UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Qatar

UNESCO's Description

The walled coastal town of Al Zubarah in the Persian Gulf flourished as a pearling and trading centre in the late 18 th century and early 19 th centuries, before it was destroyed in 1811 and abandoned in the early 1900s. Founded by merchants from Kuwait, Al Zubarah had trading links across the Indian Ocean, Arabia and Western Asia. A layer of sand blown from the desert has protected the remains of the site’s palaces, mosques, streets, courtyard houses, and fishermen’s huts; its harbour and double defensive walls, a canal, walls, and cemeteries. Excavation has only taken place over a small part of the site, which offers an outstanding testimony to an urban trading and pearl-diving tradition which sustained the region’s major coastal towns and led to the development of small independent states that flourished outside the control of the Ottoman, European, and Persian empires and eventually led to the emergence of modern day Gulf States.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Zubarah encompasses a 400-hectare stretch on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula and is located approximately 105 km (65 mi) from the Qatari capital Doha. It is situated over a low, coastal hillock. The two main habitat types are the sabkha and the stony desert. The northern and south-eastern section of the site are bounded by sabkhas. Historically, fresh water was scarcely available. In an attempt to amass a water supply, Murair Fort was constructed 1.8 km (1.1 mi) eastward of the original settlement, on the margins of the desert scarp. The fort served to facilitate wells that tapped the shallow freshwater lenses.

Holocene deposits are densely scattered in the sabkha and mud plain areas located near the city ruins and the sea.

History

During the early Islamic period, trade and commerce boomed in northern Qatar. Settlements began to appear on the coast, primarily between the towns of Zubarah and Umm Al Maa. A village dating back to the early Islamic period was discovered near the town.

Between September 1627 and April 1628, a Portuguese naval squadron led by D. Goncalo da Silveira set several neighboring coastal villages ablaze. Zubarah's settlement and growth during this period is attributed to the dislodging of people from these adjacent settlements.

The origins of Zubarah are the subject of some historical dispute. The 1986 history book Qatar's Memorial claimed that a functioning, self-governing settlement existed in the area prior to the arrival of the Bani Utbah tribal confederation.

Economy and trade

Zubarah was primarily an emporium and pearling settlement that capitalized on its proximity to pearl beds, possession of a large harbour, and its central position on the Gulf routes. Its economy depended on the pearl diving season, which took place during the long summer months. Pearling drew Bedouin from the interior of Qatar as well as people from all over the Persian Gulf to dive, trade, and safeguard the town from attack while the town's men were at sea.

Boats from Zubarah would sail out to the pearl beds found along the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates. The trips lasted several weeks at a time. Men worked in pairs to harvest mollusks potentially hiding pearls inside them.

Tourism

Zubarah was added to UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list in 2008. Since 2009, the site has been the subject of joint research by the Qatar Islamic Archaeology and Heritage Project (QIAH) and Copenhagen University, and development as a protected heritage site. For protection, most of the site is enclosed within a fenced area. Additionally, visitors must pass a guard to enter the heritage town.

Prior to its addition to the World Heritage List, there was no visitor centre in the town. Other visitor facilities were sparse.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q2727469 (CC0).

Visiting Zubarah

Al Shamal is a municipality in the state of Qatar. The seaside teems with local dhow boats. Al Ruwais is part of a conglomeration of towns in the municipality of Madinat ash Shamal, including Al Ruwais (little more than a sleepy fishing village the northernmost city of the Qatar peninsula) and Abu Dahlouf.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Al Shamal (CC BY-SA 4.0).