Dammam

Being the Capital city of the Eastern Province, Dammam Metropolitan sits on the junction road that connects Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Once a small coastal settlement, Dammam transformed into a boomtown in 1938 with the discovery of immense oil reserves. Instrumental in developing other vital economic sectors throughout the Kingdom including the industrial, construction, business and financial sectors, the city is now a major seaport, a petroleum and natural gas centre. Dammam is laid out in a typical American grid system and it is not only a financial district for big oil companies.Its restaurants and hotels are considered among the best in the region and its cuisine has an international flavour to cater for its huge expat community.