Jabal Umm ar Rus

Could a desolate landscape hold the key to unimaginable riches? We stand before Jabal Umm ar Rus, a name that whispers tales of a time when this barren land held a secret. Jabal Umm ar Rus wasn’t always a landmark. It was once a clue. A giant clue in the search for “black gold”. In the early 1900s, oil prospectors flocked to areas with hydrocarbon seeps. Jabal Umm ar Rus, part of the Dammam Dome near al-Khobar, fit the bill. Tar oozed at its base, hinting at the vast reserves lying beneath. The discovery of oil in Bahrain in 1932 by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) further fueled the belief that this area held promise. Standard Oil geologists, hot on the trail of another “Awali”, arrived in al-Khobar in 1933. They mapped the area, focusing on the Eocene-aged Upper Rus formation, where Jabal Umm ar Rus stands. Two geologists, Krug Henry and Soak Hoover, spent 14 months meticulously surveying the Dammam Dome, examining rocks, tracing tar seeps. They endured harsh conditions, with no electricity or running water, their only connection to the outside world a boat to Hamad. Based on their reports, the first well was drilled at Jabal Umm ar Rus in 1935. The rock was so hard that they had to resort to heating it with fire and then cracking it with cold water to even start digging. The first well yielded oil, though not in significant quantities. Well No. 2, drilled in 1936, showed more promise, initially flowing over 3,800 barrels per day. Hope soared, then plummeted as subsequent wells proved disappointing. Max Steineke, a young geologist with a keen eye and an adventurous spirit, arrived in 1934. He believed the real prize lay deeper, in the Jurassic Arab Zone. His theory was met with skepticism. He was summoned back to San Francisco to defend his idea, leaving the fate of the Dammam Dome hanging in the balance. During Steineke’s absence, Well No. 1 was deepened. It became a gas producer. Other wells produced small amounts of oil that were sent to Bahrain for refining. The future of oil in Saudi Arabia, and perhaps the entire Middle East, rested on Steineke’s hunch. Jabal Umm ar Rus, once a silent giant, became a symbol of both hope and uncertainty. Would it yield the riches Steineke envisioned, or would it remain a barren outcrop in a desolate land?