Saudi Aramco Communities
People considering employment with Saudi Aramco typically want to know what it is like to live in Saudi Arabia. They are interested in the communities, the type of housing they would live in, the quality of the schools and the availability of recreational facilities in which they can pursue leisure activities.
Saudi Aramco communities are comprised of housing similar to parts of the U.S. southwest, tree-lined streets, grass lawns, schools, grocery stores and golf courses, swimming pools and a host of other athletic and community facilities. Residents can walk, ride bicycles or take a bus almost anywhere they want to go. The company designed, developed and continues to operate these communities specifically for its employees.
Most of the community and residential services are provided at no charge. Buses, schools, maintenance and use of athletic facilities are free. Even electricity, water and local telephone service are free.
These four communities have the same basic housing and amenities, each has a unique character resulting from its specific role in Saudi Aramco's operations.
Dhahran, the largest community, derives its identity from the Administrative Office Complex, the Medical Center and its proximity to the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. It is located close to the cities of Dammam and al-Khobar.
Ras Tanura is about an hour's drive north of Dhahran. This community is beautifully located on the Arabian Gulf. A number of the housing units face a white sandy beach. Ras Tanura is also a terminal and refinery location.
Abqaiq is also about an hour from Dhahran, but to the southwest. It is the site of the company's main crude processing facilities.
And Udhailiyah, the smallest community, is about another hour from Abqaiq. It is close to the oasis city of Hofuf and takes its character from the numerous rocky hills or outcroppings, called jebels, that surround it.
Each company community has the same basic standard of amenities. All family communities have excellent recreational facilities, including an 18-hole golf course, where golf groups sponsor tournaments and social events. Since the courses are carved out of the desert, a few innovations are necessary, like the piece of artificial turf you'll use each time you hit the ball. And there's much more -- tennis, swimming, softball, bowling, horseback riding, sailing. As an individual, or as a member of a group, you'll have first-rate facilities in which to pursue your favorite activity.
Each community also has a commissary, which is like a medium-size American grocery store, and a dining hall and snack bar. The mail centers are a focus of daily activity because just about everybody stops by each day to pick up their mail. Elementary and junior high schools are also provided in each community, as well as a medical clinic that functions like an HMO in the United States. Also there are other facilitiesa library, youth center, theater, bank or cash office, barber shop, beauty parlor and dry cleaner.
