1974 Dhahran Summer Student Recreation Advisory Committee
Help identify a member of the 1974 Dhahran Summer Student Recreation Advisory Committee.
Peter Sanders’ Exhibition: “Searching for Light”
Peter Sanders’ exhibition, “Searching for Light,” recently opened at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening and hear what Sanders, the leading photographer of the Muslim world, had to say about the work in his first retrospective in Saudi Arabia.
Reunions Feel A Lot Like Coming Home
No two people have the same opinion about attending Saudi Aramco reunions so it’s hard to put into words what people feel like when they attend. The time that we all spent in Arabia is special and unique, unique to us. If you’ve never attended a reunion, you cannot know the feeling that comes over people as they begin to see friends or just others milling around wearing name tags.
2024 Aramco Hafla Reunion Facebook Page and Auction
Join the 2024 Aramco Hafla Reunion Facebook page and check out the new auction page!
Aramco Retiree Golf Group 2024 Plans
The ARAMCO Retiree Golf Group has two trips planned for 2024 that include Palm Springs, CA April 15 - 19 and Irving, TX August 30 – September 2, which will be held in conjunction with the ARAMCO Annuitant Reunion at the Omni Hotel in Las Colinas.
A Look Back At Our Favorite 2023 Highlights & Notices
Take a look back at the top hits and highlights of 2023 including our favorite photos, stories, celebrations, and more. Thanks to all our readers, contributors, and sponsors for another great year!
A Happy Holiday Memory
I came to Dhahran on February 13, 1949. I was eleven. Each Christmas in the Field at Dhahran was memorable because the Company did so much for us. They strung a cable and mounted a star at the softball field. At the evening celebrations, the Nativity featured real animals - camels, donkeys and sheep...
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 7
Salzburg was the scene of our first car malfunction when one of our tyres burst! We stayed the night in a hotel overlooking the castle and took in the city while waiting a replacement. We really only had time to visit the Cathedral and gardens...
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 6
In 1978 six socialist republics made up the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. These were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes had been formed in 1918 after WWI and subsequently became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929.
Portugal, Off The Beaten Track – Part 2, Azores Adventure
In Part 1 of this series, Mark Lowey recounts a tour of mainland Portugal in September 2023. Part 2 describes a side trip to São Miguel Island in the Azores, the remote nine-island, Portuguese archipelago 900 miles west of Lisbon in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 5
We had decided to have a holiday! We would spend a couple of days exploring Athens and then take a ferry to one of the islands from Piraeus. We checked into the original Esperia hotel on Stadiou Street where I had stayed a year before and where we were able to garage the car.
1960s Christmas Scenes from Sun and Flare
The pleasures of the holiday season, as celebrated in Aramco camps throughout the 1960s, are depicted here in photographs from the Arabian Sun & Flare.
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 4
Sadly, none of us have particularly strong memories of Syria. Under the rule of the al-Assad family and the Alawite minority since 1970 (and has been ever since), I think our intention was to travel straight through to Turkey, but this plan was thwarted.
Trip to Al Ula
My colleague, Heather, and I were supposed to go to a wedding in Hyderabad, India that week in January 2022. However, COVID was still very much on the national consciousness and rumors were flying that if we went to India, we were not going to be able to return to Saudi.
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 3
Back in Amman, we decided it was a good opportunity to visit the occupied West Bank and Israel. We organised a tour with a driver and guide. The tour included a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing, first built under Ottoman rule with subsequent rebuilds in 1918, 1927 and 1946 due to earthquakes and terrorism.
Aramco Retiree Golf Group Teed It Up at Horseshoe Bay in Marble Falls on Lake LBJ Near Austin, Texas
The Aramco Retiree Golf Group held its ninth event at Horseshoe Bay (HSB) Resort on Lake LBJ in Marble Falls near Austin, Texas. Golf activities included three rounds of golf at HSB Resort Ram Rock, Slick Rock and Apple Rock golf courses.
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 2
From the Jordanian border post at Al-Omari, it took about 2 hours to reach Amman. We had treated ourselves by booking rooms at the newly built Ambassador Hotel, which overlooked the eastern part of the old city, with a breath-taking panoramic view, and more importantly a bar!
Dhahran to London, May 1978 – Part 1
In May 1978 three of us drove back to the United Kingdom. Many people have driven to Europe from Saudi Arabia or vice versa and the reasons vary - from picking up a new car in Europe, taking a holiday, starting or finishing a contract, or simply a great adventure.
More Musings
Thought a picture of my folks might help jog some of the older memories out there. Mom and Dad are Helen and Barney McKeegan who spent about 10 years in Dhahran. My dad arrived in the field in 1944. My mom and I along with my two sisters arrived in 1947. My sisters are Maureen and Sharon. Maureen was one of the founders of the original BRATS group.
Portugal, Off The Beaten Track – Part 1
My wife and I were missing our dear friends, the Bustins, whom we met in Abqaiq in 2010 and with whom we had traveled in Syria, Lebanon, South Africa, Tennessee, and California. One year after they moved permanently to Portugal, we planned a two-week visit with them in September 2023.