Kharj () is a governorate in central Saudi Arabia. It is one of the important governorates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is located in the southeast of the capital Riyadh, within an area of 19,790 km2 ~ 4,890,215.5 acres, and a population of 376,325 people, according to the statistics of the General Authority for Statistics for the year 2010. The city of Al Saih () is the capital of modern Kharj and its administrative and economic center.
Etymology
It has also been said that Alkharj means what comes out of the earth because it is an agricultural region since the earliest times, and the name is older than those poets like the poet of King Al-Himyari (), Asaad Abi Karb Al-Awsat (), who mentioned the name of the Alkharj in their poems.
The Ministry of Transport recently started making some corrective changes to the indicative panels on the roads leading to the city of Al Saih, within the administrative borders of Alkharj governorate and include the entrances to the city of Al Saih, the Riyadh highway, the old Riyadh road, the Haradh road, and the Al Saih-Dalam road, in implementation of the directives issued by the Amir of Riyadh in this regard that emphasizes the necessity of committing to launching the name (the City of Al Saih) in line with the correct name of this city that was launched by the unifier of this country, King Abdulaziz (), in the year 1356 Hijri.
History
Al-Kharj, with its historical monuments, is an important destination for researchers and those interested in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and of the founder King Abdulaziz. Alkharj has some of the factors that are considered essential for tourism in the Kingdom and need to be considered and sought to achieve them archeology tourism, as there is a feast of archaeological monuments, perhaps the most important of which is the King Abdulaziz Palace. The historical site located in Al-Aziziyah () district in the heart of Al-Saih city. It was built in 1359 Hijri in the center of Al-Saih city.
Among the historical palaces abound in Alkharj is "Abu Jafan Palace" () located east of the city of Al-Saih, and it was built during the reign of King Abdulaziz in the year 1366 Hijri and the purpose of its construction was to be a place at where those coming from the eastern region and pilgrims to the Great Mosque of Mecca which is still open to visitors.
The city of Dalam (), which has a historical value to Alkharj governorate, abounds with many archaeological monuments and witnessed many historical battles represented in a fierce battle between King Abdulalaziz and Ibn Rashid ().
The town of Yamama (), located in the north of the city of Al-Saih, is one of the oldest towns in the Arabian Peninsula (). In the northeastern corner of the town, there locates one of the oldest settlements that is called (Al-Banna) (), which is part of the old settlement that was found in this place before Islam. A variety of pottery was found on surrounding area of the town which indicates a time settlement that extends from the middle of the third millennium BC. Also, there has been found three pieces of ancient coin on the site, as well as accessories made of silver and bronze.
Geography
There are many valleys that flow into Alkharj. The most important of which are the Hanifa Valley (), the Haniyeh () Valley and the Al-Sahba Valley (). Also, Alkharj is known for the presence of ʿayūn ( “eyes”), which are cavities inside the earth. These cavities in Al-Kharj, during summer period, are popular with visitors who come to see them from inside and outside the Kingdom, especially citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The “eyes” of Al-Kharj are distinguished for a long time by their cold water during the summer and warm during the winter, as these massive wells were flooding with water and running in large quantities like a river in the desert, especially in the valleys that penetrate the city of Al-Saih and which have acquired this name for the flow of water in it All year round. Al-Kharj is known that it is a water land where it gained its name since ancient times from the content of its geographical nature, which was characterized by the abundance of its agricultural production, the fertility of its lands and the sweetness of its water, as it has many natural springs that used to supply farms and agricultural projects with water through a group of channels and streams of water.