Sakakah (Arabic: سكاكا, also known as Al-Jawf or Al-Jouf) (29°58′11″N 40°12′00″E / 29.96972°N 40.2°E / 29.96972; 40.2) is an oasis town in northwestern Saudi Arabia and is the capital of Al Jawf Province. It is located just to the north of the An Nafud desert. It has a population of approximately 114,000 people. [1]
Rajajil standing stones sign Board
Omar Mosque in Dumat Al-Jandal
[edit] Agriculture
Al-Jawf is notable for its abundant agricultural water, making possible the cultivation of dates (200,000 Palms) and olives (12,000,000 trees), as well as other agricultural products. Farms number around 16,000, and agricultural projects around 1,500. It is the home of some agribusiness farms such as Watania Farms,[2] the largest organic farm in the kingdom. The fertile agricultural land of Al-Jawf is due largely to underground water, which drew delegates of King Abdul Aziz. They were sent to the town of Sakaka and Dowmat Al-Jandal and Qurayat, requesting resident tribes there to join the nascent kingdom. Sakaka is home to many Saudi families that can proudly trace their lineage to a few large, old tribes that have dominated the area since time immemorial. The Khalili tribe, Surhani tribe & Al-Juraid family a part of the massive Al-Sharari tribe (among others), have large rows of houses and often own farms and businesses in town. The Al-Juraid family have a row of large homes located on Al-Sudairiyah Street, right across from the Baqalah.
[edit] Historical Places
The history of Al-Jawf dates back more than four thousand years. It is the home of many historic & prehistoric archaeological sites such Za'bal Castle & Well, the Omar ibn Al-Khattab Mosque, located in Dowmat Al-Jandal and Mard Castle (just south of Sakaka). There are also the ancient Rajajil standing stones in Sakaka, dating back nearly 6,000 years.
[edit] Modernization
Many areas of Saudi Arabia are struggling to develop and modernize in a short span of time. In recent years, the Saudi government has been pouring money in the region of Al-Jawf, especially in Sakaka, to help develop this economically starved region of the kingdom. For this reason, the city is full of brand new government buildings, schools & hospitals that are very new, built adjacent to crumbling ruins of older buildings that are decades old and in dire need of repair. One major feature of the city is the rapidly expanding University of Al-Jouf (Jami'at Al-Jawf), founded in 2005.[3] The King hopes the university to become a pillar of social, cultural, and intellectual advancement for Saudi Arabia. There are several government-run schools and some private schools. The only English-language school of note in the entire Al Jouf area is British-curriculum Al Jouf International School.[4]
[edit] References
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