002 - Al Zubara Fort (Qatar)

Al Zubara is an old town on the northwest coast of Qatar. Its significance in the history of Qatar and this region can be gauged by the fact that this place is on the UNESCO's world heritage list. However, the subject of this is not the city itself but a fort nearby, having the same name.

Al Zubara Fort is located at 25°58'37.02"N;  51° 2'43.42"E, about 95 kilometers from Doha. Among all the historical places in Qatar, this fort is among the most popular and also my favourite. It is among the biggest forts in Qatar and is very well preserved. It also showcases historical and archaeological details of this whole region. It is worth mentioning that Qatar has always been an important part of the old civilizations of the Gulf region, being at the centre of old trade routes from Iraq, Persia, and Arabia to India and further east. 

The fort itself is easily accessible by road and it takes just an hour to reach there. Travel on Shamal Road and then take a turn to left (westwards). The last 35 kilometers of the journey from Shamal road to Al Zubara is more enjoyable. This area is less populated and hence has more natural beauty and you can see the original landscape of Qatar, undisturbed by modern developments. There are many huge farmhouses on both sides of the road and the whole area generally has more vegetation. Especially after a good rain one can see green patches of land, with herds of sheep and goats grazing.

Al Zubara fort was built in 1938 during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani to protect the northwestern coastal areas of Qatar. It is a strongly built fort. It is a perfect square with sides about 27 meters in length. It has four defensive towers built at the corners of the forts. Three are in a circular shape and one is rectangular in shape. The walls reach a height of 5.5 meters. The walls and the towers have slits to use weapons. The whole structure is made of limestones and mud was used as mortar.

It may not be very old, but its significance lies in the fact that the fort was built just before the oil boom in Qatar. Hence it was completely built with the materials available locally and local traditional techniques were used in its construction. Thus it is an excellent example of Qatar's traditional military architecture.

A view of Al Zubarah Fort. (20.01.2017.)

The main entrance of the fort. (20.01.2017.)

The writer in front of the fort. (05.01.2019.)

My children: Muniza, Ibrahim & Madiha (L to R).  (20.01.2017.)

The western wall of the fort. (05.01.2019.)

The three circular towers of the fort. (05.01.2019.)

The northern wall. (05.01.2019.)

The only rectangular tower. (05.01.2019.)

A closer view of a tower. (05.01.2019.)

Al Zubarah

Archaeological Site was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List during the session of the 37th World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 22nd June, 2013. The inscription confirms Al Zubarah's Outstanding Universal Value as an urban trading a pearl-diving town, a tradition that sustained major coastal settlements of the region from the early Islamic time to the early modern period. 

The fort has only one entrance along the southern wall, besides the rectangular tower. Along the eastern and northern walls lies a verandah and the other two walls have eight rooms along them. In addition to that, there are many rooms inside the towers. The whole structure is well preserved. There are two staircases that lead to the first floor and the parapets. It was restored and repaired during 1986 - 1988 by a team of specialists from the Department of Museums and Antiquities. And one can see the excellent job they have done to restore and preserve this historic fort.  

The main wooden door of the fort. (05.01.2019.)

AL ZUBARAH ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE VISITOR CENTRE

Welcome to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site Visitor Centre where you can learn the fascinating story of Qatar's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

You are standing in the doorway of Al Zubarah Fort, built during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani. The Fort overlooks the ruins of the once-important settlement of Al Zubarah. 

Around 200 years ago Al Zubarah was a bustling trading and pearl-fishing town, but it now lies in ruins, a testament to the turbulent times that saw the formation of the modern Gulf.  

Come and explore the rooms of this historic building and learn more about Al Zubarah, its environment and the ongoing research at the site. 

Plan of Al Zubarah Fort. (05.01.2019.)

Verandah on the right side. (05.01.2019.)

The rectangular tower from inside. (05.01.2019.)

The verandah. (05.01.2019.)

A well in the fort. (05.01.2019.)

View of the entrance from inside. (05.01.2019.)

Rows of the rooms on the left side. (05.01.2019.)

A verandah along the northern wall. In front of the main entrance. (05.01.2019.)

A painting depicting the seafront view of Al Zubarah. 

An aerial view of an old settlement near Al Zubarah. 

Mohammad Farooq, pretending to be a photographer. (05.01.2019.)

A room having multimedia to provide information about this place. (05.01.2019.)

Wooden windows in a room. (05.01.2019.)

Openings for defensive purpose are visible in the parapets. (05.01.2019.)

A panoramic view of the fort from inside. (05.01.2019.)

A well in the fort. (05.01.2019.)

THE WELL AT AL ZUBARAH FORT

The well once provided fresh drinking water all year round, but today, like other wells in the area it is completely dry. 

Dug by hand through the hard dammam limestone the well reached down to a thin band of fresh water. If it were dug too deep the water would become salty. 

Rubble in the bottom means we do not know exactly how deep this well is, but it goes down at least ten metres.  

In the past, a bucket would have been lowered on a long rope to collect water. In the last past 50 years, the amount of fresh water in the area has dropped significantly. 

Some wells nearby do still have water in them, but the water is salty and not safe to drink.  

Down by the coast where Al Zubarah lies the ground water has always been too salty, which is why there was a sister settlement that had many large wells. This fortified village, Qal'at Murair was not far from this modern fort. 

You can learn more about the geology and hydrology of the region in the environment room on the other side of the courtyard.  

A view of the main entrance from inside. (05.01.2019.)

