Khamis Mushait

Khamis Mushayt or Khamis Mushait (Arabic: خميس مشيط, Ḫamīs Mušayṭ .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Arabic pronunciation: [xamiːs muʃajtˤ], locally: [xamiːs‿ɪmʃeːtˤ]) is a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, located east of Abha, the provincial seat of the 'Asir Province, 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) 650 nautical miles from Dhahran and 884 kilometres (549 mi) from the national capital of Riyadh.[2] It is the capital of the Shahran tribe in the Asir region. It is fifth-largest city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, with an estimated metro population of 1,353,000 as of 2017. Khamis Mushayt is noted for being the fourth largest trading centre in Saudi Arabia, and is famous for its world-class military airbase. Until the 1970s, Khamis Mushait was a small town of less than 50,000 servicing the surrounding mild-climate agricultural region. Since then its population has grown dramatically to reach over 1,200,000. The city is surrounded by farms producing agricultural crops.[3] King Khalid Air Base (KMX) has a 12,400 ft (3,780 m) paved runway without customs facilities. The base was designed and built by US Army and Air Force engineers in the 1960s and 70s and has F-15 service facilities.[4] During the Gulf War in 1991, the US Airforce had a base here from which they launched bombers on Baghdad.[3]