Duba () is a small city on the northern Red Sea coast, of Saudi Arabia. It is in Tabuk Province. Local citizens describe it as The Pearl of the Red Sea. The population of Duba is about 22,000. History The first reference to Duba, under this name, is from 1203. However, the Valley of Salma and Valley of Kafafah were already known many centuries before. The ancient Greek scholar Ptolemy mentioned a trade route leading from Kafafah to Lihyan (today's Al-`Ula). Sheikh Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi wrote about Duba in 1790, in his account of going to Mecca for the Hajj. Historically it is part of Madian; the city is mentioned in Islamic scriptures. According to the Quran, Prophet Moussa settled in Madian (the region starts from Jordan river and extends to the town of Duba). The town of Prophet Shoaib as it is called is said to be located near Maqna where an ancient well can still be seen. The well is said to be the one where Moussa fed the flock. The Ottoman Turks fortified the city, protecting the route from Egypt to Arabia. The Arab Revolt had taken control of Duba from the Ottomans by mid-1917. After the Saudi conquest of the city in 1933, King Abdulaziz built his castle there in the same year. Geography Duba is located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia on the coast of the Red Sea on the Egyptian road of the Hajj, about 300 km from the intersection of Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Duba includes 3 valleys, Dahkan to the north, and Salma and Kafafah on the south. It is about 800 km from Jeddah / Mecca via the coastal highway that passes through the major port and industrial city of Yanbu. Duba is a port city and ferries and ships operate from here for Egypt and Jordan. The Hurghada and Safaga ports of Egypt can be reached within about 3 hours (minimum) by ferry. It is strategically located at the starting point of Gulf of Aqaba that ends at Eilat (Israel) and Aqaba, Jordan. It is one of the most important economic epicenter for its own country, each year there are a lot of merchants who pass Duba City. The Springs of Maqna are an interesting picnic spot and there are notable beaches such as Sharma Beach, though it is not developed as a tourist spot. The City is also