Al Zubara Fort

Al Zubara Fort
Al Zubara Fort
حصن الزبارة
Zubarah in Qatar
	Al Zubara Fort.
	Al Zubara Fort
Coordinates	25°58′37″N 51°02′43″E / 25.9769°N 51.0454°E
Type	Historical Fortress
Site information
Owner	Qatari Government; Ministry of Tourism, Qatar Museums Authority
Open to; the public	Yes
Condition	Intact
Site history
Built	1938
Built by	Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani
In use	1938–mid 1980s
Materials	Compressed mud, coral rock, gypsum plaster, limestone, and wood

Al Zubara Fort (Arabic: حصن الزبارة), also known as Fort Zubara(h), Zubara(h) Fort, Al Zubarah Fort, or Az Zubara(h) Fort, is a historic Qatari military fortress built under the oversight of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in 1938.^[1]^[2]

History

Al Zubara Fort was originally built by Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in 1938 to serve as a Coast Guard station, although some claim that it was built to serve as a police station. It was later converted into a museum to display diverse exhibits and artwork, especially for contemporarily topical archaeological findings.^[1]^[2]

Geography

Al Zubara Fort is situated in the ancient town of Zubarah, which in turn is located on the northwestern coast of the Qatari Peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, and is about 105 km (65 mi) north of Doha, the capital of Qatar.^[1]^[3]

Structure

Al Zubara Fort has a square courtyard surrounded by walls on all sides. The walls were 1 metre (3.3 ft) thick and were built by stacking pieces of coral rock and limestone using mud as a mortar, then coating the stack in a gypsum-based plaster. Three of the fort's corners have round towers with Qatari-style battlements whilst the forth has a rectangular tower with machicolations. There's a 15 metres (49 ft) deep well in the courtyard.^[1]

Eight rooms on the ground floor, which were originally used to house soldiers, are now used to house exhibits.^[1]

Gallery

Al Zubarah Fort
Restoration activities in 2015 at the fort
Al Zubarah Fort
Al Zubarah Fort

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Qatar Tourism Authority — Forts". Qatartourism.gov.qa. Archived from the original on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
^ ^a ^b "Al Zubarah Fort :: Qatar Visitor". Qatarvisitor.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
^ "Major Museums & Forts". Qatarembassy.net. Archived from the original on 2006-01-26. Retrieved 2012-10-30.

External links

[qatartourism-1] "Qatar Tourism Authority — Forts". Qatartourism.gov.qa. Archived from the original on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2012-10-30.

[qatarvisitor-2] "Al Zubarah Fort :: Qatar Visitor". Qatarvisitor.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2012-10-30.

[qatarembassy-3] "Major Museums & Forts". Qatarembassy.net. Archived from the original on 2006-01-26. Retrieved 2012-10-30.

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