NAJRAN

town, oasis, and mintaqah (province), southern Asir region, southwestern Saudi Arabia, in the desert along the Yemen (San'a') frontier. It is bounded by the manatiq (provinces) of ar-Riyad (north), ash-Sharqiyah (east), and Asir (west). The province is composed of the Asir plateau (west), Najran plateau (centre), and the Rub' al-Khali (east). First visited by the Romans in 24 BC, it was the seat of an important Christian colony in 500635. Najran was one of the main centres producing frankincense and myrrh to supply the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East between 1000 BC and AD 600. In more recent times it has been the subject of controversy between Saudi Arabia and Yemen (San'a'). By the Treaty of at-Ta'if in 1934, it was given to Saudi Arabia, but the boundary was denounced by Yemen (San'a') during the civil war of the 1960s. An extremely fertile agricultural area, the oasis produces dates and grains and is used for stock raising. The town of Najran is the southern terminus of highways from Mecca and Riyadh. Pop. (1974) town, 47,501; mintaqah, 148,000.