Al Khuwayr ( ar, الخوير) is an abandoned village in northwest

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, located in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Ash Shamal. It is a popular domestic tourist attraction due to its history and ruined structures.

History

Prior to the 19th century

Al Khuwayr was previously known as ''Khor Hassan'', literally meaning 'beautiful inlet'. In the late 18th century, noted pirate and tribal leader

Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah Rahmah ibn Jabir ibn Adhbi al-Jalhami ( ar, رحمة بن جابر بن عذبي الجلهمي; c. 1760–1826) was an Arab ruler in the Persian Gulf region and was described by his contemporary, the English traveler and author, James Silk Buck ...

settled Al Khuwayr. It served as his base of operations against the

Al Khalifa The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...

in Bahrain. Rahmah's base in Al Khuwayr was surrounded by a protected bay which rendered the area a difficult target for his enemies to attack. He resided in a fort with mud walls and there were only a few huts in the vicinity.

19th century

Abu Al-Qassim

Munshi Munshi is a Persian word, originally used for a contractor, writer, or secretary, and later used in the Mughal Empire and India for native language teachers, teachers of various subjects, especially administrative principles, religious texts, ...

, a British resident in Qatar, wrote a memo regarding the districts of Qatar in 1872. In it, he mentions that "in the year 1218 803_in_the_Gregorian_calendar.html" ;"title="Gregorian_calendar.html" ;"title="803 in the Gregorian calendar">803 in the Gregorian calendar">Gregorian_calendar.html" ;"title="803 in the Gregorian calendar">803 in the Gregorian calendar Khor Hassan was ruled by the Al-e-Kbeiseh", ,. In the 1820s, George Barnes Brucks carried out the first British survey of the Persian Gulf. He recorded the following notes about Al Khuwayr, which at that time was known as Khor Hassan:

20th century

J.G. Lorimer's ''

Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf The ''Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia'' (nicknamed ''Lorimer'') is a two-volume encyclopedia compiled by John Gordon Lorimer. The ''Gazetteer'' was published in secret by the British government in India in 1908 and 1915 a ...

'' gives an account of Al Khuwayr in 1908: Al Khuwayr was among the villages occupied by

Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, عبد الله بن جاسم بن محمد آل ثاني "Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani"), also known as Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani or Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim Al Thani, ...

's forces in July 1937 during his military expedition against the kubaisi tribe, whom he considered to be defectors to

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

Geography

To the immediate north of Al Khuwayr is an island called Al Khuwayr Island.

Education

The settlement's first formal school was opened in 1957.

Notable residents

Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a Qaṭari ibn al-Fujaʾa ( ar, قطري بن الفجاءة ; died c. 698–699 CE) was a Kharjite leader and poet. Born in Al Khuwayr, he ruled over the Azariqa faction of the Kharjites for more than ten years after the death of Nafi ibn al-Azr ...

, 7th century Arab poet and

Khariji The Kharijites (, singular ), also called al-Shurat (), were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the ...

leader *

, 18th–19th century pirate and transitory ruler of Qatar

Gallery

Far view of ruins at Al Khuwayr.jpg, Far view of ruins at Al Khuwayr. Ruined buildings in Al Khuwayr.jpg, Ruined structures in Al Khuwayr. File:Al Khuwayr wooden building.jpg, Crumbling wooden building in Al Khuwayr.

References

Populated places in Al Shamal {{Qatar-geo-stub