ALZUBARA

Settlement Late Ottoman (c.1800 - c.1916 CE) Fortification Late Ottoman (c.1800 - c.1916 CE) Al Zubarah fort is located in the north-west of the peninsula of Qatar. The fort was built in 1938 (possibly built as a replacement for a nearby destroyed fort) during the rule of Shk. Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani. It was constructed by local builders. The purpose of building was to watch and defend the west coast of Qatar. The fort served as an encampment for soldiers until June 1986 when the later added gatehouse was destroyed. The fort has a square shape with a 24 meters wall length from tower to tower on each side of the square. Three of the corner towers are circular and one is rectangular - all the towers are decorated with pointed parapets. This fort is unique for the height of it's walls and their thickness (1 metre) The upper levels of the walls are fitted with small openings that served for shooting and watching purposes. The fort was built from stone quarried from nearby hills which were bonded together using mud. On the ground level there are 8 rooms on the western and southern sides, while the eastern and northern walls have longitudinal iwans overlooking the court through square arcades. On the north-east corner of the eastern iwan there is a washing area bounded on the west by a water well which is 15 metres deep. Under the north east and south east towers there are two rooms while the other two towers have a solid fill. Two staircases lead up to the four upper rooms on the first level of the fort. The fort was renovated in the 1980's and is currently under another phase of renovation which started in 2010 with the University of Copenhagen (HAC47). The fort has been opened as a museum Opened and is situated within Protected Area 54.

Fort Protectorate to Independence c.1917 - c.1971 CE

Al Zubarah fort is located in the north-west of the peninsula of Qatar. The fort was built in 1938 (possibly built as a replacement for a nearby destroyed fort) during the rule of Shk. Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani. It was constructed by local builders. The purpose of building was to watch and defend the west coast of Qatar. The fort served as an encampment for soldiers until June 1986 when the later added gatehouse was destroyed. The fort has a square shape with a 24 meters wall length from tower to tower on each side of the square. Three of the corner towers are circular and one is rectangular - all the towers are decorated with pointed parapets. This fort is unique for the height of it's walls and their thickness (1 metre) The upper levels of the walls are fitted with small openings that served for shooting and watching purposes. The fort was built from stone quarried from nearby hills which were bonded together using mud. On the ground level there are 8 rooms on the western and southern sides, while the eastern and northern walls have longitudinal iwans overlooking the court through square arcades. On the north-east corner of the eastern iwan there is a washing area bounded on the west by a water well which is 15 metres deep. Under the north east and south east towers there are two rooms while the other two towers have a solid fill. Two staircases lead up to the four upper rooms on the first level of the fort. The fort was renovated in the 1980's and is currently under another phase of renovation which started in 2010 The fort has been opened as a museum Opened and is situated within Protected Area 54.

Northern House, a large courtyard house

Domestic unit/complex Late Ottoman (c.1800 - c.1916 CE)

Al Zubarah fort is located in the north-west of the peninsula of In the northeastern part of the town is located a large courtyard house, so-called Northern House (البيت الشمالي "al-bait al-shimali") excavated by the Qatari team in 1983-84 under the direction of Mohammad Jassim Al Khulaifi. The house is preserved in two different phases. In the early phase the rectangular building measures ca. 106m EW x 45m NS, is mainly built with limestones and beachrocks, is built around at least 4 (?) central main courtyards surrounded by a number of rooms fulfilling different functions. A portico is commonly found along the southern length of the Page 4 of 2 courtyards providing a shaded area. Entrance halls are often elaborated using gypsum plastered interior walls and decorative elements in the plaster of door frames. A sharp bend at the end of the hall ensured that the courtyard areas were shielded from direct view, either from the hallway or from the street outside. Other common rooms are hammams, rooms used for reception, cooking, and food preparation area, and for storage. In the late phase the building is strongly reduced in size in comparison to the older phase (see hatched walls in the building plan). The late Northern House is built on top of the western half of the previous building re-using several main walls; it measures ca. 35 x 45m. Four main spaces were identified, but the complete plan remains speculative; clear are only two small rooms, one at the southeastern corner (6.6 x 3.5m) with a sandy floor built on top of the entrance to the southern vestibule of the early Northern House, and a second room at the southwestern corner (6 x 3.5m) also with a sandy floor.

Large Palatial Compound PALACE

Domestic unit/complex Late Ottoman (c.1800 - c.1916 CE)

Large scale building located in the southwestern part of the town. It was built during the town’s heyday in the late 18th and early 19th century. The compound follows the same form as the domestic architecture elsewhere in Al Zubarah, but on a much larger scale. The complex is defined by a square perimeter wall with towers at each corner capable of supporting small cannons. The 110 x 100m long walls enclose an area of just over one hectare. On the interior, the palatial compound is defined by at least nine large rectangular courtyards around which a series of rooms was arranged. This multistorey building would have risen above much of the town and was probably occupied by a family of wealthy and influential sheikhs who were important community leaders. Only one of the 9 courtyard areas and adjacent rooms has been investigated. Excavations have provided considerable detail about the architecture and activities that were carried out inside. They have shown that it was not just a defensive structure, but that it was primarily a family home. The walls of this building are substantially larger and better constructed than others in Al Zubarah. Furthermore, excavations have revealed elegant pointed archways, decorated plasterwork, window grills to allow cooling air to circulate, and even evidence for mats on the clean smooth plaster floors. One of the uncovered rooms contained a well-preserved madbasa (date press) complete with an underground storage jar.

Industrial Area SOUQ

Souq consists of a regular arrangement of parallel rooms along at least one north-south running street. The souq has several phases, reflecting Al Zubarah’s settlement development. The proximity of the souq to the seafront shows how closely connected retail and commerce were to maritime life and trade. Floors of some of the shops were littered with hundreds of potsherds, which contained the goods to be sold in the market. These include local wares, but also ceramics imported from what is now Iran (e.g. Bahla ware). Areas filled with iron-rich sediments also suggest that craft-production such as glass-making or iron-working took place in the souq. Even in the early phase of the buildings, the area as a whole appears to have undergone changes. What is thought to have been at first a mixed-use souq was changed by the insertion of over 20 date presses into a more industrial area. These structures must have been important in producing dried dates and date syrup, possibly for export. Some of these structures themselves then appear to have been reused as basins, possibly for dying cloth and melting bitumen. The souq was abandoned after the attack on Al Zubarah in 1811. In the time that followed, tents and fishermen’s huts were built, and they in turn were replaced by stone houses as Al Zubarah was gradually resettled. The souq was rebuilt, but then it covered a smaller area to the north. . It was during this period that many of the artefacts concerned with pearl fishing were deposited, including large collections of diving weights and a pearl merchant’s trading box. This area seems to have remained a focus of activity since the founding of the site and is one of Al Zubarah’s most complex archaeological areas, with many layers of occupation, abandonment and reoccupation overlaying one another. Every historical phase of the site is represented in this one area.