Saudi Arabia Cities

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Saudi Arabia Cities by Population

87 cities shown of 87 total Saudi Arabia cities that are over 1,000 in population...

1. Riyadh 4,205,961
2. Jeddah 2,867,446
3. Mecca 1,323,624
4. Medina 1,300,000
5. Sultanah 946,697
6. Ad Dammam 768,602
7. Tayif 530,848
8. Tabuk 455,450
9. Buraydah 391,336
10. Khamis Mushayt 387,553
11. Al Hufuf 293,179
12. Al Mubarraz 290,802
13. Hayil 267,005
14. Najran 258,573
15. Al Jubayl 237,274
16. Abha 210,886
17. Yanbu` al Bahr 200,161
18. Al Khubar 165,799
19. `Ar`ar 148,540
20. Sakaka 128,332
21. Jizan 105,198
22. Al Qurayyat 102,903
23. Dhahran 99,540
24. Al Qatif 98,259
25. Al Bahah 88,419
26. Tarut 85,371
27. Qal`at Bishah 81,828
28. Ar Rass 81,728
29. Sayhat 66,702

30. Zbe 65,000
31. Al Khafji 54,857
32. Ad Dawadimi 54,474
33. Sabya 54,108
34. Az Zulfi 53,144
35. Abu `Arish 49,171
36. Safwa 45,876
37. Rabigh 41,759
38. Rahimah 41,188
39. Turayf 40,819
40. `Afif 40,648
41. Tubarjal 40,019
42. Ad Dilam 35,371
43. Umm Lajj 33,874
44. Abqaiq 29,474
45. Badr Hunayn 27,257
46. Samitah 26,945
47. Al Wajh 26,636
48. Al Bukayriyah 25,153
49. An Nimas 24,153
50. As Sulayyil 24,097
51. Turabah 23,235
52. Al Jumum 22,207
53. At Taraf 21,386
54. Al Qaysumah 20,685
55. Al Battaliyah 16,606
56. Al Munayzilah 16,296
57. Al Majaridah 14,830
58. Tanumah 13,594

59. Al Qurayn 12,013
60. Umm as Sahik 11,813
61. Sajir 11,717
62. Al Awjam 11,460
63. Farasan 10,527
64. Al Mindak 9,218
65. Al Artawiyah 9,152
66. Al Jubayl 9,108
67. Al Qarah 9,106
68. Marat 8,885
69. Al Jafr 8,715
70. Suwayr 8,515
71. Tumayr 8,246
72. At Tubi 7,740
73. Al Jaradiyah 7,396
74. Al Muwayh 7,364
75. As Saffaniyah 7,014
76. Al Hada 6,885
77. Al Markaz 6,464
78. Misliyah 6,117
79. Al Mutayrifi 5,962
80. Mizhirah 5,529
81. Ad Darb 5,378
82. Julayjilah 5,359
83. Mulayjah 5,247
84. Al Fuwayliq 5,205
85. Tabalah 5,151
86. shokhaib 1,500
87. Hajrat al Khinbish 1,488

Saudi Arabia History

Although the region in which the country stands today has an ancient history, the emergence of the Saudi dynasty began in central Arabia in 1744. That year, Muhammad ibn Saud, the ruler of the town of Ad-Dir'iyyah near Riyadh, joined forces with a cleric, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, to create a new political entity. This alliance formed in the 18th century remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today. Over the next 150 years, the fortunes of the Saud family rose and fell several times as Saudi rulers contended with Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and other Arabian families for control on the peninsula. The third and current Saudi state was founded in the early 20th century by King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.

In 1902 at the age of only 22, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud re-captured Riyadh, the Al-Saud dynasty's ancestral capital, from the rival Al Rashid family. Continuing his conquests, Abdul Aziz subdued Al-Hasa, Al-Qatif, the rest of Nejd, and Hejaz between 1913 and 1926. On January 8, 1926 Abdul Aziz bin Saud became the King of Hejaz. On January 29, 1927 he took the title King of Nejd. By the Treaty of Jeddah, signed on May 20, 1927, the United Kingdom recognized the independence of Abdul Aziz's realm, then known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd. In 1932, the principal regions of Al-Hasa, Qatif, Nejd and Hejaz were unified to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abdul Aziz's military and political successes were not mirrored economically until vast reserves of oil were discovered in March 1938. Development programmes, which were delayed due to the onset of the Second World War in 1939, began in earnest in 1946 and by 1949 production was in full swing. Oil has provided Saudi Arabia with economic prosperity and a great deal of leverage in the international community.

Prior to his death in 1953 Abdul Aziz, aware of the difficulties facing other regional absolute rulers reliant on extended family networks, attempted to regulate the succession.

Saud succeeded to the throne on his father's death in 1953. However, by the early 1960s the Kingdom was in jeopardy due to Saud's economic mismanagement and failure to deal effectively with a regional challenge from Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. As a consequence Saud was deposed in favour of Faisal in 1964.