| Al Zulfi محافظة الزلفي |
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| Location of Al Zulfi | |
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Al Zulfi
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Riyadh Province |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Zayd ibn Muhammad al-Hussein al-Tamimi |
| • Governor of the Governorate | Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 56,744 |
| • Density | 199.4/km2 (516.4/sq mi) |
| Riyadh Development Authority estimate | |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
| • Summer (DST) | EAT (UTC+3) |
| Postal Code | (5 digits) |
| Area code(s) | +966-6 |
| Website | [2] |
Al Zulfi (also Zulfi, Zulfy City or Az Zulfi or Az Zilfi) is a city in Riyadh Province in central Saudi Arabia, about 260 kilometres northwest of Riyadh.[1] It is connected by Roads 418 and 535 which both link with the main Highway 65[2] which connects Riyadh to Buraidah which is about 101 kilometres by road to west of Al Zulfi. Zulfi also forms a governorate of Riyadh Province. The Al-Yamama/Tuwaiq mountain range begins in the desert to the north of Al Zulfi.[3]
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The Battle of Sabilla (March 29, 1929)[4] was the main battle of the Ikhwan Revolt in northern Arabia between the rebellious Ikhwan forces and the army of Ibn Saud. It was the last major battle, where one side rode camels,[5] as the Ikhwan emphasized radical conservatism, shunned technological modernization. The rebellious, but technologically mediocre, Ikhwan were decisively defeated by the Saudi forces, which included machine-guns and cavalry. Faisal al-Dawish, one of the three leaders of the rebellious Ikhwan tribes, was wounded in the battle. According to Ibn Saud Information Resource, his injury was "serious". Sultan bin Bajad, allegedly fled the battle scene.[5]
On January 9, 2005, Saudi forces reportedly killed four gunmen in a gun battle in Al Zulfi. Three security officials were injured in the event.[6] Senior al-Qaeda leader Khalid al-Juwayr was captured by the security forces in al-Zulfi.[7]
Being in the middle of the Arabian desert, Al Zulfi experiences extremely hot summers and relatively cool winters. Humidity is low though throughout the year. The minimum temperature in the summer ranges between 35-42 degrees celsius. The species Bunopus spatalurus spatalurus of the Bunopus genus of small geckos was described in 1991 as being endemic to the area.[8]
Al Zulfi contains numerous mosques and parks. It also contains a 150 bed hospital and the Palace of Prince Saud bin Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud. [9][10] The Al Zulfi Governorate contains 2 national parks.[1] Al-Zulfi has three artificial lakes due to the problems of water salinization.[1] Al Zulfi is noted for its many wells and fertile soils with many thousands of acres of land under cultivation.[11][1] There are also coal reserves in the area, especially in the northeast near Qasim.[11][12] The thickness of the deposits range from 5 to 50 metres and are spread over a vast area with some 66 coal mines discovered in the Qasim area by the early 1980s.[12]