town, eastern Saudi Arabia, about 25 miles (40 km) west of the Persian Gulf. It is situated in the southern end of the Abqaiq oil field, one of the largest and most productive in the kingdom. Abqaiq grew rapidly following the discovery of the field in 1940. By 1950 the town was the southern terminus of the Tapline (Trans-Arabian Pipeline), a 1,068-mile- (1,718-kilometre-) long pipeline to Ṣaydā (Sidon), Lebanon; the following year Abqaiq was linked to Riyadh and Ad-Dammām by rail. The town's facilities include pumping stations, gas-oil separator plants, and pipelines.