Najd

Najd
نجد (Arabic)
Map of the Najd region in the central region of the Arabian Peninsula
Coordinates: 25°N 44°E / 25°N 44°E / 25; 44
Country Saudi Arabia
Largest cityRiyadh
ProvincesRiyadh, Al-Qassim, Ha'il
Population
10,627,701 (2,022 census)

Najd is a historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in al-Jawf to the north, ad-Dahna Desert in al-Ahsa to the east, and Rub' al-Khali to the south, although its exact boundaries cannot be determined due to varying geographical and political limits throughout history.

Administratively, Najd is divided into three main regions: the Riyadh region which features Wadi Hanifa and the Tuwaiq escarpment, which houses easterly Yamama with the Saudi capital, Riyadh since 1824, and the Sudairi region, which has its capital in Majmaah. The second region, Al-Qassim, houses the fertile oases and date palm orchards spread out in the region's highlands along Wadi Rummah in central Najd with its capital in Buraidah, the second largest Najdi city, with the region historically contested by the House of Rashid to its north and the House of Saud to its east and south. The third administrative unit is northerly Ḥa'il, which features the mountains of Jabal Shammar housing the Tayy capital of Ḥa'il.

The Najd region is where about a third of Saudi Arabia's modern population resides. It is the home of the House of Saud, from which it pursued its unification with Hejaz since the time of the Emirate of Diriyah.