Ha'il

Haʼil (Arabic: حَائِل Hāʼil) is a city in north-western Saudi Arabia. It is the capital and largest city of Ha'il Region, with a population of about 498,575 (2022).[1] Haʼil is largely agricultural, with significant grain, date, and fruit production. A large percentage of the kingdom's wheat production comes from Haʼil Province, where the area to the northeast, 60 to 100 km (37 to 62 miles) away, consists of irrigated gardens. Historically, Haʼil derived its wealth from being on the camel caravan route of the Hajj. Haʼil is well known for the generosity of its people throughout Saudi Arabia and the Arab world as it is the place where Hatim al-Tai lived. It is also the homeland of the Rashid royal family, historical rivals to Saudi royal family.[2] The construction of the Hejaz railway between Damascus and Medina, together with new inexpensive steamship routes to Jeddah, undermined the traditional camel caravan economy of Ha'il.[3]