By Shaimaa Al-Ruwaished
KUWAIT, Dec 17 (KUNA) -- Al-Ahmadi City is associated with the glorious development of Kuwait in the modern era, as it is known in the initial exploration and expansion of the petroleum production.
The city forms an important part of Kuwait's economy as Burgan oil field was discovered there during the reign of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the tenth Ruler of Kuwait, who established the city for the oil company employees. With the success of oil exploration in Burgan field and export of the first shipment of oil from of Al-Ahmadi port in June, 1946, Al-Ahmadi began to grow and prosper, and became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the oil companies.
Al-Ahmadi's name was given to the port located on the Arabian Gulf, between Fahaheel village and Al-Shuaiba, and before the completion of the city, the British expats named it "the Arab village." The city sits on a ridge, which rises 400 feet above sea level, few miles from the Gulf, and as a result of this location, Kuwait Oil Company transferred its operations to the city where a network of gathering lines connects between the storage tanks and the Gulf coast.
With the growing numbers of the employees in the oil company, there was a need to build proper houses instead of tents, and that was the starting point for the emergence of Al-Ahmadi city.
The residents of the city were a mixture of various Arab nationalities in addition to European expats who formed a large majority which had the impact on the nature and the layouts of the city. Al-Ahmadi has become over the years an integrated city in terms of the convenience and variety of services and a home of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), including sports clubs and the Petroleum Training Center as well as many amenities such as Al-Ahmadi Health Center.(end) sr.haq