Sources de l'Oasis d'Al-Ahsa

The Al-Ahsa Oasis Springs are a network of natural oligomineral-sulfurous artesian springs distributed throughout the Al-Ahsa oasis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, collectively constituting the hydrological foundation of the world's largest date palm oasis — a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape of 2,400 square kilometres encompassing over 2.5 million date palms, traditional mudbrick towns, ancient archaeological sites, and the living agricultural heritage of the Ahsa people who have managed these springs for at least 6,000 years. The springs emerge from deep Eocene limestone aquifers under artesian pressure, historically requiring no pumping and producing naturally flowing freshwater that made the Al-Ahsa oasis one of the most reliable and productive agricultural systems in the entire Middle East from prehistoric times through the present. The exceptional combination of geological artesian spring system, 10,000-year continuous human habitation, living date palm cultivation tradition, and the extraordinary biodiversity of a desert oasis — including migratory birds sheltering in the palm groves during Afro-Asian flyway migrations — makes the Al-Ahsa springs the foundational natural heritage of one of the world's most significant ancient irrigated agricultural landscapes.