Dammam, Saudi Arabia, In 5 Sights

Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in 5 sights

By Anna Purpurpurpur

Dammam is one of the main administrative centres of Saudi Arabia, thanks to the oil industry. It’s not precisely a touristic city and I don’t think we’ll return there but let’s start with some sights you can see here as a visitor!

And actually one such sight might await you upon arrival – King Fahd International Airport, or Dammam airport, is the largest airport in the world! It occupies an area of 780 km² – however it feels a bit empty.

1. King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture

King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, is a fantastic venue where you can find a library, children museum, Ithra museum, a few cafes and other facilities.

Children museum is a super cool educational area for kids of all ages: there are zones for kids under 3, for kids ages 3 to 7 and areas with zoo elements and revealing the Saudi heritage for kids older than 7. Fun for kids and adults for sure!

The cafes there serve both hot and cold food (reminded me of Benugo in London a bit).

Current temporary exhibition in Ithra museum reflects on the role of camels in Saudi Arabia through the centuries.

Next, you can visit a permanent exhibition on Saudi Arabia history and geography – installations there are very good!

In the middle of the building there’s an impressive installation called The Source of light.

Finally, there’s a gorgeous library space – many books felt never opened so you have a chance to be their first reader.

Make sure you explore the outside part as well because there’s a mosque, an oasis, and other interesting areas.

2. Heritage village

Heritage village is a large building spread through several floors where you can get introduced to the Saudi culture and learn about its different regions: Asir, Jazan, Taif, Al-Baha, Hijaz, and Najd.

And we had the most wonderful evening there! At the very centre of this village there’s a traditional restaurant serving Saudi cuisine. We went for Al Kansa, chicken with flavoured rice, cheese sambousek, fattoush salad and jareesh, a creamy grainy dish with meat.

There is also the Village museum that consists of a few sections: antiquities, taxidermy artefacts, and cars.

You can also explore the village market located on the same floor as the museums, and enjoy the view over Corniche, a waterfront promenade of Dammam. Looks really impressive, right?

If you’re in Dammam for a short time and can visit just two landmarks, Heritage village should be one of them!

3. Tarout fort

We came to Tarout to explore its castle and a small historical quarter – it took us about 45 minutes from our hotel.

The main landmark of this area is the Tarout fort. Sadly, it’s closed to the public but it sits on a hill that has been inhabited for 5000 years, and the fort built on the top of a Phoenician temple has been renovated by the Portuguese.

The Asalah Ashtar museum opens at 4pm, and there are a few other tourist attractions along the route: coffee house, bathhouse, mosque, and a few historical houses. Sadly for us, everything was closed, and we didn’t see a soul there, not to mention other tourists. Walking along the recommended path took us like 7 min.

4. Marjan island

Marjan island is an artificial tiny island connected to Dammam by road and close to the dolphin village.

We had an evening quick walk there: the island is pretty small, with a myriad of stray cats, some people fishing and a few people selling fresh fruits. There are some covered terraces, a playground and a shell-shaped monument. There are boats available for rides too.

5. Shopping

If you look for some shopping, you can try local malls too.

We went to Marina mall: it has a selection of local brands with many of them selling women’s clothes, skincare and gold jewellery. But you might also give Al Shatea Mall or Othaim Mall a try if you’re looking for the international brands.

Where we stayed in Dammam

We opted to stay at Kempinski Al Khobar: it’s a large hotel with a somewhat outdated design and service that leaves a fair bit to be desired especially by Kempinski’s usual standards.