Al Ahsa is the largest oasis in the world by palm count, and a World Heritage cultural landscape in the Eastern Province.
Around 2.5 million palms are watered from natural springs in the middle of desert, and the listing covers the whole working system - gardens, canals, springs, wells and drainage - rather than any single building. It has been farmed continuously since the Neolithic.
Al Qarah Mountain sits inside the oasis: a limestone hill about 1.5 km long, cut through by 28 tall, narrow caverns that hold their temperature while the outside is well past 40 degrees. Qasr Ibrahim, the fortified palace in Hofuf, is the other main stop.
Getting there and when to go
Al Ahsa is inland from Dammam and reachable by road or rail from the Gulf coast.
What is here
- Al-Ahsa Oasis
- Al Qarah Mountain
- Qasr Ibrahim
What the tourism authority says
Spanning more than 85 square kilometers, the Al Ahsa Oasis is a living testament to the enduring relationship between nature and human civilization.