Afif ( ar, عفيف ) is a city in central
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, in the
Najd
Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...
region. It is situated approximately halfway between
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
and
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
. The modern town was established in the 1910s as a ''hijra'', or "settlement", for the nomadic tribes of the area, particularly the tribe of
'Utaybah (see
Ikhwan
The Ikhwan ( ar, الإخوان, al-ʾIkhwān, The Brethren), commonly known as Ikhwan min ta'a Allah ( ar, إخوان من أطاع الله), was a traditionalist religious militia made up of traditionally nomadic tribesmen which formed a signif ...
). It has since grown into a small city of 39,581 as of the 2004 census,
not counting the surrounding towns and villages, which together with 'Afif form the 'Afif Governorate.
The city once served as a gateway between the central and western regions of Saudi Arabia. The city is also known to be the first landing site of the first airplane owned by
King Abdulaziz
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...
the first king of
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
.
The town was named after an old well in the area called Afif "بئر عفيف - البير العود". People used to pass by this well in their way to Mekkah while performing the Hajj or Omrah, in order to get water for the rest of the way. Eventually, during the month of Hajj, merchants began to congregate around this well to sell their goods to the pilgrims, which led to the first settlements being established. Thereafter, the people from small villages nearby the well started to recognise how profitable it was to live nearby this well, and houses started to be built there, which caused the city to develop over time.
Landmarks
*
LORAN-C transmitter Afif
LORAN, short for long range navigation, was a hyperbolic radio navigation system developed in the United States during World War II. It was similar to the UK's Gee system but operated at lower frequencies in order to provide an improved range u ...
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia
The following is a list of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia.
Alphabetical list of cities and towns
References
Central Department of Statistics and Information
{{Portal, Saudi Arabia
Lists of cities by country, Saudi Arabia, List of ...
*
Regions of Saudi Arabia
The Provinces of Saudi Arabia, also known as Regions, and officially the Emirates of the Provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (), are the 13 first-level administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
History
After the unification ...
References
Populated places in Riyadh Province
Populated places established in the 1910s
{{SaudiArabia-geo-stub