Dissertation_Dr Faisal Almubarak

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heated territorial conflicts. The Northern Frontier, of which Arar serves as its
administrative capital and major urban center, constitutes one of the five major regions
forming Saudi Arabia. Its neighbors Iraq and Jordan are both jealous of the potentially oil
rich region lying south of their borders. Moreover, historically, the region has been the
grazing grounds for several powerful major Bedouin tribes whose migratory pattern has
frequently defied the authority of all these governments' jurisdictional powers. As Saudi
polity matured, it recognized the significance of protecting its frontiers. Arar was to benefit
dramatically by the international as well as national political and economic developments.
Until 1958, Iraq and Transjordan (known today as Jordan) were ruled by Hashimite
monarchs, King Abdullah and King Faisal, sons of Sharif Hussein of Makkah, head of the
Hashimite dynasty which governed the Western Province under the Ottoman rule, and the
Hijaz region in Saudi Arabia, before the Saud House 23 . In his campaign to unify the
country, King Abdul-Aziz overpowered his Hashimites rivals in a humiliating showdown
which concluded with the termination of their rule over Hijaz during the 1920s.
Furthermore, the Northern Province, which lacked established settlements, has been the
grazing grounds for nomads who historically swore allegiance to their tribe and land and
not to any established authority. The Saudi northern borders remained the focus of many
border disputes, so much so that two neutral zones were drafted along the border by the
British, who were the arbiters between the newly bom nation-states.
Owing to the precarious geopolitics of the Kingdom's northern borderline, Arar was
chosen by the central state as the northern base for several military and security force
communities. Arar serves as a regional base for a substantial Internal Security force, has a
regional airport (one of twenty two in the nation) and houses scores of National Guard
(NG) units and hundreds of personnel. 24 The presence of the NG forces has contributed
to the urban economy of Arar through the employment it has generated. The National
Guards have offered employment opportunities to citizens nationwide, especially the
nomads. For instance, the government offers exclusive health benefits and free land or
accommodation, among others, to those who work in the NG. By 1973, two of Arar's
five residential districts were distributed to National Guard staff (Figure 7.3 C and D), both
occupied a substantial portion of the city's area.
In its effort to attract nationals to the area, the Ministry of Interior provided wholly
designed and built model communities for its Internal Security Forces (ISF), thanks to the