Dates guide

Types of Saudi dates

Saudi Arabia had 37.6 million date palms in 2024, and its best-known varieties are Sukkari, Khalas, Ajwa, Medjool, Sagai, Barhi, Safawi, Sufri, Khudri, Mabroom and Nabtat Saif. The most numerous is Khalas; the most common in Qassim is Sukkari. Here is where each grows, its shape and colour, what it is known for, and the source of every fact.

Last reviewed: 12 October 2026

The varieties in one table

Variety	Where it grows	Shape and colour
Sukkari	Qassim	Oblong oval. Yellow as busr, yellowish brown as rutab, brown as tamr.
Khalas	Al-Ahsa	Apricot yellow as busr, then light amber as rutab, then reddish amber. It is eaten at every stage.
Ajwa	Madinah	A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black.
Medjool	Qassim and elsewhere; it originally comes from Morocco	Oblong oval. Orange-yellow as busr, yellowish brown as rutab, reddish brown as tamr.
Sagai	Al-Arid around Riyadh, and found in Qassim too	Thick and cylindrical. It turns dark brown while its tip stays golden.
Barhi	Most regions of Saudi Arabia	Apricot yellow as busr, then translucent honey as rutab, then light brown as tamr.
Safawi	Madinah	Oblong oval. Reddish orange as busr, dark red as rutab, brownish red as tamr.
Sufri	Bisha and most regions	—
Khudri	Madinah and other regions	Elongated and cylindrical. Red as busr, brownish red as rutab, dark brown as tamr.
Mabroom	Madinah	An elongated date, also called “Barni Al-Ula”.
Nabtat Saif	Qassim	Oval to round. Yellow as busr, golden as rutab, golden brown as tamr.

Each variety in turn

Sukkari — Qassim

Sukkari dates — Photo: Rushakhalid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oblong oval. Yellow as busr, yellowish brown as rutab, brown as tamr. (SPA)
It became known in a palm grove of the Al Jumah family in Khab Huwailan, west of Buraydah, and its old name was “Sukkariyat Al Jumah”. (SPA)
Sukkari palms are about 65% of the palms in Qassim. (SPA)

Khalas — Al-Ahsa

A Khalas bunch on the palm — Photo: Dalma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Apricot yellow as busr, then light amber as rutab, then reddish amber. It is eaten at every stage. (Saudipedia)
The most numerous variety in Saudi Arabia: 10.95 million palms in 2024. (National Center for Palms and Dates)

Ajwa — Madinah

Ajwa dates in a glass dish — Photo: Miansari66, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black. (Saudipedia)
It reaches khalal in the second half of June and becomes tamr in August. (Saudipedia)

Medjool — Qassim and elsewhere; it originally comes from Morocco

Medjool dates in a dish — Photo: ORGANIChouse, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oblong oval. Orange-yellow as busr, yellowish brown as rutab, reddish brown as tamr. (SPA)
It comes after Sukkari in the output of Qassim's farms. (SPA)
It comes from the Tafilalt oasis in Morocco, from where 11 offshoots were taken to America in 1927. (JSTOR Daily)

Sagai — Al-Arid around Riyadh, and found in Qassim too

Sagai dates — Photo: Musab Al-Aboud, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Thick and cylindrical. It turns dark brown while its tip stays golden. (SPA)
A date with two colours in a single fruit, eaten as rutab and as tamr. (SPA)

Barhi — Most regions of Saudi Arabia

Yellow Barhi khalal on the strands — Photo: Dalma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Apricot yellow as busr, then translucent honey as rutab, then light brown as tamr. (Saudipedia)
It is eaten as yellow khalal, because it has little tannin and so is not astringent. (FAO)
It comes from Iraq, and it was the people of Unaizah who brought it to the Arabian Peninsula. (Saudipedia)

Safawi — Madinah

A whole Safawi date and a cut one with its stone, beside a ruler — Photo: Ahmed1251985, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oblong oval. Reddish orange as busr, dark red as rutab, brownish red as tamr. (SPA)
One of the varieties with a moderate need for pollen. (Saudipedia)

