Duba
Encyclopedia
Duba is a small city on the northern Red Sea
coast, of Saudi Arabia
. It is in Tabuk Province. Local citizens describe it as The Pearl of the Red Sea. Population: Population of Duba is about 65,000.
The ancient Greek
scholar Ptolemy
mentioned a trade route leading from Kafafah to Lihyan
(today's Al-`Ula
). Sheikh Abdulghani Al Nabulsi wrote about Duba in 1790, in his account of going to Mecca
for the Hajj.
Historically it is part of Madian; the city is mentioned in heavenly scriptures. According to Quran, Prophet Mosa settled in Madian (the region starts from Jordan river and extends to the town of Duba) where Prophet Shoaib hosted him. The town of Prophet Shoib as it is called is said to be located near Maqna where an ancient well can still be seen. The well is said to be the one where Prophet Mosa fed Prophet Shoaib's flock.
The Ottoman Turks
fortified the city during their rule, protecting the route from Egypt
to Arabia.
The Saudi conquest of the city in 1933 moved it into the modern form. King Abdulaziz built his castle there in the same year.
on the Egyptian road of the Hajj
, about 300 km from the intersection of Egypt
, Jordan
and Israel
. Duba includes 3 valleys, Dahkan to the north, and Salma and Kafafah on south. It is about 800 km from Jeddah / Mecca via coastal highway that passes through the major port and industrial city of Yanbu.
Duba is a port city and ferries and ships operate from here for Egypt and Jordan. The Hurgada and Safaga ports of Egypt can be reached within about 3 hours (minimum) by ferry. It is strategically located at the starting point of Gulf of Aqaba
that ends at Ellat (Israel) and Aqaba, Jordan.
The Springs of Maqna are an interesting picnic spot and there are notable beaches such as Sharma Beach, though it is not developed as a tourist spot.
The neighbouring cities Tabuk (180 km) and Alwajh (about 160 km) have airport facilities that connects the region with major national and international airports of kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saptco Saudi Road Transport offers bus services from Jeddah
and Mecca
to Tabuk via Duba. It takes about 12 hours to reach Duba from Jeddah.
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coast, of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. It is in Tabuk Province. Local citizens describe it as The Pearl of the Red Sea. Population: Population of Duba is about 65,000.
History
The first reference to Duba, under this name, is from 1203. However, the Valley of Salma and Valley of Kafafah were already known many centuries before.The ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
scholar Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
mentioned a trade route leading from Kafafah to Lihyan
Lihyan
Lihyan is an ancient Arab kingdom. It was located in northwestern Arabia, and is known for its Old North Arabian inscriptions dating to ca...
(today's Al-`Ula
Al-`Ula
The Al-`Ula oasis , some 110 km southwest of Tayma in northwestern Arabia was located at the incense route.It was the capital of the ancient Lihyanites...
). Sheikh Abdulghani Al Nabulsi wrote about Duba in 1790, in his account of going to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
for the Hajj.
Historically it is part of Madian; the city is mentioned in heavenly scriptures. According to Quran, Prophet Mosa settled in Madian (the region starts from Jordan river and extends to the town of Duba) where Prophet Shoaib hosted him. The town of Prophet Shoib as it is called is said to be located near Maqna where an ancient well can still be seen. The well is said to be the one where Prophet Mosa fed Prophet Shoaib's flock.
The Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
fortified the city during their rule, protecting the route from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to Arabia.
The Saudi conquest of the city in 1933 moved it into the modern form. King Abdulaziz built his castle there in the same year.
Geography
Duba is located in northwest of Saudi Arabia on the coast of the Red SeaRed Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
on the Egyptian road of the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
, about 300 km from the intersection of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Duba includes 3 valleys, Dahkan to the north, and Salma and Kafafah on south. It is about 800 km from Jeddah / Mecca via coastal highway that passes through the major port and industrial city of Yanbu.
Duba is a port city and ferries and ships operate from here for Egypt and Jordan. The Hurgada and Safaga ports of Egypt can be reached within about 3 hours (minimum) by ferry. It is strategically located at the starting point of Gulf of Aqaba
Gulf of Aqaba
The Gulf of Aqaba is a large gulf located at the northern tip of the Red Sea. In pre twentieth-century and modern sources it is often named the Gulf of Eilat, as Eilat is its predominant Israeli city ....
that ends at Ellat (Israel) and Aqaba, Jordan.
The Springs of Maqna are an interesting picnic spot and there are notable beaches such as Sharma Beach, though it is not developed as a tourist spot.
Transportation
There is no local public transport within the city. Most of the city is within walking range. Rental car facilities are present for day trips (or even more for nearby attractions). Some individuals do operate their cars as private taxis but they are difficult to trace.The neighbouring cities Tabuk (180 km) and Alwajh (about 160 km) have airport facilities that connects the region with major national and international airports of kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saptco Saudi Road Transport offers bus services from Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
and Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
to Tabuk via Duba. It takes about 12 hours to reach Duba from Jeddah.