Province
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Eastren Province
| The Eastern Province (Ash Shargiyah) is the largest in Saudi Arabia. Geographically, the province consists of a long coast edged by marshy land and sabkhas (salt pans), with plateaus, valleys and sand dunes as you travel west. |
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The 20,000 hectare oasis at Al-Hasa is the largest in the world. It gives nourishment to three million palm trees, and has been a source of peace for travellers for thousands of years.
The town of Haadh in the south of the province, is the gateway to the Rub al-Khali. The shamal is a north westerly wind that residents of the Eastern Province can literally see coming. Prevalent during late spring and early summer, the shamal carries with it tons of sand which can reduce visibility in the province for days.
The chalky, porous rock which cover the eastern areas retains large quantities of underground water which feed the beautiful oases such as the ones at Al-Hasa and Qatif. It also retains the world's largest reserve of light grade crude oil, and the headquarters for the Saudi oil industry is located here in Dhahran.
Dammam is the capital of the province with Dhahran and Al-Khobar so close to each other that they have merged into one district. The industrial city, Jubail is located on the coast further north.
The port of Ras Tanura, north of Dhahran is the world's largest petroleum port, even though most of the crude oil is transported via the trans-Arabian pipeline (the TAP line).
The great surprise of the Eastern Province, with so much industry and oil being transported, is that there are numerous excellent opportunities for scuba diving in the Arabian Gulf, with the islands off Jubail in particular being superb.
Historically, the Eastern Province has been an important port on the spice and trade routes between Asia and Europe. Excavations carried out by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums have resulted in the registration of over 300 archaeological sites from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period.
A 25km causeway connects the province with Bahrain. |
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In a part of the world that should be too hot, too salty, and churned by shipping, is a remarkable oasis of aquatic life
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Al-Hofuf means 'whistling wind' and Al-Hasa means 'the wells'. The cool relief of so many trees has been a welcome stopping point for generations of travellers and migratory birds
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Tarut Bay is the most important bay on the Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia for wintering and passage shorebirds. Additionally, the bay is the largest shrimp nursery in the country
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"I was anxious to match myself against the Bedu on equal terms. They knew no world other than their own and accepted the hardships of their lives as a small price to pay for the freedom that was theirs" .
Wilfred Thesiger, 'Arabian Sands'
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Al-Hasa, meaning 'the wells' is an extraordinary oasis covering about 20,000 hectares and giving nourishment to three million palm trees in the largest date palm oasis in the world
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The high walls of the caves of Jebel Garah, coupled with the cool limestone walls and gentle breezes, create an unusually soothing atmosphere on a hot day
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The Dammam Al-Khobar Corniche project is extremely popular among visitors and locals for its picturesque recreational facilities, sports support services and comfortable family accommodation
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The power and majesty of Qasr Ibrahim is such that it leaves no doubt that Al-Hofuf has been a wealthy and powerful stopping point on one of the great trade routes of the world
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Situated in a deep harbor, at the gateway to the Eastern Provinces, Tarut Island, has been a prized strategic strong hold, which has been coveted by all of the great civilisations of The Arabian Gulf
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Jebel Garah is also home to a 15,000-year history of ceramics and pottery which have historically benefited from the cool environment and light breezes which provide the caves with natural air conditioning
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