This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since September 2006.

This article is about Dhahran, the city. For the Saudi Aramco residential compound, see Dhahran Aramco Camp.

Dhahran أرامكو السعودية في الظهران
Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 26°16′″N 50°09′″E / Expression error: Unexpected / operator, Expression error: Unexpected / operator
Province	Ash Sharqiyah
Government
- Mayor	Bandar Al-Subayi
Area
- City	100 km²  (38.6 sq mi)
- Land	100 km² (38.6 sq mi)
- Water	0 km² (0 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- City	11,300
- Metro	97,446

Dhahran (Arabic الظهران aẓ-Ẓahrān) is located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California (now Chevron Corporation) drilled the first commercially viable oil well. Standard Oil later established a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia called the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO), now fully owned by the Saudi government as Saudi Aramco . Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, casually known by its inhabitants as the Dhahran Aramco Camp, is the residential community built by the company of Saudi Aramco for its employees. ... Image File history File links AramcoCoreArea. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Dharhan_location. ... Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah). ... Categories: Stub | Provinces of Saudi Arabia ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Subay (Arabic: , also spelled Sbay, Sbei, and Subei) are a tribe of central Saudi Arabia. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Eastern Province (Arabic: ) is the largest province of Saudi Arabia, located in the east of the country on the Persian Gulf coast, and has land borders with Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Standard Oil (Esso) was a predominant integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. ... ChevronTexaco Corporation ( NYSE: CVX) is one of the worlds largest global energy companies. ... An oil well is seen in Texas. ... Politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in a framework of a absolute monarchy whereby the King of Saudi Arabia is not only head of state, but also the head of government. ... Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil corporation in the world and the worlds largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves and production. ...

Geography, Geology and Climate

Dhahran is a short distance west of downtown Al-Khobar. It is about 15 km south of Dammam. Both are older Saudi port cities on the Persian Gulf. Looking farther afield, Dhahran is northeast of Abqaiq, and southeast of Qatif (a traditional Shi'ite oasis town) and, further north, Ras Tanura, a major oil port. The island nation of Bahrain is also within easy driving distance to the east (about 20 miles), across the King Fahd Causeway, from Khobar. al-Khobar is a large city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ... Dammam Corniche Dammam (Also Damman or Ad Dammām) is the capital of the Ash Sharqiyah province in Saudi Arabia. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Map of Abqaiq Region Abqaiq (also Buqayq, Arabic: بقيق buqayq, meaning father of the sand flies) is a small city in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located in the desert southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. ... Qatif (Arabic: القطيف al-QaTiif) is a historic coastal city and oasis located on the western shore of the Arabian/Persian Gulf in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, some 13km north of the port city of Dammam and southwest of major oil port Ras Tanura. ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Map of Ras Tanura Region Ras Tanura (more accurately Ras TannÅ«rah, Arabic: رأس تنورة meaning top/head of the barbeque spit) is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf. ...

The patch of desert on which the city is built is hilly/rocky, and most of the earliest productive oil wells in Saudi Arabia were drilled in the area, such as Dammam Well #7: "Prosperity Well," the first commercially viable oil well in Saudi Arabia in the 1930s. This well is still in production 70 years later. This later led to the selection of two barren nearby hills as the place for Aramco to construct its headquarters.[1] Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil corporation in the world and the worlds largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves and production. ...

The Dhahran-Dammam area is one of two regions, the other being Jeddah, that were selected as potential sites to build the first Saudi nuclear reactor.[2] Nickname: Location of Jeddah Coordinates: , Country Saudi Arabia Province Makkah (Mecca) Established 500+ BC Government  - Mayor Adil Faqeeh  - City Governor Mishal Al-Saud  - Province Governor Khalid Al-Faisal Area  - City 1,320 km²  (509. ... Core of a small nuclear reactor used for research. ...

