- This article refers to the Saudi Arabian administrative unit sometimes called Al-Hasa. For the traditional oasis region of Al-Hasa, see: Al-Hasa. For other uses, see Al-Ahsa.
Al-Ahsa ( , locally pronounced ) is the largest
governorate in
Saudi Arabia's
Eastern Province, named after the
Al-Ahsa oasis. The name Al-Ahsa is also given to the biggest city in the governorate,
Hofuf. In
Classical Arabic, Ahsa means the sound of water underground. It has one of the largest
oases in the world with Date Palms known to be 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 governorate in Saudi Arabia in terms of area. The Empty Quarter has the world's largest oil fields and connects Saudi Arabia to
Qatar, the
UAE, and
Oman. The Governorate's population is over 908,366 .In the past, Al-Ahsa belonged to the historical region known as
Bahrain, along with
Qatif and the present-day
Bahrain islands.
