Excavation continues in the heart of Doha.
DOHA: Archaeological investigations are under way in the heart of Doha to explore the origin and development of the city.
A joint team of excavators from the University College of London (UCL Qatar) and Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) are examining open ground next to the Qubib Mosque adjacent to Souq Waqif.
The site is under development as a future Q-Rail station, making the recovery of archaeological remains in the area extremely important.
The excavations are part of UCL Qatar’s Origins of Doha Project, which is a Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) initiative.
Initial investigations outside the Qubib Mosque have revealed buildings relating to the last phase of traditional housing in the area (around the mid-20th century), and older remains will be preserved below, UCL Qatar said yesterday. Excavations continue until mid-January.
This will be the first extensive urban excavation in Qatar which aims at exploring the foundation of Doha, its growth and florescence as one of the major pearl fishing towns of the Gulf, and its transformation to a modern city.
Historical sources provide very little information on the nature of the town and experiences of its people, but archaeology is able to fill these gaps and provide a colourful picture of the daily lives of the men, women and children who inhabited the city from its earliest days.
Dr Robert Carter, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at UCL Qatar and Director of the Origins of Doha Project, said, “Few people realise that the past still lies beneath their feet in many parts of the centre of Doha. We have a wonderful opportunity to investigate this before it is destroyed forever. We are expecting to gain insights into town life during the last couple of centuries, but who knows what we will find? Archaeology is full of surprises.”
The first excavation under the Origins of Doha Project have revealed a sequence of occupation deposits associated with large domestic building, and an earlier mud-rendered building were recorded. Evidence of early occupation in the city was identified below these buildings.
Oral histories relating to the development of the town and its transition from a traditional settlement into a modern city have been collected under the project.
The aim is to share experiences of those who grew up in Doha and witnessed the great changes of the mid-20th century during the development of the oil economy, as well as the memories of those who moved to Doha at that time.
The Peninsula
