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Najd

Najd, or Nejd, is a geographic and historical region in the central Arabian Peninsula. In modern terms it covers a large part of central Saudi Arabia and sits on the central plateau, often described as an upland or highland. The name Najd derives from Arabic and means "highland" or "upland." The landscape is arid and sparsely populated, featuring deserts, wadis, and rocky plateaus; rainfall is limited and temperatures range widely between hot summers and cool winters.

Historical significance: Najd has been a core region in the history of Saudi Arabia and in the

Today, Najd is the heartland of Saudi Arabia's population and economy. Riyadh, the capital, sits within the

Wahhabi
movement.
In
the
18th
century,
the
Emirate
of
Diriyah,
centered
in
Nejd,
allied
with
Muhammad
ibn
Abd
al-Wahhab
and
founded
the
First
Saudi
State;
later,
after
periods
of
struggle,
the
House
of
Saud
united
Nejd
with
Hejaz
to
establish
the
modern
Kingdom
of
Saudi
Arabia
in
1932.
The
region
has
been
central
to
the
country's
political
development
and
to
the
religiously
oriented
facets
of
governance
associated
with
Wahhabi-Islamic
reform
movements.
central
Najd
and
serves
as
the
political
and
administrative
center.
Other
major
cities
include
Buraydah
in
the
Qassim
region
and
Hail,
reflecting
the
region's
administrative
and
cultural
diversity.
The
Najdi
dialect
of
Arabic
is
a
prominent
linguistic
variant
in
this
area.