Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran
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Dhahran Camp Aramco compound |
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|---|---|
| Gated community | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Eastern Province |
| City | Dhahran |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 58 km2 (22.5 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 10,000 |
Saudi Aramco Residential Camp in Dhahran, known by its inhabitants as the Dhahran Camp, is the residential community built by Saudi Aramco for its employees. It is located within the city of Dhahran (Arabic: الظهران) in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. There are two areas recognized by the inhabitants in the Dhahran camp the first built is known to be Main Camp it is the oldest part and relatively the quietest as most of the shops/parks are in the other area known as the hills.
The Dhahran residential camp is a fenced-in company compound and only Saudi Aramco employees and their dependents may live inside. It is located near the US consulate as well as the Dhahran military airbase, which is located in an area that formerly housed the domestic and international air terminals for the Eastern Province. All commercial air passenger operations have since been moved to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
The Dhahran camp (Aramco code: DH) is one of three original expatriate oil company compounds or "districts" in the east of the country, along with the camps in Ras Tanura (refinery and port), and Abqaiq (also Buqayq). Later, other Saudi Aramco compounds were built, such as Udhailiyah, Safaniyah, and Tanajib. More recently, the company established housing areas in various other Saudi cities including Jubail, Yanbu, Jeddah, and Rabigh among others - though not all of these are self-contained company compounds. Dhahran camp was the first company compound, founded in the late 1930s, and is still the largest, with space to accommodate over 11,000 residents. In line with the make up of the overall company workforce, the residents are a mixture of many different nationalities. The town consists of three main divisions: Dhahran "main camp" (the oldest section), Dhahran Hills, and the newer Ar-Rabiyah (Executive Housing Area).
The Dhahran residential camp is a short distance west of downtown Al Khobar, the closest Saudi town to Dhahran, and its traditional shopping center. The camp is about 15 km south of Dammam, both older Saudi port cities on the coast of the Arabian Gulf. Looking farther afield, Dhahran is northeast of Abqaiq, also a Saudi Aramco compound, and southeast of Qatif, and further north, Ras Tanura, Saudi Aramco's main oil port. The island nation of Bahrain is also within easy driving distance to the east (about 20 miles) across a causeway from Al Khobar.
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