- Ha'il
Infobox City
official_name = Ha'il City
nickname =
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shield_size =|25px
map_caption = Ha'il, Saudi Arabia
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 =ha'il Province
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
leader_title = Governor
leader_name = PrinceSaud Bin Abed Al-Mohsen
leader_title1 = Deputy Governor
leader_name1 = PrinceSa`ad Bin Abdul Aziz
leader_title2 =
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population_total = 267,005
population_density_km2 =
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timezone = EAT
utc_offset = +3
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area_code = +966-6
website = [http://www.hail.gov.sa/ Ha'il city official website]Ha'il (also spelled Hail, Ha'yel, or Hayil Arabic: حائل) is an
oasis city inNejd in northwesternSaudi Arabia . It is the capital of theHa'il Province . The city has a population of 267,005 according to a 2004census .Ha'il is largely agricultural, with significant grain, date, and
fruit production. A large percentage of the kingdom's wheat production comes from Ha'il Province, where the area to the northeast, 60 km to 100 km away, consists of irrigatedgarden s. Traditionally Ha'il derived its wealth from being on thecamel caravan route of theHajj . Ha'il is well known by the generosity of its people inSaudi Arabia and theArab world as it is the place whereHatim al-Tai lived.History
Ha'il was the center of the
emirate ofAl Rashid , a clan of theShammar tribe, from 1836 until 1921. The first emir, Abdullah bin Rashid, took power with his brother emir Obaid and their distant cousin and close friend emir Zamil (1st) Al Sabhan in 1836 from the former ruler of Ha'il, Mohammad Ibn Ali, who was a fellow member of the Jafaar linage of the Abde section of theShammar tribe. Abdullah bin Rashid continued constructing theBarzan Palace in Ha'il which had been started by Mohammad Ibn Ali. After the death of Abdullah bin Rashid (in 1847 or 1848) his son and successor, Talal (or Telal), completed the palace.During the Al Rashid period many foreign travellers visited Ha'il and the Rashidi emirs, and described their impressions in different journals and books, including those of
Georg August Wallin (1854),William Gifford Palgrave (1865),Lady Anne Blunt (1881),Charles Montagu Doughty (1888), andGertrude Bell (1907).Al Rashid emirs were considered relatively tolerant towards foreigners, including traders in Ha'il:
The opening of the
Hejaz railway betweenDamascus andMedina , together with new inexpensive steamship routes toJeddah , undermined the traditional camel caravan economy of Ha'il.The last Al Rashid emir was ousted from power by
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia in 1921. Ibn Saud then gave orders to destroy the Barzan Palace and also ordered Al Rashid and Al Sabhan leaders to move from Ha'il to Riyadh City, and he assigned one person from the mentioned families, as temp. emir " Prince Ibraheem bin Salem Al Sabhan " in order to assure the loyality from Ha'il people and Shammar, to keep in their minds, there is no major changes has been done.After this Ha'il fell into steep decline, as witnessed by E. Rutter in 1931:
Today Ha'il is the center of Saudi Arabia's agricultural program,Fact|date=April 2008 and most of the
wheat crops of the kingdom come from the area surrounding the city.Famous People
*Hatim al-Tai:Was a famous
pre-Islamic (Jahiliyyah)Arab ian poet, and the father of theSahaba Adi ibn Hatim andSafana bint Hatem . He was aChristian [ [http://www.bakhdida.com/Personalities/BahiDadiza.htm Biography of Sheikh Bahi Dadiza] (Arabic)] , and belonged to theTa'i Arabian tribe . Stories about his extremegenerosity have made him an icon to Arabs up till the present day, as in theproverbial phrase "more generous than Hatem".*Abdulaziz bin Mitab:The son of the third amir of
Al Rashid , he was adopted by his uncle Mohammed, the fifth amir, and brought up to be his heir. After Mohammed died of natural causes, Abdulaziz succeeded him unopposed. However, theRashidi rule was insecure, as theirOttoman allies were unpopular and weakening. In 1904 the youngIbn Saud , the founder ofSaudi Arabia , returned from exile with a small force and retookRiyadh . Abdulaziz died in the battle of Rawdat Muhanna withIbn Saud in 1906.*Zamil Al Sabhan:A member of the Al Sabhan Family, cousins of the Al Rashid, Amir Zamil Al Sabhan was the uncle of the Rashidi ruler Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid, and served as regent until the prince came of age. Ha'il was under increasing pressure from Ibn Saud during this period.
