Najd
The central plateau of Arabia — the high interior, and the homeland of many of the Peninsula's largest tribes.
- Type
- Region
- Name means
- High ground (root n-j-d)
- Defined against
- Tihāma, the coastal lowland
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
The name
From the root n-j-d (ن-ج-د), 'high ground'. Najd is simply 'the elevated land', defined by contrast with Tihāma, the coastal lowland: Yāqūt records the old division that everything rising from Tihāma toward Iraq is Najd.
Extent
The central plateau, taking in Riyadh, the Qaṣīm towns of Buraydah and ʿUnayzah, and reaching north toward Ḥāʾil.
In genealogy
Najd is named constantly in the tribal sources as the *diyār* of large groups — among them Tamīm, ʿAnizah, Muṭayr, ʿUtaybah and Subayʿ. When an entry here says a tribe is 'of Najd' it means this plateau.
Frequently asked questions
What does Najd mean?
'High ground', from the root n-j-d. It is the central plateau of Arabia, defined by contrast with Tihāma, the coastal lowland.
Sources
- ياقوت الحموي، معجم البلدان، 626هـ — مادة: نجد
- ابن منظور، لسان العرب، 711هـ — مادة: نجد
Last reviewed: 2026-07-27