Dammam
Dammam is an industrial port city and the seat of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Located on the coast of the Arabian Gulf, it had a population of 1,386,166 as of 2022, making it the country's fifth-largest city after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. Dammam forms the core of the Dammam metropolitan area, also known as Greater Dammam, which includes the neighboring governorates of Khobar and Qatif., the metropolitan area's population was 2,743,318, making it the third-largest in the country.
Overview
The area that eventually became Dammam was settled by the Dawasir tribe around 1923, with permission of King Ibn Saud. The area was originally a fishing hamlet. It developed after the discovery of oil in the region, becoming a port city and an administrative center. Following the unification of Saudi Arabia, Dammam was made the capital of the newly formed Eastern Province.Dammam is known for being a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry, contributing to the export volume of the city's King Abdulaziz Port. With a cargo capacity of 2,038,787 TEUs as of 2022, the port is the second largest on the Persian Gulf, the third largest in Saudi Arabia, and eight largest in the Middle East and North Africa by cargo capacity.
The city and the rest of the Eastern Province are served by the King Fahd International Airport, the largest airport in the world in terms of land area, located about northwest of the city.
History
1800s
In 1866, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland launched an attack on the fort at Dammam, which was under the control of the Second Saudi state. The British forces were ultimately defeated, and the attack was repelled.Search for and discovery of oil (1932–1940s)
The planning of drilling wells in Dammam started in the spring of 1933 In Jeddah, when an oil concession agreement was signed by both the government of King Abdulaziz and the representatives of The Standard Oil Company of California. A team of geologists was sent to Dammam. They finalized their plans for the wells in the beginning of June 1934. The work on the cellar for the first drilling rig in Dammam started approximately in January 1935, and ended on 19 February 1935. On 30 April 1935, the work began on drilling the first oil well in Dammam. When Dammam No. 1 didn't produce promising result, the work on it stopped on 4 January 1936, and Dammam No. 2 was drilled. Because of the promising results, there were plans to drill 5 more wells in the surrounding area of Dammam No. 2. Between June and early September 1936, the production of all of these drills were monitored closely, and most of them were disappointing. On 7 December 1936, the work started on Dammam No. 7. At the beginning the drilling didn't produce promising results. However, by 4 March 1938, Well No. 7 started producing a promising amount of oil. Saudi Aramco dug the famous Dammam No. 7, now designated the 'Prosperity Well,' that proved that the kingdom possessed an oversized supply of hydrocarbons.Modern history (1960s–present)
Within a few decades, a locality that had several hundred inhabitants some sixty years ago now boasts a population of more than 1.5 million, and is still growing at a sustained high rate. The Dammam area, unlike other oil towns, has developed in multiple fields. Including hosting the administration of the Saudi oil industry, it is also a contemporary urban and industrial center. As this sector was growing within the early years, the Saudi government took steps to facilitate the evolution of the area. New roads and highways connected the booming city to other urban and industrial centers within the Kingdom. A railway line connected Dammam to the agricultural center of Kharj and on to Riyadh. Dhahran International Airport was established in 1961 to further enhance the region's connection to other parts of the country and the world. Later, all commercial air transport facilities were transferred to the larger King Fahd International Airport in 1999, approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Dammam.To encourage the expansion of non-oil industries, an industrial city was established within the open space between the three cities. Now home to 124 factories, the first Industrial City of Dammam was quickly surrounded by an urban mass. As a result, a second industrial city was established further far from the Dammam Area along Highway 615. Located on nearly of land, the second Industrial City is home to 120 factories, with 160 others under construction. These plants manufacture a range of products that are marketed throughout the kingdom and also exported to other countries. Handling such exports and other imports is carried out by several shipping agents and commercial companies spread throughout the area.
The Dammam Area was designed from the outset on the principles of contemporary urban planning. Residential areas are clearly separated from commercial ones, the roads are broad and straight and buildings conform to a plan. One of the most significant factors contributing to the growth of the area was land reclamation; vast stretches of the shallow Persian Gulf were reclaimed. Water is provided by desalination plants that pump approximately seven million cubic feet of treated water every day. The supply of water underpins the urban and industrial growth of the Dammam Area, being made for expanding existing desalination facilities to satisfy future growth. Dammam is a member city in the World Energy Cities Partnership.
