Al-Ukhaydir, Tabuk Province

Al-Ukhaydir, also known as Haydar or Aqabat, is a site in the Tabuk Province in Saudi Arabia, located southeast of Tabuk. During early Ottoman rule, a fort was built at the site, part of the larger network of fortifications along the Hajj caravan route to Medina and Mecca.EtymologyThe fort's name al-Ukhaydir is Arabic for "the small green place". According to archaeologist Andrew Petersen, the exact origin of the name is unclear. A likely possibility is that it was linked to the tradition of Elijah, who is commonly identified by Levantine Muslims as al-Khadr. Al-Khadr is also the subject of local Arabian legend. The association with al-Khadr was mentioned by travelers and visiting historians throughout the Ottoman era (1517–1917) and a shrine dedicated to al-Khadr was situated within the fort's walls.Petersen suggests that "the name may reflect the greenness of this site, in an area of overwhelming aridity". Historian Richard Blackburn also relates that the "sparse greenery thereabouts is said to account" for its name, "little green place or Wadi al-Ukhaydir (slightly green valley)".LocationAl-Ukhaydir is located south of Tabuk in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia. It was a midway point in the Syria–Hejaz route, being 760km south of Damascus and 560km north of Medina. It is situated on sandy grounds in a deep gorge surrounded by rocky slopes, partly covered by lava.