Dhahran, or Dharan is a city in Saudi Arabia. It is located in the eastern part of the country, on the shores of the Persian Gulf. It is a short distance south of the larger city of Dammam. Dhahran is a fenced in city, and only Saudi Aramco employees and their dependents may live inside. There are three categories of compounds in Dhahran for the employees; Al-Munirah (junior staff only), Dhahran Hills (senior staff and their families), and Ar-Rabiyah (executive vice presidents or above and their families) Ar-Rabiyah is also considered one of the classiest compounds in the whole region (also see Beverly Hills which was created by the Amalgamated Oil Company - similiar story)
Dhahran is a major centre for the oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935, the Standard Oil company of the United States drilled the first commercially viable oil well. Standard Oil later established a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia called the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO), the forerunner to the modern Saudi Aramco (now fully owned by the Saudi government). Saudi Aramco still has its headquarters in Dhahran, and is considered by many measures to be the largest oil company in the world.
In the Gulf War, a significant number of United States military personnel were stationed in Dhahran. Some of these personnel remained in the city after the conclusion of the war, operating under Army Forces Central Command - Saudi Arabia (ARCENT-SA). On June 25, 1996, 19 American servicemen died in a terrorist bombing at Khobar Towers, a U.S. military complex near Dhahran which eventually led to the departure of US Forces in 2001.
Dhahran had the old Dhahran King Fahd Air Terminal . The new airport, Dhahran International Airport , is located outside of the city and serves Dammam . The old airport is now called King Abdulaziz Airbase , a major RSAF base.
Dhahran is home to the King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals and Aramco Training Center (ITC) which includes the campus of College Preparatory Center.
Geography and Geology
Dhahran is a short distance north to Khobar, the area is mountainous and most of the early Saudi oil-wells were drilled in that area (such as the Prosperity Well, the first commercially viable oil well in Saudi Arabia)
Geology to be written
People
Dhahran is known as the oil center in the first-ranked oil producing and exporting country in the world, therefore a lot of westerners live in Dhahran, in fact, Americans formed the majority of Dhahran population until late 1990's. Many commercial malls were built in Khobar (the neighbor city) and was economically prospered due to the flow of customers coming from Dhahran. Also many westerners prefer to spend weekends in Bahrain.
Laws
Dhahran's laws are completely distinct from the rest of Saudi Arabia, law enforcement forces as well as health care and fire protection are all responsibilities of Saudi Aramco, thus many laws are not applicable in Dhahran, women can drive there and have no special code of clothes. On the other hand, safety rules are extreme and violations (traffic, public safety...etc) may lead to serious consequenses, for example committing 3 traffic violations results in termination.
Transportation
Transportation in Dhahran was mainly designed to serve it as the oil center of the kingdom, thus the roads in Dhahran are the best in condition in the entire country, there is an industrial railroad station in Dhahran, one of 3 international airports is a short distance west of Dhahran, and Dammam seaport is easy to reach. Ras Tanura , the second major oil city (an oil seaport and oil-refining and storing center) is 50km north of Dhahran and connected with it by one highway. Aramco runs a free-of-charge Bus service that serves all residents to/from Dhahran, this service is very reliable and convenient.
Sites of interest
- Ar Rabiyah Compound
- Dhahran Hills Park
- Half-Moon Bay
- Dhahran Golf Course
- Saudi Aramco Oil Exhibit
- The Heritage Gallery
- Munira Ashgar's Museum
- U.S. Consulate General
- King's Road Theater
- Hamilton Guest House
- King's Road Library
- EXPEC Building
- Dhahran International Hotel (known for being the residence of foreign reporters during the Gulf War, remainings of a launched Patriot Missile are displayed in the main hall)
- The Blue Mosque
- Engineering Complex (Office Buildings and Library)
- King's Road Recreation Area
- Steinecke Hall
- King's Road Ball Field
- Tower Building (and the belowground tunnel network that connects it to the Engineering Building and EXPEC Building)
See Also
Clothing in Saudi Arabia