Dhahran’s climate is characterized by extremely hot, humid summers, and cool winters. Temperatures can rise to more than 50°C in the summer, coupled with extreme humidity (85%-100%), given the city’s proximity to the Persian Gulf. In winter, the temperature rarely falls below 2° or 3°C, with rain falling mostly between the months of November and May. The Shamal winds usually blow across the city in the early months of the summer, bringing dust storms that can reduce visibility to a few metres. These winds can last for up to three months.

Economy

Dhahran is the headquarters of Saudi Aramco. The company is the largest oil company in the world with the largest oil reserves in the world [3], and it produces about 10 million barrels of oil per day. Most of the oil is exported, since local Saudi needs require about 12 percent of the total production. (See: Saudi Aramco) The oil industry is a type of industry which brings petroleum to a market. ... Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil corporation in the world and the worlds largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves and production. ...

Sixty-five years on, Dhahran is still Saudi Aramco's worldwide headquarters and the center of the company's finance, exploration, engineering, drilling services, medical services, materials supply and other company organisations.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Saudi Arabia

The population of Dhahran includes many expatriates from Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesian, Pakistan and the Philippines, as well as Westerners from the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. There are also many non-Saudi Arab nationals living in Dhahran, such as Lebanese, Egyptians, Palestinians, Syrians and Jordanians. According to a 2004 census the total population of the Dhahran municipality is 97,446. Demographics of Saudi Arabia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many companies that employ relatively large numbers of expats have built fenced-in compounds where most expats live, such as the Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, ROC, CCC, Al-Nada, Oasis, and many others. Within these compounds, the influx of Saudi residents, particularly single men, has speeded up the influence of the Mutawa, the Saudi "morals and decency committee" which is steadily repressing the relaxed atmosphere. There are also several neighborhoods, or suburbs, such as Hay Al-Doha (حي الدوحه) and Hay Al-Dana (حي الدانة), whose residents include Saudi nationals as well as expats. Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, casually known by its inhabitants as the Dhahran Aramco Camp, is the residential community built by the company of Saudi Aramco for its employees. ...

Government, law, and security

Main article: Politics of Saudi Arabia

Dhahran is part of the Eastern Province (Ash Sharqiyah Province), the largest province in Saudi Arabia. The province is governed by Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud. Just like the rest of the country, the law of Shari’a, or Islamic law is adhered to. Following the Saudi Arabian municipal elections in 2005, members of the municipal councils were elected. Politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in a framework of an absolute monarchy whereby the King of Saudi Arabia is not only head of state, but also the head of government. ... Image:Saudi Arabia - Al Sharqiyah (pronounced Ash Sharqiyah)province locator. ... The Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa, flowing from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Dhahran is guarded as it is a high visibility city. The Saudi Special Emergency Forces' Eastern Province headquarters are located in Dhahran near the Saudi Aramco residential camp. There are many security checkpoints throughout the city that have been almost permanently in place since the Riyadh Compound Bombings. The Riyadh compound bombings took place on May 12, 2003, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ...

Transport

Road to Dhahran's main gate (Picture taken from Khobar way)

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam

As the centre of the nation's oil industry, Dhahran enjoys excellent transport resources both nationally and internationally. On the Dhahran-Al Khobar Highway File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... On the Dhahran-Al Khobar Highway File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... KF International Airport I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... KF International Airport I, the creator of this image, hereby release it into the public domain. ... King Fahd International Airport (Arabic: مطار الملك فهد الدولي) (IATA: DMM, ICAO: OEDF) is located near Qatif, Saudi Arabia. ...

The nation's excellent highway infrastructure was modernized extensively in the '70s and '80s and features National Guard checkpoints at strategic locations.

