- Hofuf
Al-Hofuf also Hofuf or Al-Hufuf ( _ar. الهفوف) is the major urban center in the huge
Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Province ofSaudi Arabia .Overview
The city proper has a population of 287,841 (2004 census} 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 theDhahran -Dammam -Al-Khobar metropolitan area on the road south toHaradh . It is the closest city to the famousGhawar 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 inDammam ). The Hofuf campus also has facilities where Saudi women can study medicine, dentistry and home economics.Legend places this 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 ofSheba is also fabled to have visited this city from her kingdom inYemen .Transport
The town has a railway junction where the direct line from the Gulf to the capital splits from the indirect line.
See also
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
] showing the location of Al-Hofuf in relation to other towns in the oasis
*Al-Ahsa - or Al-Hasa - OasisExternal links
* [http://www.the-saudi.net/saudi-arabia/alhasa/Al%20Hofuf%20City%20-%20Saudi%20Arabia.htm Hofuf] on www.The-Saudi.net
References
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/SA/0/Al_Hufuf.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 164m]
Shiaa in Hufuf are more numerous than Sunni.
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