# Hofuf

Al-Hofuf (Arabic: ٱلْهُفُوف al-Hufūf, also spelled Hofuf or Hufuf, also known as "Al-Hasa", "Al-Ahsa" or "Al-Hassa") is the major urban city in the Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a population of 729,606 (as of 2022). It is known for being one of the largest date producing areas in the world, and for its old markets and palaces.

## Overview

The city proper has a population of 150,000 and is part of a larger populated oasis area of towns and villages, with a total population of around 600,000. It is located inland from the Persian Gulf, southwest of Abqaiq and the Dhahran–Dammam–Al-Khobar metropolitan area on the road south to Haradh. It is the closest city to the famous Ghawar oil field, one of the world's largest conventional (land-based) fields.
Legend places Hofuf as the burial place of Laila and Majnoon, the star-crossed pair of the most popular love story in the Arab and Muslim world. The Queen of Sheba is also fabled to have visited this city from her kingdom in Yemen. German explorer Hermann Burchardt photographed the city in 1904.

## History

Hofuf was the headquarters of the Ottoman administration since 1871 when it was captured by the Ottoman Empire. It remained under Ottoman control until 1913, when it was captured by members of the Wahhabi movement, under Ibn Saud. In 1932, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded and Hofuf has been among the kingdom's cities since.

## Economy

Historically, Hofuf made textiles out of wool, silk, and cotton. The town was also renowned for its fruit of the date palm, the Arabs considering the khalasi variety of dates, locally grown in Hofuf, and also the fardh variety of Oman, among the best. As of 1920, the city was known for making coffee pots from silver and brass.

## Climate

Al Hofuf has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with long, very hot summers and mild, short winters.
Climate data for Al Ahsa (1991–2020) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.7 (90.9) | 37.8 (100.0) | 41.8 (107.2) | 45.0 (113.0) | 49.0 (120.2) | 50.6 (123.1) | 50.8 (123.4) | 50.8 (123.4) | 48.9 (120.0) | 46.0 (114.8) | 38.1 (100.6) | 33.0 (91.4) | 50.8 (123.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 35.7 (96.3) | 41.8 (107.2) | 45.0 (113.0) | 46.1 (115.0) | 45.9 (114.6) | 42.8 (109.0) | 37.7 (99.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 23.8 (74.8) | 35.4 (95.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 21.8 (71.2) | 27.5 (81.5) | 33.4 (92.1) | 36.6 (97.9) | 37.9 (100.2) | 37.3 (99.1) | 34.0 (93.2) | 29.1 (84.4) | 22.0 (71.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 27.4 (81.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.9 (51.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 25.2 (77.4) | 28.1 (82.6) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.2 (84.6) | 25.8 (78.4) | 21.2 (70.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 10.8 (51.4) | 20.0 (68.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) | 1.0 (33.8) | 0.7 (33.3) | 7.3 (45.1) | 17.0 (62.6) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.7 (67.5) | 17.3 (63.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 5.8 (42.4) | 0.8 (33.4) | −2.3 (27.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.1 (0.52) | 11.4 (0.45) | 14.4 (0.57) | 12.5 (0.49) | 3.1 (0.12) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.7 (0.03) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.3 (0.05) | 13.6 (0.54) | 18.7 (0.74) | 88.8 (3.50) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 12 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 55 | 49 | 44 | 38 | 27 | 22 | 23 | 30 | 33 | 39 | 47 | 56 | 39 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization, Jeddah Regional Climate Center ||||||||||||||

## Education

The faculties of agriculture, veterinary medicine and animal resources for King Faisal University are located in the city (the others being in Dammam). The Hofuf campus also has facilities where Saudi women can study medicine, dentistry and home economics.

## Transportation
### Airport

The city is mainly served by King Fahd International Airport which is 160 km away in Dammam. Hofuf is also home to a small airport of its own, Al-Ahsa International Airport, which mainly offers domestic flights and flights to Dubai. During Operation Desert Shield and the Gulf War in 1991, Al-Ahsa Airport also served as an air base for the French Air Force.

### Railway

The city has a railway station connecting the city with the capital Riyadh to the west and Dammam to the north. All railways in Saudi Arabia are operated by Saudi Arabia Railways.
* Preceding station Saudi Arabia Railways Following station Abqaiqtowards Dammam Dammam–Riyadh RiyadhTerminus

## Notable people

* Samira Islam, pharmacologist and scholar