Khobar travel guide

Khobar (also written al-Khobar or al-Khubar ; Arabic: الخبر) is a large city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf. It has a population of 165,799 (2004 census) and forms part of the greater Dammam metropolitan area along with Dhahran, which together have a combined population of over one million. All three urban centers are served by the King Fahd International Airport.
City residents in the original downtown area are mainly Saudi nationals and non-Western expatriates (e.g. of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino ethnicity). European and American expatriate workers not employeed by Saudi Aramco typically live in expat compounds scattered in the greater Khobar-Dammam area surrounded by fences or walls and guarded by security gates. Inside, a greater degree of cultural freedom is possible than outside the walls in the main urban center. Some larger corporations (e.g. British Aerospace) have maintained their own compounds to house (and attract) expat employees. Because of the comforts and greater freedoms found in compounds, they have attracted a wide range of ethnicities able to afford the lifestyle, including some Saudi families. (...) more....