Sawda Natheel () is an area 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 Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipalities of Qatar, municipality in Qatar. Its primary settlement is the Al Rayyan (city), city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Do ...

. It used to be part of the Jariyan al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan. It is a highly undeveloped area, consisting essentially of open desert. Of the 566.7 square km area of its zone, only 3 square km of land is under use. Farmland occupies 2 square km and cultural establishments account for the remaining 1 square km. The district itself only accounts for 49.6 km² of the zone. Noteworthy features in the area are a border post separating the southern part of the municipality from

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, a well which the area was named after, and several farms.

Etymology

The area derived its name from the local well, which in turn had been named after dark precipitates found in its water. Sawda translates to 'black', while Natheel is an Arabic term used to denote soil deposits found in water obtained from a well. It is also known as 'Markaz enter ofSawda Natheel'.

Geography

Qatar's capital,

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 ...

, is located at a distance of 115 km to the north-east. Other distances include

Abu Samra Abu Samra () is a settlement in Qatar, located in the municipalities of Qatar, municipality of Al Rayyan (90 km from Doha). It used to be part of the Jariyan al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan. N ...

– 76 km away, Umm Salal Ali – 142 km away,

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 ...

– 172 km away,

Madinat ash Shamal Madinat ash Shamal () is the capital city of the municipality of Al Shamal in Qatar. Located more than north of Qatar's capital Doha, the city was founded in the 1970s, shortly after the country gained independence. It was delimited in 1988 and ...

– 222 km away,

Al Wakrah Al Wakrah () is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge touches the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated immediately north of the city. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassi ...

– 130 km away, and

Dukhan Dukhan () is a city in the western municipality of Al-Shahaniya, Qatar. It is approximately west of the capital, Doha. Dukhan is administered by Qatar's state oil agency QatarEnergy and is the site of the first oil discovery in Qatar. It was pr ...

– 145 km away.

Border crossing

In the past, Sawda Natheel accommodated a border crossing into the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

. This crossing was a vital economic boon for Qatar as it provided a direct pathway for bilateral trade between the two countries. Nonetheless, in the early 21st century, after renegotiation between the Saudis and Emiratis over their respective boundaries, the UAE ceded its side of the border to Saudi Arabia. This border crossing was not repurposed for Saudi Arabia-bound traffic due to a similar and more developed border crossing already existing in the nearby district of

Healthcare

In the mid-1980s, the government opened a healthcare clinic here.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the area comprised 8 housing units and 9 establishments. There were 15 people living in the area, of which 100% were male and 0% were female. Out of the 15 inhabitants, 14 were 20 years of age or older and 1 was under the age of 20. The

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

stood at 73.4%. Employed persons made up 100% of the total population. Females accounted for 0% of the working population, while males accounted for 100% of the working population.

References

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