473364.
9. ↑ "Wadi Arar rehabilitation plan launched in Saudi Arabia". Arab News. 1 August 2018. https://www.arabnews.com/node/1350191/saudi-arabia.
10. ↑ "Climate: Arar - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. http://en.climate-data.org/location/55053/.
11. ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020 — Arar". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/SaudiArabia/CSV/Arar_40357.csv.
12. ↑ "مدينة عرعر.. نشأتها وتاريخها" (in ar). أخبار24. 24 December 2020. https://www.akhbaar24.com/article/524824.
13. ↑ "مدينة الأمير عبدالله بن مساعد الرياضية بعرعر" (in ar). The Ministry of Sports. https://www.mos.gov.sa/ar/facilities/sportsfacilities/Pages/pabm-city.aspx.
14. ↑ "Arar, Saudi Arabia: Arar Airport RAE Airport". Airport codes. http://airport-codes.findthedata.org/l/3891/Arar-Saudi-Arabia-Arar-Airport. Retrieved 22 September 2013.

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