Arar is located in northern Saudi Arabia near the Iraqi border. It is known for its fertile pasture lands[citation needed] which lends itself well to its principal occupation of sheep and camel herding.[citation needed] The population of the entire Northern Borders Province, including the cities of Rafha, Turaif and Alaoiqilah and suburban villages and their inhabitants, was 373,577 at the 2022 census. Arar serves as a significant supply stop for travelers on the Saudi Arabian highway 85.
History
The city of Arar was founded in 1951, after the construction of the Aramco oil pipeline (Tapline) was completed. It was initially an oil pumping station with a health center and worker housing. Workers at Arar were primarily from the regions of Al-Ahsa, Ha'il, Yanbu and Al Wajh.[citation needed]
Arar got its name from the original oil field that existed before the town, "Field RR", one of many in the country, where it was known by the locals as "R.R." which later became ʿArʿar.[citation needed] The name Arar means juniper in Arabic.[2]
In 1968, the remains of an ancient city were unearthed 30 km from the city of Arar. The site yielded numerous sculptures of fish, turtles and other aquatic animals.[citation needed]
A summit meeting between King Saud and King Hussein of Jordan took place in Arar during the reigns of the two monarchs.[when?]
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.
Geography
Arar is located in the north of Saudi Arabia, in the heart of a vast rocky limestone plain. It lies about 1100 km northwest of Riyadh, and about 60 km from the Iraqi border.[6]
Climate
Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies the climate of Arar as hot desert (BWh).[7] Winds generally blow from the east or west, rarely from the south. The rainfall in the region has declined gradually over recent years. Snow is not uncommon, falling on average every two to three years.[citation needed]
Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ed Sports City, opened in 1981, is a multi-purpose stadium in Arar. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Arar FC. The stadium has a capacity of 6,000 people.[9]
