Khalid Tawalbeh
Doha
As the clock ticks for the big kick-off of the first FIFA World Cup of the Middle East and Arab world, Al Zubarah fort joins other iconic Qatari landmarks in welcoming fans from around the world by arranging a host of activities for the World Cup Qatar 2022.
A UNESCO world heritage site, Al Zubarah fort with an impressive city wall, ancient residential palaces and houses, markets, industrial areas and mosques, has lined up special events and activities to greet football fans.
A pristine example of a typical Arab fort, Al Zubarah fort, represents an original example of a traditional Arab history.
Director of the Department of Antiquities at Qatar Museums Faisal Al Nuaimi said a special and rich program has been developed for Qatar’s guests at the World Cup in coordination with the relevant state institutions to discover the sights of Al Zubarah fort, by providing special paths for the public to learn about the characteristics of the fort and the historical city freely and easily.
Al Nuaimi added that all institutions participated in developing a plan to show the cultural side of Qatar during the World Cup, and that coordination was made with tourism offices to organise trips to Al Zubarah fort.
The site has become qualified to receive visitors and audiences, and give them sufficient information through a cultural platform to introduce them to an important part of the history of Qatar.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Tunisian historian resident Abdelmahdi Shabu, “Al Zubarah fort has been one of the most important and largest populated areas in Qatar for 300 years. It was subjected to several wars, battles and attacks, burned several times, but soon regained its strength to take its place as a prominent trading city in the Arabian Gulf.”
Shabu added, “The prosperity of this city, which was founded in 1760 and life continued in it until 1937, and its heyday was during the 19th century, attracted the attention of other great powers in the Gulf region at that time. Itwas subjected to several attacks and then the city was burned down in 1811. It was not completely reconstructed, its people abandoned it in the middle of the twentieth century, and after a while it became a relic.”
The Libyan antiquities and humanities instructor Dr Salam Mahmoud said, “Ancient castles’ remains are scattered throughout the northern regions of Qatar, whose towers were used to monitor the entrances to cities, in addition to protecting the coasts from robbers”.
Dr Mahmoud added, “Al Zubarah castle was built from cut stones and marine stones with the use of clay inside the walls, plaster material as a covering for the facades of walls and floors, palm trunks, and mangroves and fibre ropes were also used for ceilings.”
In order to revitalize the area around Al Zubarah fort, Qatar Museums has placed an exhibition of old cars in front of the castle in order to attract visitors, and the masses to be able to visit the area to have the opportunity to witness the restoration of the city.
Turkish Deneze Burat, who has a special interest in history and antiquities, expressed his admiration for the fort saying, “This fort is a piece of art, a witness to long times of history full of events.”
“The most notable achievement is registration of Al Zubarah to UNESCO list of world heritage sites, which is the first inclusion and recognition of a Qatari archaeological site in an international record. The site is now classified as one of the most important heritage and natural sites listed globally, of 911 sites,” he clarified.
A team of Danish archaeologists classified the city of Al Zubarah as an archaeological site for the first time in the fifties of the last century, after which a team of Qatari and Danish archaeologists carried out excavations at the site.
Abdullah Al Hamaidah, a visitor to the site, said: “One of the most important monuments discovered in Al Zubarah is a drawing on the wall of a rectangular hall, on which inscriptions of a ship dating back 250 years are engraved. The importance of these inscriptions lies in the fact that they are a kind of folk art, as well as showing the maritime activities of the ancient inhabitants of that period.”
Al Hamaidah added, “I read some important writings about Al Zubarah before I visit it, I read about discovering some pieces of pottery inside one of the residential houses, a number of coins on the floor of an old house, and two pieces of Dutch porcelain, that’s marvelous”.
Qatar Museums had earlier announced that it is working to protect the castle from desert and coastal conditions in order to receive future generations of visitors, and built a platform on the north-west tower to provide visitors with a wonderful view of the archaeological site, and equipped it with screens displaying interactive digital content.
The castle is open to visitors from 9 in the morning until 5 pm from Saturday to Thursday, and on Friday from 12.30 pm to 5 pm, visitors will need to take a ticket to enter the archaeological site and the castle can be reached either by organized tourist trips, or by personal cars and taxis.
Al Bayt Stadium, which is one the most beautiful stadiums to host World Cup matches, is the closest stadium to Al Zubarah region, as it is located in the Al Khor coastal area.
Once a thriving pearl fishing and trading port, Al Zubarah is now Qatar’s largest heritage site, with an impressive city wall, ancient residential palaces and houses, markets, industrial areas and mosques
Al Zubarah is one of the best-preserved examples of an 18th- and 19th-century Gulf merchant town. In 2013, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Al Zubarah is open to visitors 9am–3pm Sunday to Thursday, with precautionary measuresin place.
Overlooking the coastal town of Al Zubarah, the fort is about 105 km northwest of Doha