Formerly one of Saudi Arabia's three major international airports, Dhahran Airport (DHA), which in 1946 began as the Dhahran Airfield, is now an airbase of the Royal Saudi Air Force. Today, King Fahd International Airport (DMM), which replaced Dhahran International for commercial and cargo, serves the entire metropolitan area of Dhahran, Dammam, and Al Khobar. Saudi Aramco Aviation has its own buildings and terminal where all Saudi Aramco flights originate. Dhahran Air Terminal building inside. ... // The Dhahran Airfield was an airfield operated by the United States from 1945 until 1962. ... RSAF Tornado during Gulf War Boeing F-15S Eagle, the multirole backbone fighter of the RSAF RSAF Lockheed C-130H Hercules RSAF Boeing E-3A Sentry RSAF BAe Hawk The Royal Saudi Air Force (Arabic: , ), is the air force of Saudi Arabia. ... King Fahd International Airport (Arabic: مطار الملك فهد الدولي) (IATA: DMM, ICAO: OEDF) is located near Qatif, Saudi Arabia. ... FedEx DC-10 Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. ... Dammam Corniche Dammam (Also Damman or Ad Dammām) is the capital of the Ash Sharqiyah province in Saudi Arabia. ... al-Khobar is a large city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ...

Although rail service in Saudi Arabia plays a much more minor role today than 50 years ago, an industrial railroad with a station adjacent to Dhahran still exists, linking it to the capital Riyadh. Riyadh (Arabic: ‎ ar-Riyāḍ) is the capital of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, located in Ar Riyad Province in the Najd region. ...

Public transport is not wide-spread although it is available in a very limited manner. Taxi service is more popular than taking a bus. Saudi Aramco runs its own bus transport, which connects the residential and industrial camps of the company, as well as connecting them to Dhahran and Khobar.

Communications and Media

Mobile communications are provided mainly by STC, and Mobily. Both companies have launched 3G services to their customers. STC also provides landlines through its Al-Hatif services, as well as providing internet services through Saudi Data. There are several Internet Service Providers such as Al-Alamiah, ArabNet, Nesma and others. Both dial-up and DSL services are available. Saudi Telecom Company, STC (Arabic: ) is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services. ... Mobily (Arabic: موبايلي) is the trade name of Saudi Arabias second Telecommunications company, Etihad-Etisalat consortium (Arabic: اتحاد اتصالات ). The company, as the winning bidder for Saudi Arabias second GSM licence, provides mobile telecom services nationwide, breaking Saudi Telecoms monopoly in the wireless business. ... “ISP” redirects here. ... In telecommunication, the term dial-up has the following meanings: Dial-up access, typically to the Internet A service feature in which a user initiates service on a previously arranged trunk or transfers, without human intervention, from an active trunk to a standby trunk. ... DSL may refer to: Damn Small Linux Dark and Shattered Lands, a MUD based loosely on Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance books. ...

There are several popular radio stations, such as Radio Sawa, Studio One 91.4 FM, broadcast from Aramco, Bahrain Radio 96.5 FM, and AFRTS. Radio Sawa is an Arabic language radio station, funded by the United States government. ... American Forces Network, or AFN - the acronym that its most commonly known as, is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) for its networks worldwide. ...

Satellite television is predominant in the market, with Orbit Network and Showtime Arabia being the most popular, as well as the widespread Arabsat and Nilesat satellite channel operators. Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network is the first fully digital, multi-channel, multi-lingual, pay television service in the Middle East. ... Showtime or Showtime Arabia (Gulf DTH F.Z. L.L.C., the operating company behind digital pay TV broadcaster Showtime) as its called to distinguish itself from its U.S. counterpart, is the dominant subscription television service in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Levant territories. ... Arabsat is a satellite built by Aerospatiale. ...

Education

Schools in Dhahran come under two sections: public (government-run) and private. Public schools (K-12), open to almost everyone, strictly adhere to teaching the curriculum exactly as provided by the Ministry of Education. Public schools also come under two sections: Aramco Built and government built. The Aramco built schools are usually better in design and last longer due to their being built to higher standards. Dhahran First Secondary Schools and Dhahran Third Intermediate Schools are examples of Aramco built public schools in Dhahran. Private schools also teach the ministry’s curriculum, but they have more freedom, often enhancing certain aspects, such as teaching more than just the ministry’s curriculum when teaching the English language. King Fahd University Schools and Al-Faisaliyyah are examples of private schools in Dhahran.

