It has a population of , as of Ptolemy 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. Since then, it remained a gateway to North Arabia. It was visited by Charles Montagu Doughty in Tabuk was captured by the Arab forces in , three weeks after the British capture of Damascus.
The region is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, walls, the Syrian-Egyptian pilgrimage route, and the remains of the Hejaz railway , the main station of which is located in Tabuk. Hundreds of localities with rock art and inscriptions dating to different chronological periods and ranging from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk.
A study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability and both human and animal figures were represented in it. Numerous sites in the area with Thamudic , Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found. Several forts and stations were built along the Syrian pilgrimage route, from the Jordanian border to Medina to welcome the pilgrims.
The fort consists of two floors built around an open courtyard with a mosque, a well, and a stairway leading to the watch towers used by the guards. Tabuk Castle is considered an archaeological landmark of the region and is open to visitors. There is a legend that during the expedition of Tabuk, Muhammad camped for more than ten days near the spring and drank from its water.
The Prophet's Mosque is also known as the Repentance Mosque. It was originally built with mud and roofed with palm trunk trees. It was restored in Eventually, its complete renewal was ordered by the late King Faisal ibn Abdul-Aziz, along the pattern of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
