By Raynald C Rivera
With no more than 8,000 inhabitants, the sleepy municipality of Al Shamal might be the least populated in Qatar, but it is filled with surprises for tourists with a penchant for old forts, towns and archaeological sites.
Currently, tourism in Qatar is centred on Doha, the capital city with its towering skyscrapers, plush five-star hotels and bustling souqs. But this is set to change with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) working to develop various sites in the country to boost the tourism sector, and Shamal is one of the priority areas selected for large-scale development.
Located about 140km from Doha, this northernmost part of the country once bustled with life as a centre of maritime trade. The area being close to Bahrain, people whose main livelihood was fishing and pearl diving preferred to live in Shamal. The area also drew people because of its cool weather.
But this suddenly changed with the discovery of oil, which prompted people to migrate to Doha, which has since become the hub of business and trade in the country.
One of the villages in Shamal, Al Jameel, is now just a cluster of empty houses – a reminder of the town’s lively past. Al Jameel, along with a number of other villages, will be turned into a tourist attraction by QTA.
Another interesting site in the municipality is the Al Zubarah Fort built during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani to guard against intruders. It is situated in the town of Al Zubarah, an important archaeological site in the country where recent excavations have brought up centuries-old artefacts, some of which are now part of the country’s museum collection.
“Al Zubarah was a flourishing town as it was a main trading post in the past,” said Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, the QTA chairman, at a press conference during a recent media tour of Al Shamal.
Visiting Al Shamal city, one can see a number of abandoned mosques built 60 to 70 years ago that now attract tourists with their traditional architecture featuring use of stone, wood and mud.
The islands of Rakan and Umm Tays are the other sites that would be developed for eco-tourism, Al Mohannadi said.
“Umm Tays and Rakan are beautiful mangrove islands where people can walk down during low tide, making a perfect eco-tourism destination in Qatar,” he said.
As Al Shamal receives more rainfall than the southern part of the country, it is not surprising to see flocks of sheep grazing on green patches in the desert, especially during winter, as one drives along the highway.
Historical sites and beaches are not the only focus of development in Al Shamal. Since 2010, the 261,224 square metre Al Ruwais Port has been undergoing a major upgrade to boost its capacity. The municipality will also be home to the 45,120-seater multi-purpose Al Shamal stadium, which will serve as one of the venues for the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Al Shamal is just one of the sites QTA plans to develop as a tourist destination. Restoration efforts and building tourist facilities such as hotels is part of the project, which involves QTA, Qatar Museums Authority and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning.
“Al Shamal has a huge number of historical sites which can be developed into major tourist attractions,” Al Mohannadi said.
The project, which will bring jobs, could encourage residents of Al Shamal to remain in the municipality instead of migrating to Doha. And once the project is completed, Al Shamal will regain the glory — at least some of it — it once enjoyed.
