Ḥaʼil in the context of Salma Mountains


Ḥaʼil in the context of Salma Mountains

⭐ Core Definition: Ḥaʼil

Hail (Arabic: حائل, Ḥāʾil) is a city in north-western Saudi Arabia, located between the Shammar Mountains of Aja and Salma. It is the seat and largest city of Hail Province. As of 2022, Hail has a population of 498,575.

Hail is largely agricultural, with significant grain, date, and fruit production. A large percentage of the kingdom's wheat production comes from Hail Province, where the area to the northeast, 60 to 100 km (37 to 62 miles) away, consists of irrigated gardens. Historically, Hail derived its wealth from being on the camel caravan route of the Hajj. Hail is well known for the generosity of its people throughout Saudi Arabia and the Arab world as it is the place where Hatim al-Tai lived. It is also the homeland of the Rashidi dynasty, historical rivals to the House of Saud.

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Ḥaʼil in the context of Najd

Najd is a historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in al-Jawf to the north, ad-Dahna Desert in al-Ahsa to the east, and Rub' al-Khali to the south, although its exact boundaries cannot be determined due to varying geographical and political limits throughout history.

Administratively, Najd is divided into three main regions: the Riyadh region which features Wadi Hanifa and the Tuwaiq escarpment, which houses easterly Yamama with the Saudi capital, Riyadh since 1824, and the Sudairi region, which has its capital in Majmaah. The second region, Al-Qassim, houses the fertile oases and date palm orchards spread out in the region's highlands along Wadi Rummah in central Najd with its capital in Buraidah, the second largest Najdi city, with the region historically contested by the House of Rashid to its north and the House of Saud to its east and south. The third administrative unit is northerly Ḥa'il, which features the mountains of Jabal Shammar housing the Tayy capital of Ḥa'il.

View the full Wikipedia page for Najd
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