Pictures: Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahsa Oasis enters Guinness World Records

The Al-Ahsa Oasis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia, has entered the Guinness World Records as the largest self-contained oasis in the world.

The oasis covers an area of over 85.4 square kilometres and is reportedly over 6,000 years old.

It includes over 2.5 million date palms watered by a network of over 280 artesian springs.

Al-Ahsa includes many national heritage sites as well as human settlements dating back thousands of years.

Its date-palm oasis is the largest palm oasis surrounded by sand in the world.

Saudi reportedly has the second highest number of Guinness records among Arab countries.

Earlier this year, the Maraya concert hall in Al-Ula entered into the Guinness World Records as the largest building in the world to be covered with mirrors.

Other UNESCO Heritage Sites in the kingdom include Al-Hijr in Al-Ula, Al-Turaif neighbourhood in Ad Diriyah, the Turaif neighbourhood in Jeddah, and the rock art sites in Jubbah and Shuaimis in Hail.

In June, the government announced the launch of a $4bn fund to support the country’s tourism industry.

Read: Saudi Arabia starts $4bn tourism development fund

The government intends to propel the sector and aims to ensure that it accounts for 10 per cent of economic output by 2030.

Ten sites where the government chose to promote summer travel generated SAR8.6bn ($2.3bn) from June 25 to August 31 this year, a 31 per cent year-on-year increase.

Read also: Saudi Arabia sees quick tourism rebound after domestic boom