Municipality of al-Ahsa Governorate

The Municipality of al-Ahsa Governorate is the entity responsible for the urban development of al-Ahsa Governorate in the Eastern Province by coordinating with government entities to prepare structural plans for the governorate and its environs and providing municipal services to citizens and residents. It is one of seventeen municipalities spread over the thirteen provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is headed by an official with the title of mayor.

The Municipality of al-Ahsa Governorate organizationally falls under the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, based in al-Ahsa Governorate. It has nine sub-municipalities: the Historical Center of al-Hufuf Municipality; al-Mubarraz Municipality; al-Hufuf Municipality; al-Jafr Municipality; al-Omran Municipality; al-Uyun Municipality; Juatha Municipality; Salwa Municipality; and Ghawar Municipality.

The Municipality of al-Ahsa is one of three municipalities in the Eastern Province, including the Municipality of the Eastern Province and the Hafr al-Batin Municipality. It is the second municipality to be established after the Eastern Province Municipality. Initially, it began as a city hall with limited functions until it became a municipality in 2009, thereby becoming one of the government agencies responsible for the governorate’s development.

Al-Ahsa Municipality performs several functions within its sphere of competence: paving roads and streets; implementing and maintaining public parks; implementing and maintaining floodwater runoff projects on roads and streets; implementing public slaughterhouses; implementing and maintaining public and ad-hoc markets; implementing and maintaining aesthetic works projects; constructing and preparing landfills; distributing waste containers; supervising the issuance of various professional licenses; monitoring bakeries, factories, and shops to verify the validity of their products; cleaning up streets, squares, gardens, slaughterhouses, and public places; among other tasks.

Between 2011 and 2022, the municipality received a number of awards, including the IDC’s Smart City Middle East Award in 2018; the Excellence Award in Development of Knowledge Management, Creativity, and Innovation; the Excellence Award for Smart Electronic Content; al-Qaisaryah Historical Market’s Architectural Heritage Award; the Golden Shield Award for Social Responsibility across the Arab World; the Gold Award for Strategic Dimension; and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Municipal Award in 2021/2022.