Abqaiq

Abqaiq is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, set in desert about 60 kilometres southwest of the Dhahran, Dammam and Khobar metropolitan area and north of the Rub al-Khali, the Empty Quarter. Its growth followed the discovery of the Abqaiq oil field in 1940, and it is home to a residential community for Saudi Aramco employees. The Abqaiq plant is the world's largest crude oil stabilization facility, removing hydrogen sulfide and lowering vapor pressure so crude can be shipped safely, which has made it a target: an al-Qaeda attack failed there in February 2006 and a drone and missile strike in September 2019 briefly halved Saudi oil output. The city has a station on the Dammam to Riyadh railway, a private Aramco airstrip, and has held an annual Safari Festival since 2017. The 2022 census counted nearly 45,000 people.