Say “Al-Ahsa” and people think of dates — this is, after all, the largest oasis in the world. But the oasis’s summer has a second fruit with a standing of its own in homes, souqs and kitchens: the Hasawi lime, known to its people as the lomi. A small green fruit whose fragrance reaches you before you see it, it has become Al-Ahsa’s second crop after dates — celebrated so warmly that it has an entire annual exhibition to its name.
In this article: what sets the Hasawi lomi apart, when its season falls, how it fills the household pantry and flavours the local kitchen, and your guide to its annual exhibition.
What Makes the Hasawi Lomi Special?
The Hasawi lomi — known locally as Bin Zuhairi — is a small, dark-green, thin-skinned fruit bursting with juice, sharply tart, with a piercing fragrance that sets it apart from all other citrus. As documented on our Fruits of the Oasis page, more than 100,000 bearing lime trees spread across Al-Ahsa’s groves; a single tree yields 25–30 kg a season.
Its Season: The Oasis Summer
The lomi’s season is summer, running from around mid-June to the end of August — arriving at the height of the heat, just as the oasis’s groves are also busy with summer rutab. To meet the fruit on its tree, there is the Hasawi Lemon Farm, a citrus farm where visitors pick the famous Hasawi lime (lomi) in season. For what the oasis bears in every season, take the full tour on the seasonal fruits page.
From Tree to Pantry: Jameed, the Sun-Dried Lime Juice
A cherished Hasawi summer custom surrounds the lomi: in its season, families gather to press and preserve it — the practice known as “jameed”: lime juice sun-dried and aged in glass jars — laying in a supply for the whole year. It is used fresh, as juice, and dried, perfuming the dishes of Hasawi and Arabian Gulf cooking all year round.
In the Hasawi Kitchen
Lift the lid of a Hasawi pot and the lomi is there: Hasawi rice — one of Al-Ahsa’s best-known dishes — simmers with its spices of lomi, cinnamon and cardamom until it takes on its red-brown colour, while the heritage dish mufallaq is cracked wheat flavoured with lomi and crowned with dates and boiled eggs. The full tour of the dishes is on the Hasawi cuisine page.
The Hasawi Lomi Exhibition: An Annual Celebration
Such is the lomi’s standing that the governorate celebrates it every year at the Hasawi Lomi Exhibition — Al-Ahsa’s flagship seasonal agricultural event, organised by the Al-Ahsa Chamber in partnership with the Al-Ahsa Development Authority. The exhibition offers an interactive look at the lomi’s qualities, benefits and cultivation, direct contact with the farmers, and shopping from productive-family stalls — alongside live cooking, agricultural workshops, a kids’ corner and family sessions.
The exhibition is held in late summer each year at the Al-Ahsa Expo Center on Al-Salam Street (Ain Najm Road) in Hofuf.
The current edition’s dates, opening hours, ticket prices, booking link and map are always on the exhibition’s page — the reference point if anything changes between editions.
Take Some Home
Fresh in season or dried year-round, the lomi is among the finest things to carry home from Al-Ahsa — it has its place, alongside the oasis’s other treasures, in our souvenirs and gifts guide. And if you are planning a trip that strings together groves, souqs and landmarks, start from Plan Your Trip.
The Bottom Line
Dates are Al-Ahsa’s headline; the lomi is its summer signature — a small fruit that so distils the taste of the oasis it earned an exhibition of its own. Meet it on the fruits page, taste it in the dishes of the Hasawi kitchen, and if your trip lands in exhibition season, don’t miss a visit.
