The Eastern Province

( Saudi Arabia )

Bordering the Arabian Gulf and containing the towns of Dhahran, Al-Khobar, Dammam, Qatif, Hofuf and Jubail, the  Eastern   Province  is where oil was first discovered in  Saudi Arabia  in the 1930s.

Near Jubail are the ruins of what was unearthed in the mid-1980s by a group  of people attempting to dig their vehicle out of the sand. The ruins are known  as the Jubail Church  and are acknowledged by the Saudi bureaucracy who will not issue permits to visit it because "the site is being excavated." In any case,  the ruins originally contained four stone crosses, which later wentmissing, though the marks where the crosses were are still visible. The ruins are thought  to date from the 4th century, which make them older than any known church in Europe . Not much else is known but speculation is that it was in some way  connected to one of the five Nestorian bishoprics which are known to have  existed in this area of the Gulf in the 4th century.

المنطقة الشرقية (السعودية)

تحاذي المنطقة الشرقية الخليج العربي وتشمل الظهران والخبر والدمام والقطيف والهفوف  والجبيل. وفيها تم أول اكتشاف للنفط السعودي في الثلاثينات.

قرب الجبيل توجد آثار ظهرت عندما حاول بعضهم استخراج سيارتهم الغائصة في الرمال في منتصف الثمانينات.

تعرف تلك الآثار بكنيسة الجبيل واعترفت بها البيروقراطية السعودية وهي لا تمنح تراخيص لزيارة المكان بسبب أن "الموقع قيد التنقيب". على أي حال كانت الآثار الأصلية تشتمل على أربعة صلبان حجرية اختفت لاحقاً، إلا أن علامات مواقعها الأصلية ما زالت مرئية. يعتقد أن الآثار تعود للقرن الرابع، مما يجعلها أقدم من أي كنيسة معروفة في أوروبا. لا يعرف المزيد عن ذلك إلا أنه يعتقد بانتمائها إلى المطرانيات النسطورية الخمس المعروف وجودها في منطقة الخليج في القرن الرابع.

Color image of the  Nestorian   Church  at al-Jubail in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Photographs taken during 1986 shortly after the ruins were partially excavated and protect by the Saudi Department of Antiquities.

Entrance to the Nestorian church. Photograph by Robert and Patricia McWhorter.

Decorated stucco at the Nestorian church. Photograph by Robert and Patricia McWhorter.

Cross design at the Nestorian church. This recessed outline may have originally contained an ornamented stone or wood cross. Photograph by Robert and Patricia McWhorter.

Cross design at the Nestorian church in a doorway of the church. This recessed outline may have originally contained a stone or wood cross. Photograph by Robert and Patricia McWhorter.