There are several schools that teach the curriculum of their native countries, such as the Indian International School, Dhahran British Grammar School, Dhahran Academy, Dhahran Middle School, Dhahran High School, and Al-Khobar French School.

Dhahran is also home to the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and the Aramco Training Center (ATC), where many new employees of Saudi Aramco learn useful skills, such as English, Business Math, Physics, and computer skills. King Faisal University and Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University are also located near the city. There are also plans for building the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM or UPM) (Arabic:جامعة الملك فهد للبترول و المعادن - short:(جامعة البترول) is a public university in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia ( ). It was established on 23 September 1963 by a Saudi Royal Decree as the College of Petroleum and Minerals, providing high-level education about two of the most valuable natural... King Faisal University is a public university in Dammam, Saudi Arabia founded in 1975. ... Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University is a new private university in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. ...

Little League World Series

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia has represented the Trans-Atlantic region 8 years straight in the running. They've also had 11 teams before that represent them from the first being in 1983 through 1998. Though Dhahran has produced many teams to the LLWS, no team has ever won the World Series championship game, nor the international championship game. Road to Dhahran (Picture taken from Khobar way) Dhahran ([[Arabic language الظهران al-Dahrān), or Dharan is a city in Saudi Arabia. ... For the similarly named rock band, see TransAtlantic. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Dhahran in popular culture

• Acts of terrorism, including the Oasis Compound attack, the Khobar Towers attack, and the attack on the Petroleum Centre in Al-Khobar, were widely televised in the international media. Media within the kingdom are heavily censored and government controlled.
• The West Wing: In one episode, the story plot includes picketers outside the Aramco camp of Dhahran.
• In 1998, after the kidnapping and murder of Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming college student, the major American news networks would occasionally mention that the student's parents lived in Dhahran and worked for Aramco.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Dhahran

• In Abdelrahman Munif's Cities of Salt novels, the oil-company outpost of Darran is widely believed to be Dhahran's fictional analogue.
• Dhahran is known for its Little League Team winning in the Transatlantic Tournament and often going to Williamsport, PA, to participáte in the Little League Baseball World Series.

The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin and produced and co-written by John Wells. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Matthew Wayne Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was fatally attacked near Laramie, on the night of October 6 – October 7, 1998 in what was widely reported by international news media as a savage beating because of his homosexuality. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Abdul Rahman Munif (1933 - January 24, 2004) was one of the most important Arabic novelists of the 20th century. ...

See also

• Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Aramco
• Aramco expats - Saudi Aramco expatriate life inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Arabia

Eastern Province (Arabic: ) is the largest province of Saudi Arabia, located in the east of the country on the Persian Gulf coast, and has land borders with Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. ... Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil corporation in the world and the worlds largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves and production. ...

External links

• Aramco expats Official website of Saudi Aramco expatriate life inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Travel guide with photos by VirtualTourist.com
• Consulate General of the U.S. in Dhahran
• History of Dhahran (1950-51) by Ted A. Morris, Lt. Col., USAF, Retired.
• General information about Dhahran, useful for first time visitors Official city of Dhahran homepage.
• List of Saudi ISPs from the Saudia website.
• Satellite Image from Google Maps
• Satellite Image from Wikimapia

Saudi Arabian Cities	List of main Saudi Arabian cities
	`Afif | `Ar`ar | Abha | Abqaiq | Al-Bahah | Buraidah | Ad Dammam | Dhahran | Ad Dir`iyah | Duba | Ha'il | Al Hufuf | Al Jawf | Jeddah | Jizan | Al Jubayl | Khamis Mushayt | Al-Kharj | Khobar | Al Majma'ah | Mecca (Makkah) | Medina | Najran | Bisha | Al-Qatif | Ras Tanura | Al-Khafji | Riyadh (National Capital) | At Ta'if | Tabuk | `Unayzah | Yanbu' al Bahr | Hafr al-Batin