Al-Qassim Region


Al-Qassim Region, also spelled Qassim, Al-Qaseem, Al-Qasim, or Gassim internationally, is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of the country, and almost in the center of the Arabian Peninsula, it has a population of 1,370,727 and an area of 58,046 km². It is known to be the "alimental basket" of the country, for its agricultural assets.
Al-Qassim is the richest region per capita in Saudi Arabia. It is the seventh most populated region in the country after Jizan and the fifth most densely populated. It has more than 400 cities, towns, villages, and Bedouin settlements, ten of which are recognized as governorates. Its capital city is Buraydah, which is inhabited by approximately 60% of the region's total population. The governor of the province from 1992 to 29 January 2015 was Prince Faisal bin Bandar, succeeded by Prince Faisal bin Mishaal.

Etymology

Al Qassim is derived from the word "Qassimah", a reference to قصائم الغضا, meaning the region's sand dunes from which the white saxaul trees grow. The region is known to contain a large group of Calligonum plants such as comosum.

Location

The province is located in the center of Saudi Arabia approximately northwest of Riyadh, the capital. It is bordered by Riyadh Region to the south and east, by Ha'il Region to the north, and by Al Madinah Region to the west. The region is connected to almost every part of Saudi Arabia by a very complicated network of highways. The regional airport, Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport, connects Al Qassim to the other provinces of the country.

History

Pre-Islamic Arabia

There isn't much information known about Al Qassim the province in the times of Pre-Islamic Arabia.
Unaizah was repeatedly mentioned as a desert watering hole in the poems of Imru Al Qais. Moreover, AlJiwa, which is about 60 km north of Unaizah, was mentioned by the heroic Absi poet Antarah bin Shaddad.

The Abbasid Empire

Al Qassim Province had some important foyers on the road of pilgrims and traders coming from the east in the era of the Abbasid Empire.
The Zubeida road was a long pilgrims road that started from the city of Kufa in Iraq and ran to Mecca in Arabia. The road was constructed in the reign of Harun Al Rashid and was named after his wife Zubeida.
It had pilgrims foyers in many of the region's cities including Unaizah.

Tribal conflict (1600s–1907)

The Al Abu Olayan - dynasty from the Banu Tamim tribe established the emirate of Buraydah in the late 16th century by its leader, Rashid Al Duraiby. He built Buraydah and made it the province's capital. However, Unaizah was ruled by Al Sulaim dynasty. The emirate was later captured by Muhanna Salih Abaalkhail. In 1890, the Rashidi dynasty based in Ha'il annexed the province. In 1904, the Abaalkhail recaptured the province. In 1907, the province was integrated under the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia

The province is Saudi Arabia's most conservative region. It is the heart of the Najd region and the centre of the Salafi movement. The province is regarded as one of the key support bases of the Al Saud family, along with Al Riyadh Province, Ha'il province and Al Jawf province. This province has also contributed many notable Salafi ulema and sheikhs.

Population

Also, the accent used by those native to Alqassim are known to have a distinctive accent like all other provinces in Saudi Arabia, and it is called the qassimi accent or "Al-Qassimyah".

Geography

Al Qassim province is divided by the Wadi Al-Rummah.
The valley crosses the entire region from the west to the northeast. It is the longest valley in the whole Arabian peninsula, it stretches for about from near Medina, to the Thuayrat Dunes in the east, and northeast of the region.
The land's height in Qassim is about 600–750 meters above sea level, and it glides from west to east in general.

Climate

Al Qassim region has a typical desert climate, known for its cool, rainy winters and for its hot, less humid summers.

Agriculture

Al-Qassim region hosts more than Eight million Palm Trees, making it one of the Middle East largest producers of dates, producing an annual amount of 205 thousand tons of various types of luxury dates, which gives the region a high economic value by exporting large amounts of dates nationally and internationally, especially in the GCC region. Multi cities in the region market their dates production with dates festivals that mostly start in September, although Buraydah hosts one of the largest festivals in the region, at which a lot of people come from all over the GCC countries to buy their yearly requirement of dates.
Along with tourism, agriculture is still the cornerstone of the region's economy. Although the region has been known for its agricultural assets for a long time, it wasn't until recently that wheat production has been introduced to the local agricultural industry, making Saudi Arabia a net exporter of cereal. The region also produces dates, grapes, lemons, grapefruits, mandarin oranges, oranges, pomegranates, and a large group of vegetables. The region also hosts one of the biggest camel market in the world, due to its central location, surrounded by Aldahna and alnfound deserts.
Agriculture in general is considered to be a very important part of the region's natives culture, with special vegetables being linked to every city, for example eating leeks is associated with the people of Unaizah, while adding chili peppers to meals is associated with the people of the city of Rass.

Transportation

Air

The North South Railway Line is a 2,750 kilometres railway line, built by Saudi Railway Company in Saudi Arabia. Operation on 1,392 kilometres long Connecting Al Jawf Region, Northern Borders Region, Ha'il Region, Al-Qassim Region, Riyadh Region.
Al Qassim Railway Station located at East Buraydah 10 km at King Fahad Road.
Station facilities :
ATM, Business Lounge, Baggage trolleys, Cafes, Customer Service, Lost property, Mosque, Prayer room, Restaurants, Seated area, Shops, Car parking, Baby change, Toilets and Wi-Fi.
Timetable : 9 July – 23 September 2017
Riyadh to Qassim from 10:00 To 12:26 passing Majmaah Station.
Riyadh to Qassim from 17:30 To 20:00 passing Majmaah Station.
Qassim to Riyadh from 17:45 To 20:16 passing Majmaah Station.
Qassim to Riyadh from 21:00 To 23:26 passing Majmaah Station.

