YANBU: Ever since the beginning of the Saudi reign, this Red Sea coastal city has been the meeting place of a number of kings and heads of state, starting with the historic meeting between Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdul Aziz and King Farouk of Egypt on Jan. 25, 1945, at Mount Radwa where the two leaders discussed the idea of establishing the Arab League.
Many Western newspapers covered this historic meeting with significance. Ever since, Yanbu has been the location of numerous high-level visits.
King Khaled laid the foundation stone for the Yanbu Industrial City on Nov. 19, 1979, paving way for the city's industrial development. King Fahd visited the city to open Yanbu Oil Refinery, the largest in the Middle East, in 1984.
Ten years later in 1994, Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki visited the coastal city and toured its industrial projects. Thabo Mbeki of South Africa visited Yanbu in 1996.
During the reign of King Fahd, a number of Arab kings and heads of state visited Yanbu, including President Bashar Assad of Syria and King Muhammad the Sixth of Morocco who was then crown prince.
Then President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf visited the city in 1999 and met Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
King Abdullah laid the foundation for the 2nd Yanbu Industrial City in 2005 repeating what King Khaled had done 27 years ago when he gave the go ahead for the establishment of the biggest industrial city in the Middle East.
King Abdullah is now set to visit the city to open more investment and industrial projects, including an airport named after Prince Abdul Mohsen bin Abdul Aziz.
Yanbu was established thousands of years ago when early Egyptian traders crossed the Red Sea, establishing land routes into Jordan to the north and Jeddah to the south. Over the years, many foreign diplomats and dignitaries have visited Yanbu, which has become a modern city thanks to the massive support it has received under King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif.
