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Ad Dammam, town in eastern Saudi Arabia, in Ash Sharqiyah (Al Hasa) Province, on the Persian Gulf. It is one of the nation's chief ports, serving as a major exporting point for petroleum and natural gas. King Faisal University (1975) is here. Ad Dammam was a small coastal community until the late 1930s, when it began to be developed as a port. Several large-scale residential and commercial building projects were undertaken here in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Al Hufuf, also Hofuf, city in eastern Saudi Arabia, in Ash Sharqiyah (Al Hasa) Province, situated in the largest oasis in the country. A walled city and a trade center, Al Hufuf is connected by rail and road with Riyadh and Ad Dammam. Manufactures include cloth, copper and brass products, and swords and daggers. The oasis, watered by many springs, grows dates, fruit, rice, wheat, and barley. The 'Osmanîya oil field is nearby and to the southwest. Originally called Al Hasa, the city was headquarters of the 10th-century Qarmatian Muslim sect.

Al Jubayl, industrial city and port city in Saudi Arabia, located in Ash Sharqiyah Province on the Persian Gulf coast, 100 km (60 mi) northwest of Ad Dammam. A planned industrial city, Al Jubayl contains an oil refinery, a steel mill, and one of the world's largest desalination plants, which also generates electric power. In addition to refined oil products and steel, petrochemical products such as plastics and fertilizers are manufactured and exported. Other industries were created to manufacture consumer goods and support the activities of the primary oil- and gas-based ventures. Al Jubayl is one of Saudi Arabia's most important ports. It is also the site of a major naval base, which played a key role in the movement of military personnel and equipment in the Persian Gulf War (1991). A huge oil spill in the Persian Gulf during the war affected civilian and industrial water supplies in Al Jubayl and impacted the local fishing industry.

At Ta'if, (also Taif), city in western Saudi Arabia, in Al Hijaz (Hejaz) Province, situated on a plateau. Grain (sorghums, wheat, rice), fruit (grapes, oranges, dates, apricots, pomegranates, lemons), and vegetables are grown in the surrounding agricultural region. Quarries and clay deposits are located south of the city, and gold and iron deposits have been found in the vicinity. In the city handicrafts, pottery, woven rugs, coats, and rose oil are produced. AtTa'if is a resort and home to Saudi Arabia's royal family during the summer. It is the site of the Shubra Palace, built by the Ottoman Turks. One of the oldest cities in Al Hijaz and once besieged by Muhammad, the founder of Islam, it was ruled by the Turks for centuries before being captured by Husein ibn Ali, in 1916. In 1924 it was seized by Abdul Aziz ibn Saud and incorporated into his kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A treaty was signed in AtTa'if in 1934 ending the Saudi war with Yemen (now the Republic of Yemen).

Jiddah, city in western Saudi Arabia, located in Al Hijaz (Hejaz) Province, a major port on the Red Sea. Roads connect Jiddah with the larger cities in the country; an international airport is nearby. A commercial center, Jiddah also derives income from port activities; it is the leading Saudi port for importing livestock, especially sheep and camels. Industries in the city include iron and steel plants, oil refineries, and the manufacture of bricks, furniture, and tiles. The residential area is the site of many diplomatic missions and ministries, and thousands of pilgrims pass through the city each year on their way to Mecca. Jiddah is about three centuries old and was surrounded by walls until 1947. Port facilities here were greatly expanded beginning in the 1970s.

Mecca, also Makkah (ancient Macoraba), city in western Saudi Arabia, located in Al Hijaz (Hejaz) Province, near Jiddah. Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, and the most sacred of the Muslim holy cities. According to Islamic tradition, Muslims around the world must face Mecca during their daily prayers. Every year, during the last month of the Islamic calendar, more than 1 million Muslims make a pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca. The city's location on several trade routes has made it commercially important since ancient times. Mecca was a religious center before the time of Muhammad, and several holy sites within the sacred precincts of the great mosque, called al-Haram, had religious significance in pre-Islamic times. The Kaaba (or Caaba), a windowless cube-shaped building in the courtyard of the mosque, is believed to have been built by the Hebrew patriarch Abraham. In the southeastern corner of the Kaaba is the Black Stone, supposedly given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel. Also within the precincts of the mosque is the sacred well, called the Zamzam (Zemzem), which was reputedly used by Hagar, mother of Abraham's son Ishmael. The city is first mentioned by the Alexandrian geographer Ptolemy, who in the 2nd century AD called it Macoraba. From the time of Muhammad, Mecca was besieged on various occasions. It was taken by the Egyptians in the 13th century. In the 16th century control passed to Turkey. From 1517 the sharifs, or descendants of Muhammad through Hasan, son of Muhammad's son-in-law Ali, governed Mecca for the Turks. The latter were driven from the city in 1916 by Grand Sharif Husein ibn Ali, later first king of Al Hijaz. In 1924 the city was occupied by Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, then sultan of Najd (Nejd), who made Mecca the religious capital of Saudi Arabia.

Medina, also Medinat-en-Nabi (Arabic for “City of the Prophet”) and Medinat Rasul Allah (“City of the Apostle of God”), city in western Saudi Arabia, located in the Al Hijaz (Hejaz) Province. The city houses the remains of the Prophet Muhammad, who fled to Medina from Mecca in 622, an event that marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Medina is consequently one of the most sacred shrines of Islam. It is second only to Mecca among the holy places of Muslim pilgrimage. Muhammad's tomb is in the Mosque of the Prophet, located in the eastern section of the city. The mosque also contains the tombs of Muhammad's daughter Fatima and of Umar I, the second Orthodox caliph of the Muslim Empire. In ancient times, Medina was known as Yathrib. The Alexandrian geographer Ptolemy referred to it as Lathrippa in the 2nd century AD. Medina was the capital of the Muslim world until 661, when the caliphate was transferred to Damascus. Later, Medina was successively controlled by the Egyptians and the Ottoman Turks. The latter were expelled in 1919 by the troops of Husein ibn Ali, first king of Al Hijaz. Husein's forces were defeated (1924) by Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, sultan of Najd. The city of Medina was incorporated into the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Yanbu' al Bahr (Arabic, “spring by the sea”), industrial and port city in Saudi Arabia, located on the Red Sea coast in Madinah Province, about 350 km (about 220 mi) north of Jiddah. Yanbu', as the city is commonly known, is the western terminus of parallel pipelines that carry liquefied natural gas and oil across nearly 1300 km (nearly 800 mi) of desert and mountains. The town is a growing industrial center with three large oil refineries, a petrochemical complex, and a large desalination plant. Industries using gas and oil as raw materials make a variety of consumer products, including plastics. Yanbu' is connected with the rest of the country by a modern highway system. It also has an airport, a large commercial port, and a naval base. During the 1st millennium BC Yanbu' al Bahr was a stopping point for merchant caravans on the incense route that extended from Yemen to the Mediterranean Sea. Later it also served as a resting site for Muslim pilgrims traveling to Mecca and Medina. During World War I (1914-1918) the city was the site of a military base for the Arab revolt, which British colonel T. E. Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) helped to lead. In 1975 the Saudi government chose Yanbu' and Al Jubayl, a small town on the Persian Gulf coast, to be developed as modern industrial cities. Both play a central role in diversifying Saudi Arabia's economic base so that the country is not dependent solely on crude oil exports.