Uqair

Uqair

Uqair (Arabic: عقير), alternatively spelled as al-'Uqair, Uqayr, and Ogair, is an ancient seaport city in the Al-Ahsa Governorate of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It is the first seaport in the Persian Gulf and has been linked by some to the ancient city of Gerrha mentioned in Greek and Roman sources. The site was also the location of the conference at which the Uqair Protocol of 1922 was issued, which helped to establish the borders of modern Saudi Arabia.

The fort sits about 70 km (43 mi) northeast of the fertile oasis of Al-Hasa. At the ancient locale are the remains of a large fort that now marks the site of the same name. The current structure that exists is of unknown origin. It is not absolutely clear who built the fort that measures roughly 50 m (160 ft) on each side which consists of a stone rampart topped with mud brick. (The Arabian Gulf in Antiquity, Vol. II, D.T. Potts, P. 56).