(al-Hasa). a province in eastern Saudi Arabia, along the Persian Gulf (official name, Eastern Province). Administrative center, Dammam. The province is the major oil-extraction region of the country, with the Ghawar, Abqaiq, and other oil fields. Oil is exported mainly through the ports of Dammam, Ras al-Tannurah (where part of the oil is refined), and Sayda, Lebanon (to which it is transported by pipelines). There are modern plants for the processing of dates and the production of cement in Hofuf. Handicrafts production includes woolen textiles (Hofuf), boats and wooden barges (Ras al-Tannurah), and gold embroidery and articles. Agriculture has developed in the well-watered al-Hasa, Hofuf, and al-Qatif oases; date palms and rice are cultivated. Camels, sheep, donkeys, and mules are raised in the province. Other occupations are pearl diving, the gathering of coral, and fishing.