Dammam Well No. 7

The well where Saudi Arabia's oil age began, March 1938

Dammam Well No. 7 stands on the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran — the exact spot where commercial oil production began in Saudi Arabia on March 4, 1938. The drilling had been going badly: the previous six holes had been disappointing, and the company was close to abandoning the concession. Well No. 7 changed everything.

The site is on the Aramco compound and not accessible to independent visitors, but it is sometimes included on organized tours of the Aramco facilities. The nearby Ithra cultural centre, which was deliberately sited next to this spot, has exhibits on the discovery and its consequences for Saudi society.

things to do sight
A story
After five years of drilling dry holes and near-failures, the American geologists of California-Arabian Standard Oil Company hit the well they had been looking for at Dammam No. 7 on March 4, 1938. The oil flowed in commercial quantities — and kept flowing. Saudi Arabia has been the world's largest oil exporter ever since. The well itself is still producing, making it one of the longest continuously operating oil wells in history.