Ahsa

This region along the Persian Gulf coast of modern Saudi Arabia was part of the neighboring territory of Bahrain at the beginning of the era of Islam. Most of its inhabitants became Muslim during the lifetime of Muhammad.

Bahrain became a center of Shi'ih Islamic belief very early on, starting with a strong core of loyalty to the leadership of the Imam Ali. As a result, Bahrain suffered numerous attacks from the forces of Sunni Caliphs over the next several centuries. Gradually, this region also began to earn a lasting reputation for its achievements in philosophy and religious scholarship.

Ahsa became separated from Bahrain in 1521 C.E., when the area was broken up during its colonial occupation by Portugal. The Portuguese were driven out in 1602, but Bahrain remained confined to the island group currently known by that name.

Ahsa finally ended up within Saudi Arabia. It runs along the Gulf coast, south from the border with Kuwait to just north of the peninsula of Qatar, and is roughly 200 kilometers wide (east to west). Some maps and sources refer to it as "Al Ahsa," or the alternative transliteration "Al Hasa."

Ahsa is a city located aproximatley 200 Kilometers south east of Bahrain island along the Arabian peninsula. Historicaly the eastern strip of the peninsula was refered to as Al Hasa and Bahrain. Qatar was also part of Ahsa, however, feuding between rival shiekhs on both Qatar and Bahrain and the following carving up of the Middle East by the British gained the Qatari peninsula its independence. Prophet Mohammed mentioned Ahsa in a hadith praising the quality of its palm tree dates. To this day, the best dates grown in the Arabian peninsula can still be found in Ahsa. From ancient times to the recent oil boom, Ahsa relied on farming to sustain its economy because of the many under ground resivours located beneath it. Today, the eastern strip of Saudi Arabia running from Kuwait in the north to the UAE in the south is simply refered as the Eastern Province. The majority of the Eastern province population are Sunni and, the majority of the population inside Ahsa are Shi'ites.