Tabuk, also spelled Tabouk, is the capital city of the Tabuk Region in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 534,893 (2010 census). It is close to the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border, and houses the largest air force base in Saudi Arabia.HistoryPtolemy mentioned a place by the name 'Tabawa', at the northwestern corner of Arabia. This name may be a reference to 'Tabuka' or 'Tabuk'. If this is true, the town may be as old as Ptolemy's time. Pre-Islamic Arab poets, such as Antra and Nabiqa, mentioned its mountain 'Hasmi' in their poems.Tabouk became famous for its association with the battle fought in 8 AH (630 ACE), during the period of Muhammad. Since then, it remained a gateway of North Arabia. It was visited by a number of western travelers such as Doughty in 1294 AH (1877 ACE) and Huber in 1303 AH (1884 ACE).Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi scuds and air attacks.Archaeological or historical sites in the areaThe region is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, walls, Syrian-Egyptian pilgrimage route, and the remains of the Hejaz Railway line, the main station of which is located in Tabuk.Rock art and inscriptions' site in Wadi DamHundreds of localities with Rock art and inscriptions dating to different chronological periods and ranging from Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk. Study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability and both human and animal figures were represented in it. Tens of sites in the area with Thamudic, Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found.