Geography
Climate
Much like most of Saudi Arabia, Dammam features a Hot desert climate under the Köppen climate classification.Winter temperatures range from mild to warm, but regularly drop to as low as around at night. Rainfall in Dammam is generally sparse, and usually occurs in small amounts in the winter months of November, December and January; with periodic heavy thunderstorms. Hail generally falls during the colder months of December and January. Lighter showers occur during spring but are much rarer.
Summer temperatures are extremely hot, owing to the region's geographic location; and continually exceed during daylight hours from March to October. Nights during summer generally feature temperatures higher than and very high humidity, due to the urban heat island effect. Dust storms, known locally as shamals, are common in summer, and generally come from the north.
Extreme temperatures in the area have ranged from on 13 August 2021 to on 16 January 2008.
Environment
Environmental concerns
There is evidence that several building foundations and underground infrastructures in Dammam have been structurally weakened by a rising water table. Various sources, including precipitation, seawater intrusion and leakage from underground water networks and sewage pipes, were anecdotally suspected to be contributors to the rising shallow water-table problem. A recent study by T. M. Iwalewa and others has revealed that leakages from drinking-water supply and sewage-collection pipe networks are the major contributors to the rise in the water table in the city. The study showed that the rising shallow water-table problem represents a serious threat to the present and future development of the city.Economy
Dammam is an industrialized zone in the eastern province. It is primarily due to the discovery of oil reserves. The city is location of the country's oil and gas industry. Dammam has been a major industrial city of the Middle East. The city contributes greatly to the national economy. The GDP per capita of Dammam is. With plethora of oil reserves and presence of necessary infrastructures such as international airport, seaport and cargo terminal contributes to the city's development.Dammam is predominantly an industrial city, whose economy relies on the local petroleum industry. Saudi Aramco dominates much of oil sector in the city, as well as in Saudi Arabia. The company's headquarter is located in the nearby city of Dhahran, which also hosts the Residential Camp of Aramco. First oil well in Saudi Arabia was discovered in Dammam, by which, Saudi Arabia today leads in the global oil and gas industry. The well was later named as "Al-Khair". Jubail Industrial City, world's largest industrial city is located in nearby city of Jubail. Dammam is an import hub for agricultural products, beefs and dairy cattle.
3M is process of constructing a large manufacturing plant in Dammam. Hitachi Energy operates a High Voltage factory in Dammam. German multinational Siemens operates a large facility in Dammam to serve its regional customers. Dhahran Techno Valley is a tech hub for Aramco.
Transportation
Air
Dammam is served by the King Fahd International Airport, the largest airport in the world in terms of land area. The passenger terminal is about to the northwest of the city and is connected by a six-lane highway. It was opened in 1999. Being the main airport in the Eastern Province, Dammam is well connected by air with other cities in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. The airport is a hub for Flynas. Dhahran International Airport was the old airport that served Dammam and the Eastern Province. It was the 3rd busiest airport in Saudi Arabia before its closure for the public in 1999.Sea
The King Abdulaziz Port, located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, is the second largest and second busiest port in Saudi Arabia. It is also the largest port in the Persian Gulf. It was founded in the late 1940s. It has large equipment that allows it to receive various types of vessels. The most important equipments are 56 multi-purpose hoist, 8 container cranes, and 524 tanker containers. There are a number of berths for ships and fishing, as well as ship repair yard.Road
Eastern Province cities like Abqaiq, Dhahran, Hofuf, Jubail, Khafji, Khobar, Ras Tanura, Saihat and Qatif, as well as many cities in other parts of the Kingdom are linked with Dammam by 8–lane highways. Dammam is connected to the Saudi capital, Riyadh and Jeddah on the west coast by Highway 40. It is also linked to Bahrain by the long King Fahd Causeway. Dammam also has highways to other Middle-Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Intra-city public transport service in Dammam was recently launched. Inter-city bus services are operated from Dammam by the Saudi Public Transport Company
services connect Dammam with Khobar and other cities across the Middle East.