Al Ahsa (, locally pronounced al-Ḥasāʾ ()) is the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, named after the Al-Ahsa Oasis. The name Al-Ahsa is also given to the biggest city in the governorate, Hofuf. In Classical Arabic, 'Ahsa' means the sound of water underground. It has one of the largest oases in the world with world-renowned date palms and, according to one author, the oases of Al-Hasa and Al Ain (in the UAE, on the border with Oman) are the most important in the Arabian Peninsula. The oasis is located about inland from the Persian Gulf. All urban areas are located in the traditional oasis of Al-Hasa. In addition to the oasis, the county also includes the giant Empty Quarter desert, making it the largest governorate in Saudi Arabia in terms of area. The Empty Quarter has the world's largest oil fields, and connects Saudi Arabia to Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. The Governorate's population is over 1,100,000 (). In the past, Al-Ahsa belonged to the historical region known as Bahrain, along with Qatif and the present-day Bahrain islands. One campus of a major Saudi university, King Faisal University, founded in 1975, is located in Al-Ahsa with the faculties of agriculture, veterinary medicine and animal resources. The Hofuf campus also has facilities where Saudi women can study medicine, dentistry and home economics. A large branch of the private Arab Open University is also located in Al-Ahsa. History The history of the formation of Al-Ahsa goes back to the beginning stages of human existence in oasis, which was started by the Shepherd Semites, and the subsequent migrations of the major Semitic tribes in the Arabian Peninsula to the north and east. Moreover, one of the first civilizations that appeared in Al-Ahsa was Phoenicia civilization. This was determined by tombs that date back to five thousand years that were discovered on the coasts of Al-Ahsa and the neighboring island Bahrain. These are believed to be of Phoenician origin. Furthermore, the antiquities found in these tombs were later sent to the British Museum. Al-Ahsa had been inhabited since prehistoric times for its geographical and agricultural importance. An example of its geographical importance would be that it served as a crossing for them to the Fertile Crescent. In addition to that, is that it is serves a commercial importance as it is a crossroads of several trade routes linking the Arabian Peninsula with