JEDDAH, 18 November 2004 — Unayzah, with a population of around 150,000 is the second largest city in the Qassim region of the central Najd highlands. Many in the region have dubbed it “Paris of Najd”, perhaps because it has attracted visitors since pre-Islamic times. Located on a major caravan route between the Arabian heartland and Mesopotamia, the city was a passing point for pilgrims from many parts of he Middle East traveling to Makkah and Madinah.
Zubiadah, the sister of the Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid, made a stop there and ordered the digging of a number of wells for the pilgrims.
One of the most beautiful and well-watered oases of the peninsula, Unayzah enjoys a microclimate that allows for a surprisingly wide range of agriculture. It possesses about 500,000 date palms, and Unayzahans claim that they produce the best dates in the world. Local farmers also cultivate wheat, orange, lemon, pomegranate, grapes, and mandarin oranges. Near Unayzah and in the middle of the desert there are several fish farms producing more than 1,000 tons of fish annually.
Unayzah is one of the few places in the desert heartland to have retained part of its architectural heritage while joining the Saudi building boom of the 1980s and 1990s.
It is also famous for its libraries and centers of Islamic learning. Unayzah’s numerous libraries include the National Library, the Al-Salihiya Library, the Unayzah Cultural Club’s Library, the Ibn Salih Cultural Center Library and the Women’s Library.