*Mohammed Al-Sulaiman Al-Anbar:He was known as Mohammed Al-Tobaishi, and later on changed it to Mohammed Al-Anbar. He was head of the Saudi Royal Protocol during the time of King Saud. He was later on appointed as an Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
*Madawi Al-Rasheed:A Saudi-Arabian-born professor of
Social Anthropology at the department of Theology and Religious Studies inKing's College London since 1994. She gives occasional lectures in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. She is working on religio-political debate inSaudi Arabia after11 September . She has written several books and articles in academic journals on theArabian Peninsula , Arab migration, globalisation and religious transnationalism.*Mohamed Al-Deayea:A
Saudi Arabia nfootball (soccer) goalkeeper. He played in four World Cups for the Saudi Arabia national team, and as of early 2007, he is the world record holder for most international appearances by a male footballer, with 181 caps for Saudi Arabia. He is the current captain of local clubAl-Hilal .ightseeing and Events
Barzan Souk
Ha'il has a market or
souk near the location of theBarzan Palace . Now it's not like abazar orsouk , it is a well developed shopping place.JJFJFJFTRFJYBarzan palace
Barzan historical palace was built in 1808 by prince Muhammad bin Abdul-Muhsin Al Ali over an area of more than 300,000 square meters. The Palace was completed during the rule of the 2nd Rashidi amir, Talal ibn Abdullah (1848–68). The Palace consisted of 3 floors, the first had the reception halls, gardens, and kitchens. The second had the diplomatic guests rooms. The third had the royal family rooms. It was near
Barzan souq .Qishlah
Made in the 1940s while prince Abdul-Aziz bin Musa'ad Al Saud held office in Ha'il province. It is a two-floor mud palace, 142.8x141.2 meters, its walls are 8.5m high, and it has eight watch-towers along with the wall with two main gates, eastern and western gates.
Ha'il Rally
Is an important event in Ha'il and even in
Saudi Arabia as it is the first Rally in Saudi Arabia which started in 2006 and approved byFIA in 2008. [cite web | url = http://www.arabnews.com/?page=8§ion=0&article=91955&d=9&m=2&y=2007 | title = Hail Rally Flags Off Today | work=Arab News | date=9 February 2007]Ha'il Desert Life Festival
Is an annual festival held in the province of Ha'il to exchange experiences in desert life around the world [cite web | url = http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=108838&d=11&m=4&y=2008 | title =Hail to Host Global Desert Life Festival | work=Arab News | date=11 April 2008 ] .
Ha'il University
History
The university of Ha'il (
UOH ) started as acommunity college , called Ha'il Community College (HCC), under the auspices ofKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM ) in September 1998. HCC was the first Community College to open in a planned expansion of educational opportunities forSaudi Arabian high school graduates. HCC started by offering three-year Associate degree programs inBusiness Administration ,Computer Systems , andElectronic Engineering and Instrumentation. Later on, HCC offered threeBachelor degree programs in Applied Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Management Information Systems. It was officially established on 14 June 2006. [cite web | url = http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=83750&d=14&m=6&y=2006 | title = Hail University Foundation Today | work=Arab News | date= 14 June 2006 ] The university consists of five colleges:College of Medicine &Medical Sciences ,College of Science ,College of Engineering , College ofComputer Science &Computer Engineering , andCommunity College . The first students were admitted on 11 February 2006. In 2007, two existing colleges joined the university, which are Teachers College and Girls Education College. These two colleges were originally under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. The university enrolment has grown to more than 16,000 students.The University has several campuses inside the city, as well as a new campus under construction, which is located to the north of the city and covers an area of more than 9,000,000 m².
Transportaion
Highways
Ha'il is connected to 3 main highways,
Madinah ,Buraydah , andJouf Highways, which connect Ha'il with the northern borders ofSaudi Arabia .Rail System
Ha'il has an important logistic role in northern Saudi Arabia's rail system. In 2008 Ha'il is the site of a
concrete sleeper plant for railway construction.Airport
Ha'il Regional Airport (IATA :HAS,ICAO :OEHL) is a domestic airport located to the southern-east of Ha'il city and is served by three airlines:Sama Airlines , NAS Airlines, and a few flights bySaudi Arabian Airlines . It should be noticed that a new International airport will be constructed near Ha'il city, inThe Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Musaed Economic City (PABMEC ), as Ha'il has a strategic location in theMiddle East because it takes only one hour by plane to reach 11Arab capitals. [cite web | url = http://www.arabnews.com/services/print/print.asp?artid=89593&d=6&m=12&y=2006&hl=New%20Economic%20City%20to%20Boost%20North | title = New Economic City to Boost North | work=Arab News | date=6 December 2006 ] .Notes
External links
* [http://www.uoh.edu.sa/ University of Ha'il official website]
* [http://www.hail.gov.sa/ Ha'il city official website]References
*
G. A. Wallin (1854): "Narrative of a journey from Cairo to Medina and Mecca, by Suez, Araba, Tawila, al-Jauf, Jublae, Hail and Negd in 1845", Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol 24: 115-201. (Reprinted 1979).
*Lady Anne Blunt (1881): "A Pilgrimage to Nejd, The Cradle of the Arab Race: a Visit to the Court of the Arab Emir and `our Persian Campaign`" (Reprinted 1968)
*William Gifford Palgrave , 1865."Personal Narrative of a Year's Journey through Central and Eastern Arabia (1862-1863)", 2 vols (London: Macmillan & Co). (Reprinted many times, last in 1985).
*Charles Montagu Doughty (1888): "Travels in Arabia Deserta." (Reprinted many times)
*Gertrude Bell (1907): "The Desert and the Sown" (Republished 1987)
*E. Rutter (1931): "Damascus to Hail." Journal of Royal Central Asian Studies, vol 18: 61-73.
*D. G. Hogarth (1905): "The Penetration of Arabia: a Record of Western Knowledge Concerning the Arabian Peninsula."
*Madawi Al Rasheed: "Politics in an Arabian oasis. The ibn rashid Tribal Dynasty." I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, London -New York 1991 (based on a Ph.D. thesis presented to Cambridge University, 1988). ISBN 1-85043-320-8
*Lonely Planet: "The Middle East", 3rd edition 2000. ISBN 0-86442-701-8
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