Airlines and destinations

Roads

Schools

The region is served by schools in every city and town for all three educational levels, and includes various types of school, with international and private schools.
The region has 263,379 Female and Male Students, 33,061 Female & Male Teachers and 2,533 Schools.

Universities

, which is located in Almulida area, West of Buraidah, North West of Unaizah and Almuthnab, North East of Ar Rass, Al Badayea, Al Bukayriyah, Al Khabra and Riyadh Al Khabra.Qassim University was established in 2004 by merging two Qassim branches of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University and King Saud University. Since the establishment of the university, it has experienced a remarkable growth in enrollment and a significant expansion of faculty and its administrative staff. The number of male and female students registered at university during 2010-11 approached 50,000 and number of faculty members and staff reached well over 4,000, At present the university encompasses 28 colleges both for male and female students.
Qassim University appeared in the QS World University Rankings for the first time in 2011. According to the QS report, it has shown excellent potential for strengthening its position by harnessing its core strengths in teaching and Research. QU has published Research papers with institutions ranked in top 100 of the 2011 rankings. QU has also shown initiative in arranging International Seminars in order to develop relations with global academic peers. Qassim Universities has very competitive colleges that are spread at the main campus and campuses at Al-Qassim's main cities.
In November 2015, AACSB has announced that Qassim University has earned accreditation for its College of Business and Economics, which is according to the new standards of AACSB, Innovation, Engagement and Impact. AACSB stands for Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. It was founded in 1916 and it is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting. AACSB Accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than five percent of the world's business programs.

Main Campus (Al Mulida)

- Applied Science:
- Health Science:
- Arabic & Humanitarian
- Judiciary
Al-Qassim Universities hosts many sport activities and sport teams that compete at the national level in Saudi Arabia and in the GCC region. The football team has won the national universities competition 2 years in a row, 2014 and 2015. The university sports teams includes volleyball, swimming, athletics and many more.

Technical and Vocational Training Corporation

There are also other nearby rural towns including Dulay Rasheed, Almethnab, Al-Bukairiyah, Badaya'a, Riyadh Al-Khabra, Al-Khabra, and Nabhaniya.

Health care

Al-Qassim has many hospitals in the region that provide medical services to citizens and visitors to the region, hospitals are under the management of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, and also includes many privately managed hospitals:
Club NameCityEstablished
Al-RaedBuraidah1954
Al-Taawon FCBuraidah1956
Al-ArabiOnaizah1958
Al-HazemAr Rass1958
Al-NajmahOnaizah1960
Al-TaqadumAl-Muthnib1961
Al-AmalAl-Bukairiyah1962
Al-Badayea Al-Badayea1965
Al-KholoudAr Rass1970
Al-JawaRiyadh Al-Khbra1975
Al-HilaliahAl-Hilaliah1976
MaredAsyah1979
Al-MoojAl-Khbra1982
Al-SaqerAl-Buser1984
Al-HessanAl-Quwarah2014

Tourism

According to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, Al-Qassim has been recognized as the number one province in the Kingdom in organizing festivals and events, with an annual number of 173 events in 2014. Al-Qassim Province is rich in heritage, nature, and traditional handicrafts, and its geographical location makes it the hub of diverse cultures and various festivals. Each season in Qassim has a certain festival and a specific occasion that highlights the prominent features of that season. During summer vacation, for nearly a month, various events and festivals are organized in Qassim and its governorates and are held in the markets, museums, public parks, and other locations as per the nature of the event. Such festivals are popular with the entire community, and are attended by women, men and children. The most famous events hosted in Qassim are the Buraidah Recreational Festival, Unaizah Tourism Festival, and the Al-Mithnib Summer Festival.
In addition, date festivals are held in Qassim to highlight that the Province is distinguished for its farms and dates. Shopping at the Qassim date market is a unique experience, especially during the harvest season during August and September. Al-Qassim's desert parks become more favorable during the winter and spring seasons, attracting desert lovers as well as the locals and visitors who seek rejuvenation and enjoyment in the open spaces and natural environment. These parks host the spring festivals that are usually organized during the mid-year vacation periods. The festival feature multiple activities and events that highlight the festival's nature and location.
In Al-Qassim, a number of festivals are organized in various places during different periods to recognize the city's heritage. The most prominent festivals include Al-Khelija and Traditional Products Festival in Buraidah, Entajee Festival in Unaizah, Al-Musawkaf Traditional Festival in Unaizah, Eid Al-Khabra Festival, Reef Al-Awshaziyah Festival, and Al-Russ Heritage Festival.
The region hosts many hotels, apartments and resorts for its year around visitors, such as the Mövenpick Hotel in Buraidah, Golden Tulip in Buraidah and Unaizah, Radisson blue in Unaizah, Boudl Resort and Apartments in Unaizah, and the Ramada Hotel in Al-Bukairiyah. Although variety of resorts and chalets and farm are offered such as Al-Malfa Rural Resorts in Unaizah.