Eastern Province

Eastern Province extends from the Arabian Gulf, through the Al-Ahsa oasis, and into the vast Empty Quarter Desert. While oil is the main driving force of the economy today, this region of Saudi Arabia has an ancient past and was once a land of merchants, pearl fishermen, and farmers.

For visitors, Eastern Province’s chief attraction is Al-Ahsa, the world’s largest oasis. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has been continually inhabited since Neolithic times. In a country where most of the land is arid desert, the presence of some 2.5 million date palms, 150 natural springs, and countless gardens is nothing short of miraculous.

Al Hofuf, the historic capital of Al-Ahsa, is a good place to start your sightseeing. The city’s Ottoman period Qasr Ibrahim Fort is considered to be an architectural masterpiece, while the atmospheric winding lanes of the Al Qaisariya Souq will immerse you in a way of life that it little changed over the last two centuries.

Outside Al-Hofuf, a scenic drive through the oasis will bring you to the village of Al-Kilabiyah, where the 1400-year-old Jawatha Mosque is believed to have been built in the time of the Prophet. Next, you’ll taste some of the best dates in Arabia at a local farm, then continue through the palm trees to the Jabal Qarah where weathering has transformed the perpendicular cliffs into a labyrinth of needle-like canyons. On the edge of the oasis, the much-photographed Asfar (yellow) Lake is hemmed in by dunes and is a wonderful place from which to watch the sunset.

Leaving Al-Ahsa behind, an hour’s drive will bring you to the Arabian Gulf and the ancient seaport of Uqair with its castle and ruins. To the north, you’ll find the modern oil cities of Al Khobar, Dammam, and Dhahran, where the principal attraction is the breathtaking modern architecture of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra).  Visitors might also be tempted by Al Khobar’s beautiful landscaped corniche, the eclectic collection at the Al Jowharah Museum in Dammam, or Tarout Island  – a settlement dating back to the Bronze Age Dilmun civilisation – with crumbling traditional houses and a 16th-century Portuguese fort.