[citation needed] Tabouk became famous for the Expedition of Tabuk in 630 CE, during the period of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

[3] Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the 1991 Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi Scud missiles and air attacks[citation needed].

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.

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.

Eventually, its complete renewal was ordered by the late King Faisal ibn Abdul-Aziz, along the pattern of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.