Al-Ahsa(Arabic:الأحساءal-Aḥsāʾ,
locally pronouncedal-Ḥasāʾ)
is the largestgovernorateinSaudi
Arabia'sEastern
Province, named afterAl-Ahsa
oasis. The name Al-Ahsa is also given to the biggest
city in the region,Hofuf.
In classic Arabic, Ahsa means the sound of water
underground. It has one of the largestoasesin
the world with Date Palms of the best in the world, the
oasis is located about 60 km inland from thePersian
Gulf. AllUrban
areasare
located in the traditional oasis ofAl-Hasa.
In addition to the oasis, the county also includes the
giantEmpty
Quarterdesert,
making it the largest county in Saudi Arabia in terms of
area. The Empty Quarter has the world's largest oil
fields and connects Saudi Arabia toQatar,
theUAE,
andOman.
The county, with a population of over 908,366 (2005
estimate),[1]contains
one of the largest concentrations of Twelvers (اثنا
عشرية)Shi'iteMuslims
in the predominantlySunniMuslim
country. In the past, Al-Ahsa belonged to the historical
region known as
Bahrain, along withQatifand
the present-dayBahrainislands.
