Places

Historic families and tribes of towns and regions.

• Abha

  The capital of the Asir region in the highlands of southwestern Saudi Arabia.

• Abu Dhabi

  The capital of the United Arab Emirates, an island city long associated with the Bani Yas confederation.

• Al-Ahsa

  One of the world's largest date-palm oases, in eastern Saudi Arabia; known in classical sources as Hajar and al-Ahsa.

• Buraidah

  The capital of the Qassim region in central Saudi Arabia, historically a caravan and agricultural town of Najd.

• Dammam

  The capital of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on the Gulf coast, grown from a fishing and pearling settlement.

• Doha

  The capital of Qatar on the Gulf coast; its name derives from dawḥa, a wide rounded bay.

• Dubai

  A major Gulf city and emirate of the UAE, grown from a pearling and trading creek settlement.

• Hadhramaut

  A great valley region of southern Yemen, anciently attested; source of the widespread nisba al-Hadhrami.

• Hail

  A city of northern Najd between the mountains of Aja and Salma, long associated with the tribe of Shammar.

• Jeddah

  A historic port city on the Red Sea coast of the Hijaz, long a gateway for pilgrims and trade, with a diverse population of old families.

• Kuwait City

  The capital of Kuwait on the Gulf coast, grown from an eighteenth-century port town around its old kut (fort).

• Manama

  The capital of Bahrain, on the island the classical geographers called Awal — a historic pearling and trading centre.

• Mecca

  The holiest city of Islam, in the Hijaz; site of the Kaaba and destination of the Hajj pilgrimage.

• Medina

  A historic city in the Hijaz region of western Arabia, long a center of settlement and scholarship and home to many tribes and families.

• Muscat

  The capital of Oman, a natural-harbour port on the Gulf of Oman attested in the classical geographies.

• Najran

  An ancient oasis city of southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, with deep pre-Islamic history.

• Riyadh

  A city in the Najd plateau of central Arabia; today the capital of Saudi Arabia. Its name means 'the gardens/meadows'.

• Sanaa

  The ancient capital of Yemen in the northern highlands, one of Arabia's oldest continuously inhabited cities.

• Taif

  A highland town in the Hijaz, known for its temperate climate, orchards, and long association with surrounding tribes.

• Unaizah

  A historic town in the Qassim region of Najd, known for its old families, trade, and agriculture.