Dhahran

Dhahran (Arabic الظهران aẓ-Ẓahrān, meaning "the two backs") is a city in Saudi Arabia located in the country's Eastern Province not far from the Persian Gulf a short distance south of the larger port city of Dammam. Dhahran is, technically speaking, a fenced-in company compound, and only Saudi Aramco employees and their dependents may live inside. However, because the town's name is also used for the international airport (DHA) and US consulate, both located outside the Saudi Aramco compound, "Dhahran" is often used for convenience to refer to the larger metropolitan area that includes (Al-)Khobar, (Al-)Dammam, and many private residential compounds, all of which have grown together into a single megalopolis of over 1 million inhabitants.

Education

Within the compound itself, Saudi Aramco operates Dhahran Senior Staff School, a K-9th grade institution with an American-based curriculum taught in English for all dependents of employees living in Dhahran regardless of ethnicity. Expatriate employees normally have sent their children abroad for secondary education and higher. Beyond the compound, the greater Dhahran area is home to the King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals - built just outside the compound's original perimeter fence - and the Aramco Training Center (ATC), which includes the campus of the selective College Preparatory Center for promising Saudi secondary students.

Related Topics:
King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals - College Preparatory Center

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