Hofuf
Al-Hofuf ( ', 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 858,395 as of (2021). It is also known for being one of the largest date producers in the world, and for its old souks and palaces. Overview. Originally a Bahraini city, the city proper has a population of 150,000 and is part of a larger populated oasis area of towns and villages of around 600,000. It is located inland, 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. Hofuf is one of the major cultural centers in Saudi Arabia. A lot of well-known families live there. 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. 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. 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. Culture. The International Random Film Festival was going to be hosted in Hofuf in January 2015, but it was replaced by Helsinki, Finland in May 2017. Transportation. Airport. The city is served by King Fahd International Airport which is 160 km away in Dammam, despite the fact that the city has two airports of its own. The local airport, Al-Ahsa International Airport, is being used for domestic and limited international flights  to Dubai. While the other is an old airstrip which is now abandoned. 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 organized by the Saudi Railways Organization.