Dhahran is in Eastern Saudi Arabia.
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Dhahran completes the triangle of the Dammam Area, and is accesible from both Dammam and nearby Khobar by 6-8 lane expressways. Journey time being 15 and 7 min respectively. Dhahran airport(DHA) was attached to the town, but now the new complex is about 65 km away, Dammam King Fahd Int'l Airport (DMM). Regular buses don't operate in the inner areas of Dhaharan, but are over linked by Aramco. This bus service is for Aramco employees and dependendets only. Dammam railway station is 18 km away. Dhahran itself lies on the Dhahran-Hofuf highway.
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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 .
Geography, Geology and Climate
Dhahran is a short distance west of downtown 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.
The patch of desert on which the city is built is hilly/rocky, and most of the earliest productive oil wells in the 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.
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.
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 meters. 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 , 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)
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
The population of Dhahran contains 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 and Australia. 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.
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.
Government, law, and security
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.
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 in almost permanently in place since the Riyadh Compound Bombings.
Transport
As center of the nation's oil industry, Dhahran enjoys excellent transport resources both nationally and internationally.
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.
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.
Public transport is not wide-spread although it is available in a very limited manner. Taxi service is more popular that 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 of launched 3G services to their customers. STC also provides landlines through it 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 many more. Both dial-up and DSL services are available.
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.
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.
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. 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. Dhahran Ahliyya Schools and al-Faysaliyyah 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 for 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, as well as 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.
Dhahran in popular culture
See also
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