Downtown Khobar, Saudi Arabia

[saudijoe]

These are some general pics from Khobar (a small oil hub on Saudi Arabia's Gulf Coast). This small city has witnessed a frenzy of real-estate development within the last three years. From the super-delux Shobily Port (a master-planned "city" entailing a venice-style mega-mall, high-rise residential and corporate towers, a marina, and residential and educational facilities, ocupying 7 km of Gulf Coastline next to the King Fahd Bridge) to the equally spectacular City Fanar. Other projects include the expansion of Rashid Mall, the construction of a new mega mall which will house a new Carrefour, a new Luxury Movenpick Hotel, a number of high rises and a multitude of luxury housing properties.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/jwakim/DownTown1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/jwakim/DownTown2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/jwakim/DownTown3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/jwakim/Chilis.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/jwakim/Starbucks.jpg

[Qatar4Ever]

I just love Khobbar.

[huit]

its been ages since I last visited Khobar... I'd like to go there again some time soon!

[Bahraini Spirit]

last time been there was hmm summer 2002 i think when my saudi neighbour died and we had to go to dammam to pay our condolences. Big difference between khobar (neat, american-style well laid out city) and dammam (ugly, dirty and bigger). The cornish area where chilis is is very nice.

[SkylineTurbo]

Lovely city, the buildings look great and of high modern quality.

[saudijoe]

Yeah the city is pretty well laid out, and it is undergoing some major face lifts. For example, the King Fahd Bridge, which connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain over 26 KM of water, will have its Saudi access point re-directed. So now instead of coming into Khobar through the older parts (for example Thoqba) you will be redirected to the highway that passes right under (perpendicular) to the bridge and which will run through the Super Luxury Shobily Port and along the city's fashionable corniche district. The older parts of Khobar (for example King Khaled area, where all the souq stalls are located) have been shut down and are undergoing massive street and pedestrian zone renovations. But there is one problem.....security. Security measures around all western communities in the city have been at maximum levels. You will not believe some of the things you see. Streets shut down, armoured Hummers with machine guns, armed security men, hundreds of round-the-clock police patrols. I mean compounds are starting to look more like prisons that up-scale gated communities. But hey, its for out safety and we are thankful.

This is a picture of security around the Super Luxury Oasis Compound. This community was the sight of the most terrifying Al-Queda attack. But it has been restored, and people have moved back in, but you still feel wierd driving past it and going in. All the streets on the compounds perimeter have been closed to traffic and are part of a double fence security zone.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/jwakim/OasisSecurity2004.jpg

[drmadham]

hey man, nice pics. i was just there this winter break - the city's becoming real nice..in the past four years the whole city had a 'facelift'. Can u get some pics of the new residential development on the Corniche?

[Anas Anani]

Best thing is the reflection of the sun on those skyscrapers! simply magnificient!

[Rkhan]

plz upload the pics again. :)

[oogabooga]

The pictures arent working. I dont understand why people dont use Imageshack.us? It is the most reliable Image hosting service. I created threads in the Pakistan section months ago with links to images hosted in Imageshack.us and they are still up. Its free too! So why do you people upload them on unreliable hosting services? Infact if anyone is thinking of making a thread with allot of pictures then they are more than welcome to upload a zipfile with their images through my account on imageshack. Pm me.

[Gilgamesh]

^ Say....did any of your pix turn out like this:

http://img286.echo.cx/img286/8020/530693931do.jpg

cuz some pix in my Iranian Women thread became like that :?

[oogabooga]

Sorry, didnt properly read your post. No nothing of that sort happened to my pictures. I guess people really like Iranian Women huh? :tongue3: Yeah but you should put the thumbnail on instead of the image because that way its easier for people on a slower connection to view the thread.