Sufri — Bisha and most regions

A whole Sufri date and a cut one with its stone, beside a ruler — Photo: Ahmed1251985, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The fifth most numerous variety in Saudi Arabia: 1.89 million palms in 2024. (National Center for Palms and Dates)

Khudri — Madinah and other regions

A whole Khudri date and a cut one with its stone, beside a ruler — Photo: Ahmed1251985, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Elongated and cylindrical. Red as busr, brownish red as rutab, dark brown as tamr. (SPA)
One of the four most sought-after varieties at the Unaizah dates season. (SPA)

Mabroom — Madinah

A whole Mabroom date and a cut one with its stone, beside a ruler — Photo: Ahmed1251985, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An elongated date, also called “Barni Al-Ula”. (SPA)
Its original home is Madinah, and it is grown in scattered regions. (Saudipedia)

Nabtat Saif — Qassim

Nabtat Saif dates — Photo: Musab Al-Aboud, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oval to round. Yellow as busr, golden as rutab, golden brown as tamr. (SPA)
One of the rare varieties shown at the Buraydah Dates Carnival. (SPA)

From pollen to tamr

Every variety passes through the same stages, and differs in the stage at which it is eaten: Barhi as yellow khalal, Sukkari as rutab and then as tamr.

Tal’ (February — March): The farmer climbs the palm to place the male pollen in the female bunch by hand, as has been done for thousands of years. No machine takes the place of this step, even today.
Khalal (June — July): The fruit is full size and firm, yellow or red depending on the variety. Its sweetness is light, with a gentle astringency. Barhi is eaten at exactly this stage.
Rutab (August — September): The colour begins to turn from the tip, the flesh softens, and the sugar peaks before the water is lost. This is the shortest and most precious of the stages — and the hardest to ship.
Tamr (October onwards): The fruit loses its water, so its sugar concentrates and it keeps longer. This is where Mufattal and Maknooz appear, and where the date becomes a year’s provision rather than a season’s fruit.

The whole season is in the game The palm’s season, stage by stage.

And where does Sukkari stand?

Saudi Arabia had 37.6 million date palms in 2024, more than 32 million of them bearing fruit. Qassim leads the regions: 10.87 million palms in 2024. Sukkari palms are about 65% of the palms in the Qassim region.

At Aljoud Premium Dates we sell Sukkari and Ajwa: Mufattal in declared grades from Everyday to Rare, Galaxy in its grades, and Madinah Ajwa by the kilo in three grades, Premium, Royal and Rare, and inside some of the gift boxes. More in the Sukkari guide, and how it differs from Ajwa in Sukkari and Ajwa.

Shop Sukkari

Questions

Questions people ask

Which date variety has the most palms in Saudi Arabia?

Khalas: The most numerous variety in Saudi Arabia: 10.95 million palms in 2024.

Where does Sukkari come from?

Qassim. It became known in a palm grove of the Al Jumah family in Khab Huwailan, west of Buraydah, and its old name was “Sukkariyat Al Jumah”.

Where does Ajwa come from?

Madinah. A round date with wavy lines, dark and almost black.

Is Medjool a Saudi variety?

Qassim and elsewhere; it originally comes from Morocco. It comes from the Tafilalt oasis in Morocco, from where 11 offshoots were taken to America in 1927.

What is the difference between rutab and tamr?

Rutab: The colour begins to turn from the tip, the flesh softens, and the sugar peaks before the water is lost. This is the shortest and most precious of the stages — and the hardest to ship. Tamr: The fruit loses its water, so its sugar concentrates and it keeps longer. This is where Mufattal and Maknooz appear, and where the date becomes a year’s provision rather than a season’s fruit.

Which varieties do you sell?

Sukkari: Mufattal in its grades (Everyday, Middle, Premium, Royal and Rare), and Galaxy in its grades (Everyday, Premium, Royal and Rare). Madinah Ajwa by the kilo in three grades (Premium, Royal and Rare), and inside the gift box and the luxury dates box. Delivery is within Jeddah.

Sources