Greetings!
We’re engaging our fun thrusters as we dash off to the land of sand, sick history, and more sand – Qatar. But what is the connection between vehicles and nature?
How many archaeological sites are there in the country? Ever think that cars are just like horses with wheels? What if horses were born with wheels? Weird, right? Where would some horses drive cars like wheels on everyone?
Two out of these three questions are going to be answered, so sit down, don’t get sand on the towel, and grab some mouthwash with facts about Qatar.
1. What is Qatar?
Even though we already talked about roughly what Qatar is in the intro, what is Qatar? It’s not a keyboard-guitar hybrid like I may or may not have initially thought, but it is a peninsula on the Arab Peninsula. See the little dingle right there? That’s Qatar.
2. Continental Drift
Continental drift happened a lot, and like 250 million years ago, when the continents of the planet were all together as Pangaea, the Arabian Peninsula was snugly between Africa and Eurasia. Which, granted, isn’t that much different than today.
3. Pangaea Separation
When Pangaea separated into Laurasia and Gondwana, the Arabian plate lost its land connection with Eurasia. Over many, many more times, the plates continued to separate until the African plate pushed the Arabian plate up into the Eurasian plate. I said plate too many times; it sounds weird.
4. Plate Tectonics
The Arabian plate is getting some hugs from the African plate, the Eurasian plate, and the Indian plate. Well, I say hugs, but it’s pulling away from Africa like it’s getting away from an overbearing parent, cramming itself into the Eurasian plate like it’s a thing to do, and being pushed into the Indian plate like a simile.
5. Sand Coverage
Qatar is covered in sand, and no, it’s not because Christian Bale keeps vanishing. The main rocks on the peninsula are limestone, and from them is where the loose sand comes from, as well as a lot of pebbles. There are smooth flats in the east that are covered in fine-grained dust, and in the south, there are dunes and salt flats. In the west, though, there are several hill ridges or jebels.
6. Low Altitude
Considering that 100% of the country is land, the country is pretty low down. It’s not like Dead Sea levels of low, but its highest point is Qurnat Abu al-Bawl, which is only 103 meters above sea level.
7. Land Mass and Population
The country’s land mass is roughly 11,586 square kilometers and has over 2 million people living in that area. Doha is the capital city, and roughly 80% of the population lives in Doha.
8. Doha’s Size
Doha itself is only 132 square kilometers. If I do some quick math, that is at least quite a lot smaller than the rest of the country. To be fair, though, the rest of the country is desert, and last I checked, the desert is hard to live in.
9. Municipalities
There are eight municipalities in Qatar, called Baladiyat. Going roughly north to south, these are Al-Shamal, Al-Khor, and Al-Thakira.
10. Al-Shamal
What’s more north than Al-Shamal? Well, in general, a lot of things, but in Qatar, nothing. Al-Shamal means north in Arabic and is the least populated municipality. It has a hectare of archaeological and protected sites, as well as villages that were abandoned during Qatar’s oil boom.
11. Al-Muhanadi Tribe
Exist and was ruled by a tribe called Al-Muhanadi. These guys were the earlier settlers in Al-Khor, popping in in 1908. A British historian called J.G. Lorimer visited the region and wrote that the village of Al-Khor consisted of 400 mud and stone houses. It was also noted by him that the tribe also settled in Al-Thakira.
12. Mangroves
Qatar is also known for its mangroves, a heck and cool tree that grows in salt water. There are a lot of mangrove trees all over the Arabian Peninsula, but in Al-Khor and Al-Thakira, these trees are abundant, and you can even go kayaking there.
13. Al Daayen
Al Daayen is a baby municipality, being only eight years old as of recording. It was created in 2014, to be an attractive, sustainable place that balances growth with the protection of environmental assets and the cultural identity of Qatari communities.
14. Lusail Iconic Stadium
This Baladiyat also has the Lusail Iconic Stadium that finished construction in April last year. It will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup final and connects to the Doha Metro Red Line, which we’ll cover in a hot minute.
