Ar Rakiyat Fort () is a historical

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

located in north-west

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, in the municipality of

Al Shamal Al Shamal () is a municipality in Qatar. Its seat is Madinat ash Shamal and it is considered to be one of the major cities in Qatar, although its population is barely over 7,000. The seat's name translates to "city of the north". Ras Rakan, t ...

. It was constructed in the 19th century near the village of

Ar Rakiyat Ar Rakiyat () is a village in Qatar, in the municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional ...

to protect water sources in the area. It was used as a defensive structure for the villagers in times of conflict. It is considered to be one of the larger forts in Qatar.''The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century'' (2014), p. 32

Etymology

Ar Rakiyat refers to a 'well' in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. It is also spelled as 'Al Rakayat' and 'Arkkiat'.

History

The fort was most likely constructed during the 19th century. The main purpose of the fort was to protect the freshwater supply in the area. The abundance of water in the area is attested to by the presence of an active potable well with a depth of near the fort, in addition to numerous small farms situated around the fort. The antiquities department of Qatar Museums began excavations and restoration of the site in 1988. An Islamic coin dating to the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

period, specifically between 749–846 AD, was discovered during excavations.''The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century'' (2014), p. 33 However, Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, an employee of Qatar Museums, stated that the coin was not evidence that the fort existed during the Abbasid period. It is thought that the fort was inhabited until the 20th century. In 2022, the Department of Architectural Conservation of Qatar Museums completed the second restoration of the main structural building components using traditional building materials, including plastering, flooring, installation of a wooden ceiling, doors and pest control.

Architecture

The overall structure of the fort is rectangular with dimensions of . It has four towers; three rectangular and one cylindrical. The total height is at most . A distinguishing characteristic of the fort is its complete absence of decorative elements. It only has one entrance, located on the southern wall, indicating its use as a defensive structure. Different materials were used in the construction of the fort. The lower portion was constructed using

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

and mud, while the top portion was constructed using ''lubnah'' (a mixture of mud and clay brick). There are living quarters in the northern, eastern and western section of the fort. There are three stairways in the fort. The first is in the south-west portion of the courtyard and leads to the cylindrical tower. The second and third are located in the north-east and north-west corner of the fort and both lead to the roof. A date-press (madbassat) was discovered in a rectangular room in the central courtyard. A mosque is located to the immediate southwest of the fort.

Geography

The fort is located in the vicinity of the abandoned village of Al Rakiyat in

. It is northwest of the capital city of

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

.''The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century'' (2014), p. 31 The ruined settlements of Al Khuwayr and Freiha are located within of the area.

References

Bibliography

{{Forts in Qatar Al Shamal Forts in Qatar