Ras Matbakh () is a settlement in

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 ...

located 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 laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Al Khor Al Khor (; also spelled ''Al Khawr''), officially Al Khor and Al Thakhira, is a Municipalities of Qatar, municipality in northeastern Qatar. Al Khor (city), Al Khor City, the municipal seat, is located on the northeast coast of Qatar, around f ...

. It consists of a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

extending into the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. Large concentrations of

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...

(''Avicennia marina'') are located off its coast. It is located to the northeast of Al Khor City and to the southeast of

Al Thakhira Al Thakhira () is a town on the coast of the Al Khor (municipality), Al Khor municipality in Qatar, about northeast of the city of Al Khor (city), Al Khor City and from the capital Doha. Al Thakhira is closely affiliated with Al Khor City, both ...

Etymology

"Ras" 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 ...

means "head", in this context it is being used to refer to a

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

. On the other hand, "matbakh" is translated as "kitchen". This name was given because the area was used a massive fireplace in the past for cooking.

History

In the 1820s, George Barnes Brucks carried out the first British survey of the

. He recorded the following notes about Ras Matbakh: "Ras Mut Buck is an elevated cape, in lat. 25° 40' N., long. 51° 36' 15' E. This cape should not be approached under four or five fathoms." A survey conducted by the British Hydrographic Office in 1890 describes the area in significantly more detail:

Infrastructure

Construction of a Qatari Coast Guard station was initiated in 2014. As part of the project, two administrative structures, two supporting structures and a road were built, resulting in a developed area of 3,156 m² occupying a total area of 16,995 m².

Ashghal Ashghal () is the Public Works Authority of Qatar headquartered in Al Dafna, Doha. Ashghal was established based on the Emiri Decree issued by the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on 20 January 2004, as an autonomous body to design, deli ...

(The Public Works Authority) announced the completion of the 101,000 square meter facility of the Aquatic Fisheries and Research Centre in Ras Matbakh in 2017. The total cost of the project was QR 237.7 million.

Archaeology

During the first large-scale archaeological expedition of Qatar in the 20th century, the Danish Mission, active from 1956 to 1964, made discoveries at Ras Matbakh. The area was first introduced to archaeologists Hans Jørgen Madsen and Jens Aarup Jensen in November 1961 by Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, then-ruler of

. Arriving on 22 November, the two Danish archaeologists surveyed and wrote a report of the site on 23 November. They unearthed a green pot near the coastline containing long-decomposed human remains, likely those of an adult, as well as some animal bones. The Danes estimated that the pot could originate from 500 to 300 BC and stated it resembled the burial tradition and pottery design found in ancient

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

at that time. Thus, they postulated that it may have been a burial for a Bahraini or Mesopotamian sailor who died near the site.

References

External links

Geographic.org
Populated places in Al Khor Archaeological sites in Qatar {{Qatar-geo-stub