QURAYYAT, AL-

mintaqah (province), western Northern region, northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is bordered by the manatiq (provinces) of al-Hudud ash-Shamaliyah to the northeast, al-Jawf to the east, and Tabuk to the south, and by Jordan on the north. Al-Qurayyat fronts the Gulf of Aqaba on the west. The mintaqah is mostly upland plateau with rock and gravel and is covered with grass and shrub that are used for grazing. The valley of the Wadi Sirhan is the main physical feature of the area; it formerly served as an important caravan route from the Mediterranean coast to the central and southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Qurayyat is sparsely populated; an-Nabk is its capital. Pop. (1974) 31,000.