The Khobar Towers bombing was a terrorist attack on part of a housing complex in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, near the national oil company headquarters of Dhahran and nearby King Abdulaziz Air Base on 25 June 1996. At that time, Khobar Towers was being used as living quarters for coalition forces who were assigned to Operation Southern Watch, a no-fly zone operation in southern Iraq, as part of the Iraqi no-fly zones.
Dammam is the sixth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Medina and Khamis Mushait. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province, in addition to the administrative offices of other minor governmental departments functioning within the province, are located in the city. The word itself is generally used to refer to the city, but may also refer to its eponymous governorate.
Khobar is a city and governorate in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 457,748 as of 2017, Khobar is part of the 'Triplet Cities' area, or Dammam metropolitan area along with Dammam and Dhahran, forming the residential core of the region.
On 29 May 2004, a Saturday, four men armed with guns and bombs attacked two oil industry installations and a residential compound, in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia—the hub of the Saudi oil industry. Over approximately 25 hours, the gunmen, describing themselves as members of "The Jerusalem Squadron" or "Jerusalem Brigade", killed 22 and injured 25, mainly third country national personnel working in Khobar.
Terrorism in Saudi Arabia has mainly been attributed to Islamic extremists. Their targets included foreign civilians—Westerners affiliated with its oil-based economy—as well as Saudi Arabian civilians and security forces. Anti-Western attacks have occurred in Saudi Arabia dating back to 1995. Saudi Arabia itself has been accused of funding terrorism in other countries, including Syria.
Public education—from primary education through college—is open to every Saudi citizen. The second largest governmental spending in Saudi Arabia goes for education. Saudi Arabia spends 8.8% of its gross domestic product on education, compared with the global average of 4.6%, which is nearly double the global average on education. Islamic studies are part of the education system alongside scientific and social studies that vary from educational institution to another.
Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, or Hizbollah in the Hijaz, was a militant Shia organization operating in Saudi Arabia. It was founded in May 1987 in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. It is pro-Khomeini as opposed to the pro-Shirazi Organization for the Islamic Revolution in the Arabian Peninsula. In the years 1987-89 the party launched attacks against official Saudi targets inside and outside Saudi Arabia. After being implicated in the Khobar Towers Bombing in 1996, the party was outlawed in Saudi Arabia. Most of its members were arrested and the party practically ceased to exist. In 2014 it was designated a terrorist organization by the kingdom's government.
Dhahran is a city located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. With a total population of 240,742 as of 2021, it is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Together with the nearby cities of Dammam and Khobar, Dhahran forms part of the Dammam Metropolitan Area, which is commonly known as greater Dammam and has an estimated population of 4,140,000 as of 2012.
The Pakistan International School, Al-Khobar, more popularly known by its former name as the Saudi Arabian International School (SAIS) due to its huge Pakistani student body and teaching staff, is a school serving the Pakistani community of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia residing in the cities of Khobar, Dammam, Dhahran, Thuqbah, Ras Tanura, AbqaiqSafwa City, Jubail and Safwa City. The study curriculum of the school is based on that of Pakistani education standards.
Filipinos in Saudi Arabia are either migrants or descendants of the Philippines living in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is currently the largest hirer of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and has the largest Filipino population in the Middle East. Filipinos make up the fourth-largest group of foreigners in Saudi Arabia, and are the second-largest source of remittances to the Philippines.
In 2013, the number of crime cases reported by the Ministry of Justice was 22,113, a 102% increase over 2012.
The Jubail International School, also known as Yandhi is a member of the Al-Hussan network of schools, including its sister school Al-Hussan Academy in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It opened in September 1999 and has KGI to grade 12 with students representing around 18 nationalities. The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education, General Administration, approves the school for expatriate education. The language of instruction is English.
King Fahad Academy is an independent school in Acton in the London Borough of Ealing that provides an Islamic-based education for children aged from 3 to 18. The school is on the former site of the now closed Faraday High School.
Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia are either Pakistani people who live in Saudi Arabia even though having been born outside Saudi Arabia or are Saudi Arabian-born, but have Pakistani roots. By Pakistani roots, this could mean roots linking back to Pakistan or Pakistani diaspora. Many Pakistani army officers and soldiers also serve in Saudi Arabia and train the Saudi military cadets. According to a 2020 estimate, 1.06 million Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia as of 2020.
Women's sport in Saudi Arabia has been a controversial topic for many years due to the suppression of female participation in sport by conservative Islamic religious authorities.
Lycée Français MLF d'Al Khobar is a French international school in the Nesma Compound in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It serves petite section through terminale, the final year of lycée.
British International School Al Khobar (BISAK) is a British international school in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It opened in 1977. It serves ages 3 (preschool) through 18.
Al-Andalus International School (AAIS) is a Philippine international school in Al-Rakah, Al-Jenobia, Saudi Arabia, near Khobar, and in the Dammam metropolitan area. It operates pre-elementary, elementary, and secondary classes. It operates under the sponsorship of a Saudi individual.