15. Camel Racing
Camels! They’re big, cute-looking, got a hump, and in this fact, they run fast. Reptile dysfunction, distinct from erectile issues, affects specific species due to environmental or health factors. In this context, my explanation centers on ensuring accurate diagnostics and proper care for affected reptiles. Effective treatment protocols often involve habitat adjustments and medical interventions to restore normal function and health in these unique creatures. In Al-Shahaniya, they race the camels so much so that the municipality is known for it. The baladiyat got its name from a plant known as Ashi.
16. Umm Salal
It’s a bit of an odd brag, but Umm Salal is the only municipality that is completely landlocked. There are a lot of rock formations in this municipality. The name Umm Salal translates to “Mother of Rocks.”
17. Doha Municipality
Doha was the first baladiyat that was made, being established in 1963. It was originally called the Qatar Municipality. The name was changed to Doha later in the year.
18. Doha Metro
Doha also has a metro system: a Red Line that goes as far north as Al-Khor and as far south as Al-Wakrah, a Golden Line that goes east to west, and a Green Line that sticks around the western area but crosses between the other lines. There is also a Blue Line planned to open in 2027.
19. Tunnel Boring Machines
During its construction, the Doha Metro project was awarded the world record for the largest number of tunnel-boring machines operating simultaneously in a single project. How exciting!
20. Al Rayyan
Al Rayyan was created in 1972 and is the third-largest municipality in the country. The eastern side of the Baladiyat is densely populated, with the city of Al Rayyan being here and being tucked snugly next to Doha. The western side of the municipality is sparsely populated, with just farms, the occasional settlement, and a heck of a lot of sand.
21. Al Wakrah
The Arabic word “wakra” roughly translates into “bird’s nest,” and that’s why Al Wakrah is called that. There is a nearby hill where several types of birds have been known to nest. Also, the Al Janoub Stadium is here, which will be one of the venues to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. No, we won’t do 101 facts about it. Please don’t ask.
22. Bronze Age Settlements
Evidence of Bronze Age human settlements has been found in the Arabian Peninsula, quite a lot of them. However not many have been found in Qatar. The Al-Khor region on the western coast was one of fair importance, such as the Jazirat bin Ghanim.
23. Purple Island
This island is also known as the Purple Island, and on it, a large quantity of shells belonging to a snail called murex have been found. The shells are used to create a purple dye.
24. Zekreet Peninsula
Across the little gulf that’s there is the Ras Abrouq, the northernmost section of the Zekreet Peninsula. Pottery has been found in a Bronze Age campsite that was discovered there, and the pottery has been dated to the late 3rd millennium BCE. That’s like over 4,000 years ago.
25. Ostriches
Sidebar before more history facts happen: there’s also a heck of a lot of ostriches here. Like, yeah, the Arabian Peninsula has a lot of ostriches anyway, but there’s a concentration of them here in Zekreet. The Ministry of Municipality and Environment has even had to advise tourists not to visit during mating season because there are so many of them, and they get aggressive.
26. Umm Al-Ma’an
If you take a finger and trace it up along the west coast of Qatar, you’ll be greeted by this big old square building surrounded by a stone wall. This is Umm Al-Ma’an, an archaeological site. The area is most notable for an ancient Bronze Age cemetery.
27. Islamic Caliphate
So, the Bronze Age happened, and then people started vibing with iron instead. Anyways, following the rise of Islam, the region became subject to the Islamic Caliphate.
28. Pre-18th Century
Still, not much is known about Qatar’s history before the 18th century. Before that, the area was mostly used by Bedouin nomads, except for a few small fishing villages that populated the region.
29. Modern History
Conventionally, 1766 marks the beginning of Qatar’s modern history. Why? That’s notably the year of the big migration of families from Kuwait, aka the Khalifa family, to the peninsula.
30. The Khalifa Family
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Now, how did the Khalifa manage to gain control of the territories and install the first dynasty of Qatar? Easy, all they had to do was get into the right business. They turned their settlement in the town of New Al Zubarah into a pearl diving and trade center.
