Draft:Al-Ahsa
City in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1][2]
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Comment: Is this about a city? Is this distinct from Al-Ahsa Governorate and Al-Ahsa Oasis? Robert McClenon (talk) 05:46, 25 June 2024 (UTC)
Al-Ahsa | |
---|---|
Hassa | |
Country | Saudi Arabia |
Government | |
• Governor Prince | Saud bin Talal bin Badr |
Population | |
• Total | 11,042,267 |
Time zone | +3 |
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.[3][4] A distance of two miles separates them.[5] Hofuf was the capital of the Ottoman Sanjak of Al-Ahsa.[6] Today, after modern urbanization, the two cities have merged into a single metropolis[7], separated by Al-Najah Street[8]. Hofuf and Al-Mubarraz are still recognized as separate cities[9], but form a single metropolitan area administered by the Al-Ahsa Municipality[10]. 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.[11]
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,[12] 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.[13]