“1957—Aramco TV station HZ-22 launches the first Arabic languages station in Saudi Arabia. The station closed in 1998 after 41 years of continuous services.”
It was a beautiful, sunny morning, with the winter breeze in the air and a lightness in my heart. My parents and I had just finished breakfast at the Dining Hall, and we were walking back to our 6th street home. As we passed by the library, I remember spotting the Heritage Gallery across the street and telling my parents that I had actually never been inside. And just like that, spontaneously, we decided to enter the gallery for an afternoon respite.
“Steineke and Hoover having coffee with soldiers Wadi Karim, 1936.”
1930s—“An exploratory party travels in Ford Pick-ups and sedans over the sand dunes west of Al- ‘Uqayr.”
1944— “A drill rig stands near Masjid Al- Hayy of Camp Mosque in Dhahran. The mull roof of the mosque, foreground, is under construction.”
1981—“paperweight memento of East-West NGL Pipeline survey men marking the last kilometer Abqaiq to Yanbu. Donated by H.L. Donaldson. “
1939—“a dinner given in May 1939, aboard D.G. Scofield, to celebrate first tanker load of oil. On the King’s right, L.N. Hamilton; on his left; F.W. Ohliger.”
A short stop-in turned into hours in the gallery, where I was amazed by the numerous historical photo collections that the gallery held, as well as the carefully curated mementos and artifacts of Aramco’s past. I was amazed by Aramco’s humble history. What started out as a dry, vacant land, became one of the world’s strategic locations for oil exploration. Who knew that Aramco would become an oil-boom business that would attract people from all across the globe?
1981 Girl Scout Calendar
June 17 and 18, 1964—Dhahran’s 10th Annual Art Show
“1947—Distributing the company payroll in silver Saudi riyals.”
Introduction to “Out of the Desert: My Journey from Nomadic Bedouin to the Heat of Global Oil,” by Ali Al-Naimi
“A scorecard from the Surfside Golf Club.” Ras Tanura.
I’ve always been enamored by Aramco’s history, especially because its exploration is driven by curiosity and grit. The discovery of oil in the Kingdom is resemblant of hard work and determination. In 1933, Saudi Arabia signed a concession agreement with Standard Oil Company of California (SOCAL), and soon after, California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), a subsidiary of SOCAL was created to explore oil in the Kingdom. After drilling began in 1935, the company had very little luck in finding oil. You would think that most people would give up at that point, considering the financial costs and mental burnout. But it was SOCAL’s chief geologist, Max Steineke, that told the company to continue drilling—to not give up. After three arduous years, oil was discovered in 1938, from the famous Dammam No. 7 well, also known as the “Prosperity Well.”
“Examples of pay slips received by J.C. Trela Jr., in 1948 and 1949.”
1948—“Aramco’s employees are paid in silver Saudi riyals, which are stored and transported in these cloth sacks.”
*Aramco Power Wagon—positioned in the backyard of the Heritage Gallery in Dhahran. January 2020.
1966—“Exterior view of Hobby Shop, Dhahran.”
1949—“Aramco Cub Scouts seated with visitors who have come to Dhahran.”
An oil sample from Safaniyah.
As I got lost within the history carefully stored in time in the Heritage Gallery, I dove deeper into Aramco’s history. I learned that the late 1940s was a milestone for the company, due to their oil production milestones. Soon, the whole world gained traction for Arabia’s vast energy resources. In 1944, CASOC became Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO). In 1948, Al Ghawar, the world’s largest oilfield was discovered. In 1949, their crude oil production hit 500,000 barrels per day. The '50s were marked by increased exploration and discoveries. After the exploration in the shallow Arabian Gulf waters, Aramco discovered the Safaniyah field in 1951, which is proved to be the world’s largest offshore oil field.
Ras Tanura, 1966—“The first offshore loading terminals built for supporting ships begin operations off Ras Tanura.”
1951— “The discovery of Safaniya, the world’s largest offshore field.”
Dhahran, 1952—“ARAMCO corporate headquarters moves from New York to Dhahran.”
“Arabian American Oil Co.”Pay Slip from 1948-1949
Quiet Reading Area, Dhahran Heritage Gallery. January 2020.
By 1958, Aramco’s crude oil production exceeded 1 million barrels a year. The Safaniyah field rings a nostalgic tone for me because the street I grew up on for more than a decade was called “Safaniya Drive.” When I was little, I thought the name of our street was interesting, but when I learned the significance behind Safaniya, I felt like I connected my childhood to Aramco’s rich history.
In 1960, after years of prosperity and newly appraised world recognition, Saudi Arabia came together with Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Venezuela to form OPEC. In 1968, the Shaybah oil field is discovered in the Rub’ al-Khali. Shaybah holds a special place in my heart. I still remember the morning where my Girl Scout Troop departed from the Aramco Airport for a daytrip to Shaybah. The vastness of the dunes was mesmerizing, and I won’t forget how happy I felt that day. By 1980, the Saudi Government acquired a 100% interest in Aramco, and in 1988, the company name switched from Aramco to Saudi Aramco.
Quiet Reading Area, Dhahran Heritage Gallery. January 2020.
“Aramco coin storage bag. Treasury Department.”
Dhahran Heritage Gallery Interior. January 2020.
Dhahran Heritage Gallery Interior. January 2020.
Backyard of Dhahran Heritage Gallery. January 2020.
After hours scouting through the pictures and learning more about Aramco’s history, I went to the back of the gallery to look into their book collections. I opened countless yearbooks from the past, where I saw the innocent smiles of many children in the Dhahran Elementary playgrounds. It reminded me of my time in elementary school, where I would play tetherball and run around in the playground with not a worry in the world. After I was done looking through the yearbooks, I came across a book that I would love to purchase soon. It’s written by Ali Al-Naimi, and titled, Out of the Desert: My Journey from Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil. I read through the introduction and the first chapter of his book, and I was completely enthralled. I highly recommend you check it out—it’s available here for purchase from Amazon.
Dhahran Heritage Gallery Interior. January 2020.
Inside rooms of the Heritage Gallery.
Dhahran Heritage Gallery Interior. January 2020.
Quiet Reading Area, Dhahran Heritage Gallery, January 2020.
My visit to the Dhahran Heritage Gallery is now a special memento for me. It was the last day of my Winter break visit to Dhahran. I would fly back the day after, and little did I know at the time, this was my last visit to the Kingdom. I left home knowing I would be back for one last time in March 2020, before my parents retired, but the pandemic happened.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been acutely aware of how fast time is passing by, but the pandemic reinforced this thought for me. The thought caused me a lot of pain, but it inspires me to soak in the beauty and value of each moment, however fleeting it might be. Wherever you are, I hope you do the same. Soak as many happy moments in as you can.
Here are many pictures I took at the gallery. I take no credit for the captions of the photos; these were the captions below all the photographs of the photos, already placed by the Heritage Gallery. I hope the pictures take you back in time, into Aramco’s beautiful and inspiring history.
Anushka is a Graduate Student at Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She spent her youth growing up in Dhahran, where she attended Dhahran Elementary, Dhahran Middle School, and Dhahran Academy. She loves learning about new cultures and is fascinated by the diversity that brings us all together, especially the expatriate community, where the only thing that is common is that we are all different, in culture, religion, and the perspectives we hold. One day she hopes to publish a book on the third culture kid experience. Dhahran holds a big place in her heart.