An unusually chilly wind whipped around the LAS car park as some thirty-five hardy explorers prepared to brave the road works of the Great North Road to Al Ruwais to explore the forts in the northern part of Qatar. Listening attentively as Fran Gillespie gave us a short briefing on the forts we would be visiting, we shivered in the cold snap of early February. But once on the road we forgot the cold and focused on trying to keep up with the caravan of cars amid the road works and speeding Land Cruisers of the North Road.
Having safely navigated the ever-moving off-ramp we stopped outside the fort of Al Zubara. This comparatively new fort was constructed in 1938 on the orders of Sheikh Adbullah bin Jassim al-Thani in response to Bahrain’s claim on the nearby town of Al Zubara and their fortifications on the nearby Huwar islands. After a minor altercation with the gate-keeper over the issue of an “admission fee” we made our way through the sturdy doorway into a sunny courtyard. Honey-coloured stone walls and sturdy corner towers, a view of the ruined town of old Al Zubara through the gun slits, a deep well in one corner (covered with a grid) – all these invited us to climb and clamber and peer and peep. Fran kept on giving more bits of information and answering the many questions put to her.
Then it was back into the cars and across a rocky desert stretch following tracks that kept disappearing to the fort of Al Thaqab. It has been determined that this fort dates from the 19th-century but the remains of a few houses scattered around may be of an earlier date. Al Thaqab has recently been restored and now proudly displays its 3 round and 1 rectangular corner towers. A feeling of being somewhere familiar was explained by Fran – the restoration was done by the same architect who did Souq Waqif.
Another bit of rocky road driving brought us to the small fort of Al Rakayat. This fort has also been restored but in a far more historically sensitive way. The camels grazing in the adjacent paddock attracted a lot of attention, especially the pale coloured babies. The camels were hobbled and made us laugh as the struggled to co-ordinate their ungainly gait and run away from the cars. We decided to lunch here, and the picnic baskets were brought out and groups found sheltered nooks and steps for seating. Conversation was lively, and Fran continued to share her knowledge of the history of Qatar.
Then it was off to the huge ruined fort of Al Ruwaidha. This lies on a shore next to stands of mangrove trees. The sheer scale of the fort is impressive, reminding one of the ancient Roman forts found in Europe. This large fort and the other forts in the area give an indication of the size of the population of this region in the 18th and 19th centuries. Al Ruwaidha is older than the other forts, with 18th century pottery shards scattered on the surface. Archeologists have found shards dating back to the 10th century showing the site has been occupied for far longer than the fort. The fort is currently under excavation, but this has been halted temporarily while the archeologists rescue some nearby sites from the proposed railway line.
A short drive along the shore line brought us to a ruined town. With the blue waters of the Gulf washing the sand this old town is currently undergoing restoration. We wandered through the winding alleys between sandstone walls, crumbling doorways inviting one to explore further. The adventurous climbed the narrow stairs in the tower which gave a wonderful view over the surroundings. Chase and Crystal found the giant hands of a clock and decided we needed them for the classrooms of LAS building but Charles’ Hummer was not up to the size of these souvenirs.
Then it was time for the weary explorers to wend their way home. A few minor adventures – a flat tyre for the McKees, the Stolls stopping to help the victim of a rolled car – and the never-ending road works brought us all safely home again.
A huge thank you to Fran Gillespie for taking the time to lead this excursion and share her knowledge of Qatar with us.