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Al-Ahsa Governorate
Al-Ahsa (Arabic: ٱلْأَحْسَاء, romanized: Al-Aḥsāʾ, locally pronounced Al-Ḥasāʾ (Arabic: الْحَسَا) also known as Hajar (Arabic: هجر) is the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, named after the Al-Ahsa Oasis. In Classical Arabic, 'Ahsa' means the sound of water underground. The largest city of the governorate is Hofuf. It has one of the largest oases in the world with world-renowned date palms and, according to one author, the oases of Al-Hasa and Al Ain (in the UAE, on the border with Oman) are the most important in the Arabian Peninsula. The oasis is located about 60 mi (97 km) inland from the Arabian Gulf. All urban areas are located in the traditional oasis of Al-Hasa. In addition to the oasis, the county also includes the giant Empty Quarter desert, making it the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia in terms of area. The Empty Quarter has the world's largest oil fields [citation needed], and connects Saudi Arabia to Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. The Governorate's population is over 1,100,000 (2010 estimate[update]). In the past, Al-Ahsa belonged to the historical region known as Bahrain, along with Qatif and the present-day Bahrain islands[citation needed].
One campus of a major Saudi university, King Faisal University, founded in 1975, is located in Al-Ahsa with the faculties of agriculture, veterinary medicine and animal resources. The Hofuf campus also has facilities where Saudi women can study medicine, dentistry and home economics. A large branch of the private Arab Open University is also located in Al-Ahsa.
The habitation of the oasis of Al-Ahsa goes back into the pre-history of human existence, which was started by the Shepherd Semites, and the subsequent migrations of the major Semitic tribes in the Arabian Peninsula to the north and east. In antiquity, one of the first civilizations that appeared in Al-Ahsa was Phoenicia civilization. This was determined by tombs dating back five thousand years that were discovered on the coasts of Al-Ahsa and the neighboring island Bahrain. These are believed to be of Phoenician origin, and antiquities found in these tombs were later sent to the British Museum.
Al-Ahsa had been inhabited since prehistoric times for its geographical location and its agricultural importance. Geographically, it was a source of water for travelers to the Fertile Crescent. Additionally, it has served as a commercial crossroads of trade routes linking the Arabian Peninsula with Persia and India through the port of Uqair and the port of Qatif. In terms of agricultural importance, Al-Ahsa is of great importance since its area is made up of fertile lands and contains abundant water sources.
The Phoenicians were a North-West Semitic people related to the Canaanites. The Canaanites moved from the Gulf coast to the Mediterranean coast and settled in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, carrying with them the names of their cities such as Tyre, Arwad, Byblos and others. Following the migration of the Canaanites from the Al-Ahsa coast, the Jerhaites, a branch of the Chaldeans, settled in their place. Their description of their city came from the Greek traveler Strabo, who said about Al-Ahsa:
"It was founded by Chaldean immigrants from Babylon in a swampy land, and it was built of salt stones, eighty thousand cubits away from the sword of the sea."
The Greek historian Polybius also described Al-Ahsa as an important commercial center, one of the active markets in the Arab countries, and a crossroads for the caravan routes coming from southern Arabia, the Levant, the Hijaz, Iraq and India. The inhabitants of those countries were among the richest peoples of the island. Their wealth was gold and silver, which stirred greed. About the same time, the Seleucid king Antiochus III led his fleet in 205 BC. He crossed the Tigris, perhaps intending to seize any treasures at Al-Ahsa, but its people, fearing for their city and out of their love for peace and in order to preserve their cherished freedom, sent a delegation carrying a large gift of gold and precious stones to the king. So Antiochus accepted the gift and withdrew to his country. Perhaps, realistically, the barren desert and the logistical difficulties of the trip convinced the Seleucid king to change course.
Al-Ahsa then became a part of a city belonging to the territory of Bahrain at that time, located between Ras Al-Qara mountain, Abu Hasis mountain, and the northern part of Jabal al-Qarah in Al-Ahsa today a place now called the town of Al-Kawarij. The town was of importance to the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, because of the port of Al-Uqair, which served as a link in bringing goods and exporting them to and from Persia, India, China, Africa and Mesopotamia.The port made it the great market for the central and eastern regions of it.
