Zekreet

Zekreet
Village
Zekreet
Location in Qatar
Coordinates: 25°31′22″N 50°49′41″E / 25.52278°N 50.82806°E / 25.52278; 50.82806
Country Qatar
Municipality Al-Shahaniya Municipality
Time zone UTC+3 (AST)
Reconstructed ruins in Zekreet.

Zekreet is a village in north-western Qatar near Dukhan and about 80 km nort-west west of Doha.[1] Originally a sparsely populated area, Zekreet was built up in the 1940s after oil operations commenced in Qatar. This included the construction of a harbor for oil equipment and a number of small houses which eventually developed into a village.[2] There are a number of visitor attractions and old ruins at the site, one of the most notable being Zekreet Fort, which is housed to the immediate north of the village.[3]

Etymology

Zekreet is also spelled as Zikrit and Zekrit. An area known by a similar name called Bir Zekrit (more commonly known as Ras Abrouq) is located north of Zekreet.[3]

Geography

Zekreet is situated near the bottom small stretch of land known as the 'Zekreet Peninsula' which protrudes into the Persian Gulf and of which Ras Abrouq occupies the northern extremity.[3] Dukhan is the closest sizable settlement.[4] The Bay of Zekreet, which the Dukhan Sabkha extends into, is located off the north-west coast of the village.[5]

History

Zekreet was likely inhabited during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the same era that saw the rise of the nearby westerly settlements of Zubarah and Al-Huwaylah. Historic references to the area in the English language are scarce, but a local fort was mentioned by J.G. Lorimer, who claimed that it was built by the pirate ruler of Qatar Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah in c. 1800. The village may have been abandoned around 1811, the same period that Zubarah was sacked.[4]

The area accommodated the first harbor in Qatar to be used by oil companies to unload their equipment.[6]

Industry

Qatargas is in the process of implementing the $600 million Zekreet Gasoline Project.[7] It will eventually produce up to 75,000 barrels per day.[8]

Archaeology

A protected archaeological site in Zekreet
Remains of an old structure in Zekreet

The first archaeological excavations at Zekreet took place in 1973–1974 by a team led by Beatrice de Cardi. Zekreet Fort was discovered during this period. The area was again excavated by a French team from 2002 and 2005 and the contents of this excavation were analyzed in 2006. The total area of the excavated site 18,000 m².[4]

Nineteenth-century ceramics have been discovered in situ. Some of the pottery has been traced back to China.[4]

Visitor attractions

Zekreet Fort

Zekreet Fort has been dated to the late 18th or early 19th century. The fort's shape is quadrangular with four circular watchtowers.[4] At the initial time of construction, the fort did not have any towers. The towers were instead added to each side in a reconstruction phase. Facilities for "debis" (date syrup) production are believed to have been at the site.[9]

Film City

A replica city was built in Zekreet for use in film production. It includes a large fort surrounded by palm trees.[10]

House of the imam

The Qatar Museums Authority has embarked on a project to repackage a house belonging to the former imam of Zekreet during the 1950s as a cultural venue where educational workshops are held. Also, a passage will be constructed from the building to Richard Serra's sculptures in Ras Abrouq.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Zekreet Beach". Online Qatar. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  2. ↑ Al-Othman, Nasser (1984). With their bare hands : the story of the oil industry in Qatar. Longman Group. p. 49. ISBN 0582783755.
  3. 1 2 3 "Geographic Information System". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Alexandrine Guérin and Faysal ʿAbdallah al-Naʾimi (2008). "Nineteenth century settlement patterns at Zekrit, Qatar: pottery, tribes and territory". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 38: 173–185. JSTOR 41223947.
  5. ↑ Ian West and Maryam Mustafa Al-Mulla (2013). "Qatar Geology, Sabkhas, Evaporites and Other Desert Environments". University of Southampton. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Abū Nāb, Ibrāhīm (1977). Qatar: A Story of State Building. p. 59.
  7. ↑ "Engineering Report 2017" (PDF). Qatar Financial Centre. 2017. p. 52. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "Zekreet Gasoline Processing Facility". ProTenders. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Zekreet Fort". Explore Qatar. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Film City, Doha". Online Qatar. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "متاحف قطر تنظم خمسة معارض في برنامج الربيع" (in Arabic). Al Raya. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
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