attractions REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Jubail and Yanbu
Located 1,500 kilometres apart on the east and west coasts of the kingdom, Jubail and Yanbu were once the epicenters of the country’s oil industry. Today, they are mature, bustling cities, which, despite their industrial roots, offer a wealth of attractions
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When the size of Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves became clear during the 1960s, rulers recognised that they would need ports and industries to process the crude oil and supply the world. They chose Jubail on the Arabian Gulf and Yanbu on the Red Sea for their masterplan. The Royal Commission for Jubail
and Yanbu was set up in September 1975 and tasked with ensuring these two communities on either side of the country were built specifically to serve investors in the petrochem- ical and energy industries. Each city has its own directorate general accountable to the King and whose job it is to oversee partnerships with investors, employees, communi- ties and other stakeholders and to ensure everything from water supply to transport runs smoothly.
52 Total Saudi investment to
build the cities is calculated at SAR84 billion (US$22.3 billion) and 250 industries have invested an additional SAR244 billion (US$65 billion). This has provided more than 110,000 jobs in two cities where residents enjoy world- class amenities and security. Old-town Jubail still exists
alongside its industrial counter- part, together with picnic zones, recreational areas and facilities for water sports. Yanbu is home to more than 200,000 largely prosperous citizens and the city is undergoing a transformation into a popular tourist destina- tion. The old town retains its charm and the sea is consid- ered a diver’s paradise with a series of beautiful coral reefs.
JUBAIL The first settlers of Jubail were the Dilmun some 4,000 years ago and it was this tribe that estab- lished one of the great trading empires of the ancient world with a capital city that now finds itself in modern-day Bahrain. Jubail was also a major caravan junction, the ancient centre of the Eastern Province and widely renowned for its thriving pearling industry. In September 1933, the first
1 Boats in Jubail 2 &3 Yanbu
team of geologists searching for oil in Saudi Arabia arrived in Jubail. However, none of the team could have forecast the riches they were to discover, or the effect that this would have on the tiny fishing village. Then in the mid-1970s, the still small fishing village, located so conveniently near the huge eastern
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