Qatif

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Qatif (Arabic: القطيف Al-Qatif) is a historic coastal town and oasis located on the western shore of the Persian Gulf in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south. The oasis covers a large area that includes the city of Qatif and many other cities and villages such as Saihat, Anak, Safwa, Awamiya, Awjam, Qudaih, Khuwailidiya, Jaroodiya, Umm Al-Hamam, Sanabis, Darin, as well as Tarut Island. Qatif is famous for its dates and fish (has the largest fish market in the country and the gulf region). It is also known for its traditional markets (i.e. suqs) such as the weekly Thursday Market "Suq Alkhamees" and "Suq Waqif".

It is the largest center for Shia Islam in the kingdom, and as a result has lived in somewhat precarious relations politically with the Sunni government of the country. Blessed with abundant fresh-water springs, the historic oasis area shows its first archeological evidence of settlement beginning about 3500 BC, it was known by other names, such as the most famous Al-Khat (Arabic: الخط), and it 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 Gulf as the "Sea of El Catif". Qatif oasis and the nearby island of Tarut are some of the most interesting tourist and archeological sites in the Kingdom. Up until 1521 Qatif belonged to the political entity known as 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.

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