Draft:Al-Ahsa

Al-Ahsa (local pronunciation: Hassa) is the name given to the center of Al-Ahsa Governorate in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, a city consisting of the towns of Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz, with Al-Hofuf being the center of Al-Ahsa, where most government departments are currently located.

The modern metropolis of Al-Ahsa originally consisted of two separate cities, Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz, each with its independent wall at the beginning of the 20th century. A distance of two miles separates them. Hofuf was the capital of the Ottoman Sanjak of Al-Ahsa. Today, after modern urbanization, the two cities have merged into a single metropolis, separated by Al-Najah Street. Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz are still recognized as separate cities, but form a single metropolitan area administered by the Al-Ahsa Municipality. The name Al-Ahsa is still used to refer to the entire Al-Ahsa oasis, including the small villages and hamlets surrounding Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz.

The city of Al-Ahsa is about 60 km away from the waters of the Arabian Gulf and Uqair which is considered the port of Al-Ahsa, and Al-Ahsa is famous for its springs as it is an agricultural oasis where there are many palm trees, which is why it's nicknamed Palm Oasis.

Al-Ahsa was also the seat of the Qarmatians, who destroyed the former metropolis of the region, Hajar, in 899 AD (286 AH) and founded a new city nearby called Al-Ahsa, an ancient name given to the area because of the water retention of the springs beneath it. The headquarters of the Qarmatians is said to have been on the site of the modern village of Al-Bataliyah, northeast of Hofuf.

Access routes to Al-Ahsa
Al-Ahsa can be reached by various modern means of transportation, as there is a network that provides transportation to and from the city at various times.

Airway
Al-Ahsa International Airport is twenty-five minutes from the center of the oasis, where hotels, markets and taxi offices are located west of Hofuf. The airport has a network of flights to Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina, and Al-Ahsa is now directly accessible from Qatar and Egypt, as well as the UAE cities of Sharjah and Dubai.

Land routes
Al-Ahsa is served by a modern road network that connects it to various cities in the Kingdom and neighboring countries.

Al-Ahsa-Riyadh Road
Traveling from Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom, to Al-Ahsa can be done through the highway with a distance of 350 kilometers and the Khurais bypass if the visitor wishes. There is also another route through the city of Haradh and Al-Kharj. From Riyadh, you can travel to Mecca and Medina.

Al-Ahsa-Dammam Road
Traveling from Dammam via highways with a distance of 160 km, which is the same road that leads from Al-Ahsa to Abqaiq in the middle of the distance, and the same to Dhahran, Khobar, Qatif, Jubail, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the Levant.

Al-Ahsa - Doha, Qatar Road
From Doha, Al-Ahsa can be reached via an international highway, and the city of Salwa in Al-Ahsa is the border crossing to Qatar, 150 km away, and Doha is 100 km away.

Al Ahsa - UAE borders Road
A highway that heads west to Haradh and then east to Al-Bataha, and crosses Wadi Al Miyah in Al Ahsa.

Al Ahsa-Abu Dhabi Road
By highway through the city of Salwa to the Al-Batha border crossing, which is 250 km away from Al-Ahsa. The distance from the border to Abu Dhabi is about 400 km. From the point of Mafraq, it is possible to reach the emirate of Dubai, and from there, it is also possible to reach the state of Oman through Al-Ain.

Al-Ahsa - Muscat Road
Travel can be via the UAE or the international road from the Al-Batha border crossing inside Saudi Arabia to the Oman border.

North Road
Starts from Al-Ahsa and heads to the north of the kingdom. There are a number of bus companies as well as a number of taxi companies for small cars with or without a driver, and within the city there are regular taxis and taxis on call.

Train
The Saudi Railways Organization provides safe transportation between Al-Ahsa and Dammam and between Al-Ahsa and Riyadh, as trains depart from Al-Ahsa or pass through its station, as there are a number of trips of different classes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The station is located in a central area between the cities of Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz, and the center of both can be reached in a few minutes.

Bus stations
There are land transportation lines between Al-Ahsa and various cities in the Kingdom, as well as a mass transit station and private bus transportation.

Maritime routes
In the future, it will be possible to reach Al-Ahsa by sea. This is due to the existence of the port of Uqair.

Neighborhoods of Al-Ahsa City
• Salhiyah

• Al-Sha'aba

• Al-Mutairfi

• Siyasib

• Fadhiliya

• Al-Sharofiya

• Al Yahya

• Khalidiya

• Al-Bandariya

• Al Hazm

• Mahasan Aramco

• Sharq Al-Astad

• South Rafa'ah

• North Rafa'ah

• Al-Naifiyah

• Al Khurs and Al Shihab

• South Hofuf

• Al Manar

• Al Manah

• Mahasen Municipality

• Al-Qadisiyah

• Triangle

• Al-Andalus

• Al Ataban

• King Fahd

• National Guard Housing

• Al-Qadimat

• Nozha

• Public Housing

• Al Ghassaniyah

• Al-Sha'aba

• Al Kut

• Al-Masoudi

• Al-Naathil

• Al Mazroua

• Oasis

• Al-Rajhi

• Al-Ruqaiqa

• Al-Rashidiya

• Al Muhammadiyah

• Al-Ayouni

• Industrial

• Mohammed and Abdul Latif Alissa

• North Salmaniya

• South Salmaniya

• Al Mazrouiya

• Al Rawda

• Kharas

• Shihabiya

• Al Aweimariyah

• East Al Moalmeen

• West Al Moalmeen

• Boussahbil

• Basira

• Al Muqaddam

• Jawatha

• Nasiriyah

• Ghasiba

• Al-Halilah

• Rabwah

King Abdullah Ring Road (Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz beltway)
It's the newest and largest road built in Al-Ahsa. It connects the city's districts east and west, north and south, forming a closed loop around the entire region, which explains its name.