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Al-Ahsa Governorate AI simulator
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Al-Ahsa Governorate
Al-Ahsa (Arabic: ٱلْأَحْسَاء, romanized: Al-Aḥsāʾ, locally pronounced Al-Ḥasāʾ (Arabic: الْحَسَا) also known as Hajar (Arabic: هجر) is the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, named after the Al-Ahsa Oasis. In Classical Arabic, 'Ahsa' means the sound of water underground. The largest city of the governorate is Hofuf. It has one of the largest oases in the world with world-renowned date palms and, according to one author, the oases of Al-Hasa and Al Ain (in the UAE, on the border with Oman) are the most important in the Arabian Peninsula. The oasis is located about 60 mi (97 km) inland from the Arabian Gulf. All urban areas are located in the traditional oasis of Al-Hasa. In addition to the oasis, the county also includes the giant Empty Quarter desert, making it the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia in terms of area. The Empty Quarter has the world's largest oil fields [citation needed], and connects Saudi Arabia to Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. The Governorate's population is over 1,100,000 (2010 estimate[update]). In the past, Al-Ahsa belonged to the historical region known as Bahrain, along with Qatif and the present-day Bahrain islands[citation needed].
One campus of a major Saudi university, King Faisal University, founded in 1975, is located in Al-Ahsa with the faculties of agriculture, veterinary medicine and animal resources. The Hofuf campus also has facilities where Saudi women can study medicine, dentistry and home economics. A large branch of the private Arab Open University is also located in Al-Ahsa.
The habitation of the oasis of Al-Ahsa goes back into the pre-history of human existence, which was started by the Shepherd Semites, and the subsequent migrations of the major Semitic tribes in the Arabian Peninsula to the north and east. In antiquity, one of the first civilizations that appeared in Al-Ahsa was Phoenicia civilization. This was determined by tombs dating back five thousand years that were discovered on the coasts of Al-Ahsa and the neighboring island Bahrain. These are believed to be of Phoenician origin, and antiquities found in these tombs were later sent to the British Museum.
Al-Ahsa had been inhabited since prehistoric times for its geographical location and its agricultural importance. Geographically, it was a source of water for travelers to the Fertile Crescent. Additionally, it has served as a commercial crossroads of trade routes linking the Arabian Peninsula with Persia and India through the port of Uqair and the port of Qatif. In terms of agricultural importance, Al-Ahsa is of great importance since its area is made up of fertile lands and contains abundant water sources.
The Phoenicians were a North-West Semitic people related to the Canaanites. The Canaanites moved from the Gulf coast to the Mediterranean coast and settled in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, carrying with them the names of their cities such as Tyre, Arwad, Byblos and others. Following the migration of the Canaanites from the Al-Ahsa coast, the Jerhaites, a branch of the Chaldeans, settled in their place. Their description of their city came from the Greek traveler Strabo, who said about Al-Ahsa:
"It was founded by Chaldean immigrants from Babylon in a swampy land, and it was built of salt stones, eighty thousand cubits away from the sword of the sea."
The Greek historian Polybius also described Al-Ahsa as an important commercial center, one of the active markets in the Arab countries, and a crossroads for the caravan routes coming from southern Arabia, the Levant, the Hijaz, Iraq and India. The inhabitants of those countries were among the richest peoples of the island. Their wealth was gold and silver, which stirred greed. About the same time, the Seleucid king Antiochus III led his fleet in 205 BC. He crossed the Tigris, perhaps intending to seize any treasures at Al-Ahsa, but its people, fearing for their city and out of their love for peace and in order to preserve their cherished freedom, sent a delegation carrying a large gift of gold and precious stones to the king. So Antiochus accepted the gift and withdrew to his country. Perhaps, realistically, the barren desert and the logistical difficulties of the trip convinced the Seleucid king to change course.
Al-Ahsa then became a part of a city belonging to the territory of Bahrain at that time, located between Ras Al-Qara mountain, Abu Hasis mountain, and the northern part of Jabal al-Qarah in Al-Ahsa today a place now called the town of Al-Kawarij. The town was of importance to the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, because of the port of Al-Uqair, which served as a link in bringing goods and exporting them to and from Persia, India, China, Africa and Mesopotamia.The port made it the great market for the central and eastern regions of it.