Al-Ahsa

This article refers to the Saudi Arabian administrative unit sometimes called Al-Hasa. For the traditional oasis region of Al-Hasa, see: Al-Hasa. Al-Ahsa, Al-Hasa, Al-Hassa or Hasa, ( , locally ) is a county of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, named after Al-Hasa oasis. The name Al-Ahsa is also given to the biggest city in the region, Hofuf. In classic Arabic, Ahsa means the sound of water underground. It has one of the largest oases in the world whith Date Palms of the best in the world, the oasis is located about 60 km inland from the Persian Gulf. All Urban areas are located in the traditional oasis of Al-Hasa. In addition to the oasis, the county also includes the giant Empty Quarter desert, making it the largest county in Saudi Arabia in terms of area. The Empty Qurter has the world's largest oil fields and connects Saudi Arabia to Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. The county, with a population of over 908,366 (2005 estimate), contains one of the largest concentrations of Twelvers (اثنا عشرية) Shi'ite Muslims in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country.In the past, Al-Ahsa belonged to the historical region known as Bahrain, along with Qatif and the present-day Bahrain islands.
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