DHAHRAN: The Energy Exhibit, formerly known as the Oil Exhibit, is celebrating its 60th anniversary as one of Saudi Arabia\u2019s top attractions. Located atop the Dammam field where oil was first discovered in the Kingdom in 1938, this educational space has been welcoming visitors free of charge for six decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibit, dedicated to making learning enjoyable, showcases the knowledge and techniques behind oil extraction and energy resources in Saudi Arabia. It draws thousands of visitors each year, from students to world leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the year, the exhibit offers 40 educational programs, making it a blend of tradition and modernity. It has a strong focus on youth, with 30,000 to 50,000 students from local towns and villages visiting annually as part of the site\u2019s educational program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many students have found inspiration here, choosing careers in science and energy-related fields, which contribute to the growth of Aramco and the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The journey of this exhibition began outside Saudi Arabia when Aramco participated in the Damascus International Fair in 1955. Due to immense interest, the \u201cMobile Oil Industry Exhibit Project\u201d was launched in 1957. It traveled around Saudi Arabia and garnered substantial attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognizing its popularity, Aramco established a permanent facility in Dhahran in 1963, known as the \u201cOil Industry Exhibit.\u201d In 1987, the exhibit moved to its current location, expanding to include eight pavilions showcasing the Kingdom\u2019s oil industry history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years, it evolved into an interactive educational center with exhibits in Arabic and English, utilizing cutting-edge technology to explain the history of oil exploration and production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World leaders, including British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, have visited the exhibit and been captivated by its interactive displays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2010, the exhibit temporarily closed for renovations and reopened as the Energy Exhibit, broadening its focus to cover all aspects of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, visitors start their journey by learning how oil formed millions of years ago. They explore oil exploration techniques, geology, and the modern era of exploration and drilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibit also educates visitors about oil treatment plants, refineries, and petrochemical products like plastics and textiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, as Ithra celebrates five years since its opening in 2018, the previous generation of leaders who contributed to the exhibit\u2019s various iterations came together to mark its 60th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dhahran, now the administrative hub of the Saudi oil industry, continues to be a focal point for those seeking to understand the energy sector\u2019s history and future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Lujain Abahussain, manager of the Energy Exhibit, and Fuad Al-Therman, a senior manager with Saudi Aramco, the exhibit symbolizes the transformation of an area that once produced hydrocarbon energy into a center for human creativity and learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DHAHRAN: The Energy Exhibit, formerly known as the Oil Exhibit, is celebrating its 60th anniversary…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":814,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions\/814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestatemonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}