[7] Okaz was established in Jeddah in 1960 by Ahmed Abdul Ghafoor Attar and is one of the oldest newspapers in Saudi Arabia.

[4][12] The market inspired the founders of the paper was Suq al Ukaz where eminent poets of the period came together to congregate poems and hold recitation competitions in Taif.

[15] Based on the results of a media survey conducted by research company Ipsos Stat, Okaz is first in readership ratings, beating many other newspapers published in the country.

[15] Dubai Press Club in 2010 reported that Okaz is the most popular Arabic daily paper in the Kingdom with a circulation of 250,000 that was confirmed by the media research.

[18] It was reported by Forbes Middle East in 2011 to be one of top ten online newspapers (specifically the ninth) in the MENA region.

[23] It appears that Okaz publishes articles and news about several distinct topics ranging from lesbians' confessions to Zionist threats.

Besides a critical coverage of social issues, Okaz reports almost taboo subjects, like the harsh treatment of women by the religious police.

[24] Hussein Shobokshi, a former columnist for Okaz, wrote about his vision of a country where the government is fully accountable to the public, citizens can freely vote, and women can drive cars in his July 2003 column.

Then, he was quickly put in the blacklist for the next year and his new talk show on the Saudi-owned satellite broadcaster Al Arabiya was cancelled.

The report based on a field study claimed that 70% of residents used the Khat plant, affecting the cells of the human body and leading to sexual deviation.

This report led to Jazan's residents', particularly young men's, boycott against the newspaper and call for the paper to be banned.