Dhahran Road
One of the important trade routes. It starts as a local road from Al-Mubarraz to complete its way out of the city as a highway that passes through the governorate of Abqaiq and ends with three main roads that branch out. West to Dammam and then Qatif, North to King Abdulaziz Road to reach the King Abdulaziz Sea Port, East to South Dhahran, and ends in the center of Khobar via the Gulf Cooperation Council road to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Gulf Road (known as the Qatar Line)
A main road that complements the Riyadh Road, which ends at the entrance to Al-Ahsa. It is designed to facilitate those coming from the central region to quickly cross the region to the Gulf countries, and is considered the only main road leading to these countries, in addition to the Haradh Road. It extends from the south of Hofuf to pass the new campus of King Faisal University at its intersection with the Southern Ring Road and ends at the Salwa border area between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and the same road continues to the UAE and then to Oman, and the residents of Qatar traveling by land currently have to enter the Saudi border to reach these two countries.

Al-Ahsa development
Al-Ahsa witnessed a notable change in the services provided by the municipality in 2005 and the promotion of Al-Ahsa to a province in 2009, a qualitative leap was made to develop the entire Al-Ahsa Governorate, where many projects were planned, starting from infrastructure to entertainment and tourism services, to be more prepared to receive visitors from abroad as well as local visitors. The quality of services and construction of projects continues until today. On 21 Rabiul Awwal 1436 AH, corresponding to January 12, 2015, Al-Ahsa Municipality completed its procedures for the award of 22 service and development projects with an estimated cost of 350 million riyals within the municipality's budget for the fiscal year 1436/1437 AH.

Publications and books about Al-Ahsa

 * Tahfat al-Mustadif Betarikh Al-Ahsa Alkadim wa Algadid by Sheikh al-Qadi Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Abdul Qadir Al-Ansari al-Ahsa'i. It is considered the first book on the geographical history of Al-Ahsa and comes in two parts.
 * Al-Akhbar Ama Fel Al-Ahsa mn Al-Torath wa Al-Athar by Khalid bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan.
 * Ain Najm bel Al-Ahsa was written by Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Mughlouth and included a historical and documentary study.
 * Tahfat al-Alba'a Betarikh Al-Ahsa by Suleiman al-Dakhil.
 * Wahet Al-Ahsa by F.C. Vidal. translated into Arabic by Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al-Subaie. The book paints a picture of the social, economic, political, and security life of the oasis.
 * Tarikh Al-Ahsa Al-Siasy 1818-1913 by Dr. Mohammed Orabi Nakhleh.
 * Mantekat Al-Ahsa Abr Atwar Al-Tarikh by Khalid bin Jaber Al-Gharib.
 * Ketab Al-Ahsa, a geographical study by Dr. Abdullah Saad Al-Tahir.
 * Al-nabat Al-barry fi Mohafazet Al-Ahsa by researcher Ataa bin Ali bin Salem Al-Atta from the town of Al-Taraf.
 * Shoaraa Al-Ahsa by Ibrahim Abdul Latif Al-Haddad.
 * Safahat mn Tarikh Al-Ahsa by Abdullah Ahmed Al-Shabbat.
 * Tarikh Hajar by Abdul Rahman Uthman Al-Mulla. It comes in two parts.
 * Aalam mn Al-Ahsa by Abdul Razzaq Al-Babtain.
 * Shakhasiat Raeda mn Al-Ahsa by Moaz bin Abdullah Al Mubarak.
 * Mn Aalam Madinat Al-Mubarraz authored by Abdullah Issa Alzarman.
 * Madinat Al-Mubarraz by Dr. Abdullah Saad Al-Tahir.
 * Al-Mukhtar mn Al-amthal Al-shabea mn Al-Ahsa by Sheikh Ibrahim Abdul Mohsen Al-Abdulqadir.
 * 500 Questions and Answers about Al-Ahsa by Ibrahim Hussein Al-Ibrahim.
 * Almawsoa Altama fi Althakafa Alamma by Ibrahim Hussein Al-Ibrahim. It comes in two parts.
 * Al-Diwan Al-Mosawar le Sheer Ali ibn al-Muqrab by the historian Abd al-Khaliq al-Janabi.
 * Mn Alzakera Al-Ahsaesa by the heritage researcher, Mr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al-Baqashi.
 * Al-Trawij bayn Al-Mady wa Al-Hader fi Mohafazet Al-Ahsa by Dr. Abdullah Saad Al-Taher (2020).