Qatif

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Qatif from space.

Qatif (Arabic: القطيف‎ Al-Qaṭīf) is a historic, coastal oasis region located on the western shore of the Persian Gulf in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south. It covers a large area that includes the town of Qatif as well many smaller towns and villages such as Saihat, Anak, Safwa, Awamiya, Awjam, Qudaih, Khuwailidiya, Jaroodiya, Al-Jish, Umm Al-Hamam, as well as Tarout Island (which includes the districts of Sanabis and Darin).

Blessed with abundant fresh-water springs, the oasis is famous for its dates, especially the khlass, khunaizi, maji, hallao, and khsab al-asfour varieties. Agricultural products also include limes, bananas, grapes, pomegranates, figs, and vegetables, especially tomatoes, okra, radishes, and onions.

The Qatif coastline is rich with shrimps and many varieties of fish, espcially the safi, kan`ad, hamoor, shi`ri, badeh, and mayd varieties. It has the largest fish market in the kingdom and the gulf region.

Qatif is well-known for its traditional markets (suqs) such as the weekly Thursday Market "Suq Alkhamees" and "Suq Waqif".

The Qatif region is the largest center of Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia. Although forbidden by Saudi government law, the community celebrates Ashura and other Shia days of remembrance in open, lively seasons. Consequently, the community has lived in somewhat precarious relations with the Sunni government and the larger, more powerful Sunni community of the kingdom, and has many times sufferd from discrimination.

The historic oasis area shows its first archeological evidence of settlement beginning about 3500 BC. It was known by other names, such as Al-Khatt (Arabic: الخَطّ), immortalized in the poetry of `Antara ibn Shaddad, Tarafa ibn Al-`Abd, Bashar ibn Burd (in his famous Ba'yya), and others. The word "Khatty" became the preferred "kenning" for "spear" in traditional poetic writing until the dawn of the modern era, supposedly because the reason was famous for spear making, just as "muhannad" ("of India") was the preferred kenning for "sword." The older name also survives as the eponym of several well-known local families ("Al-Khatty," spelled variously in English), the most prominent of which is the family of the late poet and judge, Shaykh Abdulhameed Al-Khatty, father of `Adel Al-Khutty, M.D.

Qatif functioned for centuries as the main town and port in this region of the Gulf. In fact, it was called Cateus by the Greeks, and some early European maps even labeled the entire present-day Persian Gulf as the "Sea of El Catif". Qatif oasis and the nearby island of Tarout are some of the most interesting tourist and archeological sites in the Kingdom.

Until 1521, Qatif belonged to the political entity known as the Province of Bahrain, along with Al-Hasa and the present-day Bahrain islands.

Traditionally reliant on agriculture, Qatif has become famous in the oil industry recently, mainly due to the giant Qatif Project.