Just outside the fort two big tents have been erected. One of them having on display arts and crafts of Qatar. And the other offering traditional Qatari food. In the pictures below you can see artists busy in their craft. In the third picture, a lady is displaying traditional dolls. 

A craftsman busy in his work. (05.01.2019.)

A boat builder making models of traditional boats, dhows. (05.01.2019.)

Homemade dolls and other household decorative things. (05.01.2019.)

The fort also serves as the Visitor Centre for Al Zubarah archaeological site. The rooms inside the fort have information panels, displaying information about the past of the region in general and Al Zubara town in particular. Including flora and fauna, geographical features, trades routes, arts and craft, culture and history. But that will be a subject of another post. 

Panels like this one provide a lot of information about the archaeological site of Al Zubarah. (05.01.2019.)

Sheep grazing near Al Zubarah. (05.01.2019.)

So I strongly suggest to my friends and the readers to plan a visit to this very interesting place. It is a good place for a family excursion too. All the necessary facilities for the visitors are available at the fort. I am sure one will enjoy and learn a lot.

  

Tariq Amir

January 29, 2019.

Doha - Qatar. 

001 - Barzan Towers (Umm Slal Mohammad)

Not very long time ago Umm Slal Mohammad was a village almost 20 kilometers north-west of Doha on the road to the North. But today it is practically a suburb of the sprawling city of Doha. Though, it has its own municipality, named after the same town. It is a historic place and currently, the whole old town is undergoing restoration work at a very large scale. It was a beautiful village known for its good supply of water and agricultural products, including dates, vegetables and fruits. It is worth mentioning that Umm Slal Mohammad at the dawn of the twentieth century was one of the four main urban centres of Qatar. Others being Doha, Al Wakrah and Al Khor. But it was unique in the sense that unlike the other three, it was not a coastal settlement. It is ten kilometers inland. 

One kilometer towards the east of the above mentioned settlement two huge towers, known as Barzan Towers, are situated. These are one of the best preserved and most important historic monuments in Qatar. These are also a great example of Qatari Architecture. The towers are located at  25°25'4.94"N; 51°24'47.80"E. 

The towers were constructed in 1910 by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Jassim Al Thani In Arabic Barzan is a high place from where one can see to a big distance. These towers too were built for security and observation. From these two towers, not only the main road to the north but also maritime route could be kept under observation. These two towers are located in an enclosure spread over an area of 3 acres, housing a mosque and a majlis, besides these two lofty towers rising to the height of 15 meters.  

A beautiful view of Barzan towers from the east. (11.012.019.)

A view from the southeast. (11.01.2019.)

A view from the south. (12.01.2019.)

A view from the north. (11.01.2019.)

The twin towers of Barzan. (12.01.2019).

The eastern tower has three floors (the third being uncovered) and two outer staircases to access the first floor.  Inside the room on the first floor is a wooden staircase which leads to the roof of the tower. Defensive walls on the roof are quite high and the surrounding scene though beautiful is a little difficult to see. The walls are very thick and strongly built and have openings for light and air and perhaps to use arms as well. 

The above three pictures are of eastern tower from different directions. (12.01.2019.)

A wooden staircase inside the tower to approach upper floor. (12.01.2019.)

The walls have round and square openings, probably for air, light and also to use weapons. (12.01.2019.)

Flag of Qatar on the top of eastern tower. (12.01.2019.)

A small passage to reach the roof. (12.01.2019.)

My friend Muhammad Farooq, who has a great interest in history and historical places, accompanied me and helped me in taking pictures. 

The shape of the western tower is different but has the same style of construction and has similar features. Their corners at the base are supported with huge buttresses.  It is a T shape building and was probably used as family accommodation. Its rooms are more spacious. 

The above three pictures are of the western tower. (12.01.2019.)

Niches in the wall to keep lamps etc. (12.01.2019.)

A beautiful wooden door, leading to an adjoining room. (12.01.2019.)

A stair case leading to the upper floor. (12.01.2019.)

Roofs are made of Danshal logs and bamboo strips. (12.01.2019.)

The second floor, a small open courtyard and two rooms. (12.01.2019.)

Two rooms on the first floors. (12.01.2019.)

A starircase on leading to the roof. (12.01.2019.)

The towers had been built with materials mostly available locally. The walls are made of limestone with mud used as mortar and plastered with gypsum. The roofs are made of Danshal logs, which were imported in those days from eastern Africa, probably Zanzibar. Plaster of gypsum is good at protecting the structure from elements. 

The above two pictures are of a mosque situated just north of the two towers. (12.01.2019.)

Just beside the western tower, a majlis exists, a place where the guests were received and entertained. (12.01.2019.)

Sometime in the past, the towers had partially collapsed and in the year 2003 the Restoration Department of the Qatar Museums, Department of Museums and Antiquities undertook restoration work and the result of this effort is remarkable. 

While trying to find information about the historical places of Qatar, I met Dr Haitham Najeem Al Abri, Senior Researcher at Qatar National Library. He provided me with three great books on the history of architecture in Qatar. The information given in this post is taken from the following two books: 

1. Forts, Strongholds and Towers published by Katara. 
2. (العمارة التقلیدیة فی قطر (محمد جاسم الخلیفي

It is an interesting place to visit, especially for a person having an interest in the history and architecture of Qatar. It is easily accessible. The visiting hours are 0900 – 1200 and 1500 – 1800. On Fridays, it is open only in the evening. A nice short trip can be planned on an evening. I am sure you will enjoy the visit and learn about the past of Qatar.

Tariq Amir

January 19, 2019.
Doha - Qatar.