AramcoWorld Reading Selections - June 08, 2022
It’s a damp, cold October night in Berlin, but along Hauptstraße in the Friedenau district, inside the famed Zig Zag Jazz Club, the crowd waiting for Alaa Zouiten is lively, chattering and warm.
Tales of the Bedouin – Part XIX: Journey to Meet The Son of Bathan – Part 2
In this piece, Mark Lowey, known as “Abu Jack” (father of Jack) to his Saudi friends, is escorted deep into the Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter) to meet, for the first time, the son of an old acquaintance. We stopped at the edge of the camp. I stepped out of the Landcruiser and called out “Salaam Aleikum!” to the group of men standing facing us.
Bahrain by Dhow: Vignette from 'Tales from the Desert: An Arabian Memoir'
The company had a very active employees association called the Aramco Employees Association (AEA) which organised many activities and trips. Self-directed groups under the auspices of this organisation were given funding by the company and allowed the use of various company facilities. These groups were many and varied with activities ranging from traditional sports, to handicrafts, art and drama, even including the unlikely ‘Arabian Hoedowners'.
A Look Back: Aramco TV On The Air
Second oldest Arabic-language television station in the Middle East, Aramco TV puts together a daily schedule with a dual mission—education and recreation for its 100,000 viewers in Saudi Arabia. One evening several months ago an American on a business trip to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia stirred his after-dinner coffee and watched the flickering image on his host's television screen come into focus.
Eighth Edition of The Saudi Film Festival Celebrates Gulf Filmmakers at Ithra
Some of the biggest names in Gulf cinema are heading to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) from June 2-9, in Dhahran, for the eighth edition of the Saudi Film Festival. This year’s theme, “Poetic Cinema,” honors Khalil Al-Rawaf, the first Arab Hollywood star, and director Khalid Al-Siddiq, a pioneer of Kuwaiti cinema.
Women Leading and Working in The Flower Industry
Skin-care products factory “Roseyar,” one of Aramco’s newer citizenship initiatives, is using Taif’s exclusive rose attar to empower local women. Roseyar, inaugurated early in 2021 with 40 employees — technicians and admin staff — offers local Saudi women, who have limited opportunity to earn an income, to work with a team producing a range of six rose-fragranced body products. The philanthropic venture is showing notable personal and financial returns.
Russell G. Husted Makes Headway as Math Educator
All Russell Husted needed was an opportunity to learn. After just one year at Denver Academy, he says, “It opened up a life for me that the world was closing down.” Now an educator himself, Russell has made a career of opening up opportunities for other students.
Aramco ExPats Celebrates 20 Years
In 2002, facing imminent repatriation back to the U.S. and wondering how, after so many years, I could stay connected to everything and everyone I had grown to love during my time in Arabia with Saudi Aramco, I formed the notion of creating a website...
Pre-Cruise Hafla Reunion - Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Welcomes Us
The reunion committee has secured rooms at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay for either one or two nights before boarding the Celebrity Summit on Monday, October 31. If you want to come early, please make a reservation using Marriott's online link for the Hafla Reunion 2022.
Taif’s Flowers: A Blooming Industry
Deep cultural history, economics, and female empowerment fragrantly waft together across the soaring peaks of the Sarawat mountain range in western Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Province. For three centuries, the exquisite pink hues of damask roses have nestled each spring in ancient farm fields ploughed among the giant granite boulders of Taif’s imposing 2,000 meter mountain slopes.
Vice President of Exploration Misfir A. AzZahrani Retires
Misfir A. AzZahrani’s career spanned across a transformative time period for the company, with early assignments that helped to build and develop Aramco’s nascent gas program into a global leader, which does not only meet domestic energy needs, but also helps the Kingdom reach its ambitious economic Vision 2030 plans.
Eid Milan: Mini Reunion at Mirajuddin Khan’s Residence
Man is a social creature by nature. Therefore it is not uncommon for us to gather in groups to celebrate the special occasions in our lives. Sometimes we don’t even need a reason; just a desire to meet with our friends and relatives to share our feelings, happenings and old memories, or partake in family discussions.
AramcoWorld Reading Selections - May 25, 2022
As a rumbling furnace fires up, glowing orange at 1,500 degrees Celsius, Sadika Keskes blows through a long, thin metal pipe to gradually inflate a hot, heavy bubble of molten glass. Slight, spry and focused, she moves from the furnace flames to a nearby water-cooling basin and back to the furnace to continue shaping her glass creation.
Art of Arabia
For some years now, the contemporary arts scene in Saudi Arabia has been mushrooming. While Jeddah remains the Kingdom’s art capital, Al Ula has captured much of the spotlight following the recent Desert X installations by 15 Saudi and international artists. Al Ula is truly an amazing space for art, and the artists involved cannot help but take inspiration from the stark beauty of the surrounding plains and sandstone cliffs.
Heart And Soul – Vignettes from Ali Al-Baluchi’s Memoir: Part VI – The KSA Expat Reunion
The life and career of Ali Al-Baluchi has been richly interwoven with those of his many friends from around the globe. Consequently, he has attended nearly every Aramco Expat reunion held in the United States since inception in 1958. When the idea of an expat reunion in Saudi Arabia was mooted in 1998...
Ritaj Hussain Alhazmi’s Journey to Author Began in Aramco Library
From a very young age, Ritaj Alhazmi had discovered that she had a passion for writing. Her writing journey started when she visited a library with her father, Hussain Alhazmi, who works as an engineer at Aramco.
Memory Lane: Looking Back Across the Decades
Charles F. Rocheville, with 30 years of experience as a pilot, is setting up "shop" at the Dhahran airport to handle Aramco's air transportation. In 1916-17, he served as an instructor for the Royal Flying Corps in Toronto, Canada, and when America entered the War, he transferred to the U.S. Navy and was assigned to aviation. He served in both World War I and II.
New Research Facility Accelerates Future of Upstream R&D
With its EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC), Aramco is creating game changing technologies and solutions that add immense value to operations. Recently, EXPEC ARC’s capabilities were taken to the next level with a newly constructed state-of-the-art building in Dhahran. The new facility is custom-fit to help EXPEC ARC become the preeminent center for Upstream R&D...
Aramco and Thailand National Oil Company Look to Deepen Energy Cooperation
Aramaco is exploring further collaboration with Thailand’s national oil company, PTT, as it expands its downstream presence in Asia. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony in Bangkok on Wednesday, May 11.
The Snack Bar: An Aramco Delicacy
While growing up in Saudi, I distinctly remember one feature of the compounds that I have never encountered anywhere else: snack bars. No matter which compounds you were on: Dhahran, Abqaiq, Ras Tanura, or Udhailiyah, the snack bar was the stop in town to catch a tasty meal after swimming or an afterschool sport.