Al Qunfudhah

Al Qunfudhah القنفذة
City
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The Ghadah of the South
File:Saudi Arabia location map.svg Al Qunfudhah Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates:
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Makkah (Mecca)
Joined Saudi Arabia	1925
Government
• City Governor	Fadha Al Bogami
Population (2010)
• Total	185,000
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
• Summer (DST)	EAT (UTC+3)
Postal Code	(5 digits)
Area code(s)	+966-17

Al Qunfudhah (Arabic: القنفذة‎‎), also known as Kunfuda, is a city in the Tihamah region on the coast of the Red Sea. Its population is the fourth largest in Makkah Province, and it is one of the large sea ports of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea.

Geography

It is located on the south-western border of the Makkah province, south of Al Lith, bordered by the Al Aradhiyah city. The province of Asir is southeast to the city and passes by the international coastal road of Jeddah - Jizan. It is located 290 km to the south from the holy city of Mecca, and 340 km away from Jeddah. The estimated population of Al Qunfudhah is over 185,000 people divided between urban and coastal villages and abandonment.

History

Al Qunfudah originated at the beginning of the eighth century Hijri and specifically in 709, since ancient times, it received famous ocean-going trade caravans from Yemen to Syria and vice versa loaded with varieties of goods, and came in some ancient sources The name Al Qunfudah did not appear in historical writings until with the beginning of the ninth century AH after the extinction of the Sultanate of Hali bin Yaaacob of Banu Kinana tribe in Hali south of Al Qunfudhah. The thirteenth century was the starting point for the campaigns of the Muhammad Ali Pasha war, as it was an arena for Tills forces opposing the Ottomans and Italians. There is still evidence of ships Turks submerged in the waters of the Red Sea, south of Qunfudah as a result of the bombing battleships Italian. It is also the base for the campaigns of the Ottomans and their allies supervising the Asir has previously called (Bandar) by the Ottomans, which means (market) in the Turkish language. King AbdulAziz ordered the Prince of Al Qunfudhah Sharif Abdullah ibn Hamza to leave it in April 1343 AH and appointed Mohammed Ibn Agag prince on Qunfudah and Turki bin Mohammed Ibn Madi as the financial agent. As that port Qunfudah was an important port on the Red Sea coast where it contributed to receive large ships loaded from Yemen and the Levant. This port received Greek and Romanian ocean-going ships to get the gold that exists in this region. It also received trade caravans and pilgrims to Mecca even after the takeover of the Saudi forces. The harbor was also receiving pilgrims from south of the Arabian Peninsula and pilgrims from South East Asia, particularly India pilgrims.

See also

• List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia