Hafar al-Batin

Hafar al-Batin (حفر الباطن Ḥafar al-Bāṭin), also frequently spelled Hafr al-Batin, is a city in the Hafar al-Batin Governorate, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located 430 km north of Riyadh, 94.2 km from the Kuwait border, and about 74.3 from the Iraq border. The city lies in the dry valley of the Wadi al-Batin, which is part of the longer valley of the river Wadi al-Rummah (now dry), which leads inland toward Medina and formerly emptied into the Persian Gulf.

History
In the 1st century after hijrah or 638 CE, Hafar al-Batin was just a route in the desert that pilgrims passed through traveling to Mecca for Hajj. At that time, there was no water available in this land, so the pilgrims travelled from Iraq to Mecca on a long route without water. During the reign of Uthman (644 - 656 CE), many pilgrims complained about the lack of water, and Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad responded by digging new wells along the route in the al-Batin valley. The name of Hafar al-Batin (حفر الباطن, "the hole of al-Batin Valley") is derived from this.. It was part of Kuwait before the Uqair Protocol of 1922 in which it was given to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Housing announced in August 2020 that they would be including Hafr Al Batin in its program to increase residential ownership by its citizens. The ministry will be providing 759 plots in Hafr Al Batin alone.

Population
In 2010, Hafar al-Batin, had more than 35 villages in its suburban area and the total population reached 400,993 to 600,000
 * Hafar al-Batin about +300,642 28.43417°N, 45.96361°W
 * Qaisumah about +22,538 28.30889°N, 46.13333°W
 * Al-Theebiyah about +14,442 28.125°N, 45.6675°W
 * Ar Raqa'i +5,665 29.01667°N, 46.55°W
 * As Su'ayerah about +3,607
 * As Sufayri about +2,481 28.52361°N, 45.8025°W
 * Al-Qalt - Ibn Tuwalah about +1,128 28.63°N, 45.33°W
 * Samoudah about +914
 * As Sadawi about +822
 * Um Qulaib about +612 27.83056°N, 45.98194°W
 * An Nazim about +585 28.65°N, 45.22°W
 * Dhabhah about +267
 * Um Ashar about +73 27.72°N, 45.06°W
 * Al-Metiahah Al-Janobiyah about +61
 * Al-Hamatiyat about +17

Airport
For full international service, the city is served by King Fahd International Airport with driving distance of 450 km.

Nonetheless, Hafar al-Batin has two airports: One with limited domestic flights (Qaisumah) airport about 20 km in the southeast, and one for military use only (King Khaled Military City Airport)  about 70 km in the southwest.

Roads
All the downtown roads of Hafar al-Batin are paved. It is connected with an international network of roads, connecting Saudi Arabia with Kuwait in the East and connecting the North with the Eastern Province.

Districts

 * Al-Aziziah A
 * Al-Aziziah B
 * Al-Khalediyah
 * Al-Rabwah
 * Al-Muhammadiyah
 * Al-Baladiyah
 * Al-Rawdhah
 * Al-Nayefiyah
 * Al-Sulaimaniyah
 * Al-Faisaliyah
 * Abu-Musa al-Asha'ari

Climate
The weather in Hafar al-Batin ranges from -2 - 8 C in winter nights to 40 - 50 C during summer days. The climate in general is hot and dry, and it rains only during winter months.

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).