Dhahran City

Dhahran City is a city in the Eastern Province in the east of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its name is bound up with the story of oil discovery in the Kingdom and with its hosting of the world's largest oil company.[1]

The city is home to the headquarters of Saudi Aramco and to King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, whose founding dates to 1963, as well as the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), alongside a broad industrial, technological and cultural activity.[1]

Dhahran takes its name from a hill at its centre, formed of limestone and rising to about one hundred metres.[1]

In 1931 the city hosted the meetings of the founding King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud with representatives of American oil companies, meetings that formed the nucleus of Saudi-American relations. An American consulate was later established there, in 1944, the first American diplomatic representation in the Arabian Gulf region.[1]

Dhahran is bound up with the story of oil discovery in the Kingdom: Saudi Aramco built its facilities near the spot from which oil flowed for the first time in the Kingdom, the Dammam No. 7 well known as the 'Well of Good'.[1]

The headquarters of Saudi Aramco is located in Dhahran City.[1]

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) opened in November 2016. It rises 90 metres over Dhahran on an area of 45,000 square metres, and combines contemporary architectural design with modern technology.[1]

The centre includes a modern library, an ideas laboratory, an oasis for children, a museum of the Kingdom's natural history, cultural heritage and contemporary arts, a theatre, a creative performances hall, an archive centre and an energy exhibition.[1]

Dhahran Techno Valley is a company affiliated with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and hosted by the university. It brings together the largest number of national and international companies working in the energy sector in one place and is the largest of its kind in the world in this field, and the number of scientific research and technology development centres in it has risen to 19 centres working on energy research of various kinds.[6][7]

Saudi Aramco is a strategic and effective partner in the Dhahran Techno Valley project from its establishment, in support of diversifying the national economy in line with Saudi Vision 2030.[6]

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) signed an agreement on 10 December 2015 with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and a memorandum of understanding with Dhahran Techno Valley Company to establish a scientific research centre in the valley.[8] The Saudi Electricity Company and Dhahran Techno Valley Company also signed an agreement on 7 May 2015 to establish an advanced and specialised research centre at the valley's headquarters in Dhahran.[9]

Dhahran International Exhibitions Company (Dhahran Expo) is a company specialising in the exhibitions and events industry in the Eastern Province, and it organises specialised exhibitions, among them the 'Weddings 2015' exhibition, with the participation of a number of related sectors and institutions.[4]

The Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre in Dammam organises the Saudi International Information and Communications Technology Exhibition, with the participation of more than 100 local and international companies.[5]

Dhahran was among the first Saudi cities to establish an international air gateway: Dhahran International Airport was established in 1962, and King Abdulaziz Air Base is located in the city, cooperating with King Fahd International Airport in Dammam in civil and military aviation events.[1][3]

During the third quarter of 2023 the Eastern Province Municipality removed about 8,460 cubic metres of rubble and waste of unknown origin from the neighbourhoods of Dhahran City and cleared 810 concrete slabs, as part of addressing visual pollution and improving the urban landscape.[2] The National Centre for Security Operations (911) also held two introductory and awareness exhibitions at 'Dhahran Mall' in Dhahran City in November 2022 to introduce the 911 emergency number.[10]

Dhahran City hosted the work of the twenty-ninth ordinary session of the Arab Summit, held at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and attended by Arab leaders as guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.[1]

Q: Where is Dhahran City located? A: In the Eastern Province, in the east of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[1]

Q: With what is Dhahran City associated? A: With the story of oil discovery in the Kingdom and with its hosting of the world's largest oil company, and with the Dammam No. 7 'Well of Good' from which oil flowed for the first time.[1]

Q: What are the most prominent landmarks and institutions of Dhahran? A: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran Techno Valley and Dhahran International Exhibitions.[1][4][6][7]

Q: When did Ithra open and what is its area? A: It opened in November 2016 and rises 90 metres on an area of 45,000 square metres.[1]

Q: What is the most prominent event the city has hosted? A: The twenty-ninth ordinary session of the Arab Summit at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra).[1]

Dhahran City combines its location in the Eastern Province[1], the headquarters of Saudi Aramco and the Dammam No. 7 'Well of Good'[1], the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra)[1], Dhahran Techno Valley and its research centres[6][7], Dhahran International Exhibitions[4][5], its international airport and King Abdulaziz Air Base[1][3], and its hosting of the twenty-ninth session of the Arab Summit.[1]

Related topics on the platform include Dammam City and Khobar City.