Al Wajbah Fort is one of the oldest forts in Qatar.[1] Located in the locality of Al Wajbah in Al Rayyan, it is situated 15 km west of Doha.[2] The fort was built in the late 18th or 19th century and was the location of an important battle when the army of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani subdued the Ottoman army in 1893.[3] It was used as the residence of Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani at various periods.[4] The fort's most prominent features are its four watchtowers. It underwent restoration in the later 20th century.[4]
It is unknown exactly when Al Wajbah Fort was built, but it is thought to date back either to the late 18th century or the 19th century. At the time, Al Wajbah was a popular spot for the local Bedouins to graze their camels owing to its relative abundance of greenery compared to other nearby localities. In 1893, after sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani stopped paying taxes to the Ottomans as he felt they were trying to usurp control of the peninsula, they sent a contingent to confront him. This culminated in the Battle of Al Wajbah, in which the Ottoman soldiers were defeated and were forced to retreat to Doha, about three hours away.[5]
Architectureedit
Rectangular in shape, the fortress measures 34 meters in length and 19 meters in width, boasting four towers—two round and two rectangular. While the round towers feature serrated upper platforms and shooting openings, the rectangular ones lack such features. Drainage systems integrated into the fortress walls efficiently manage rainwater runoff.[5]
Constructed primarily from hard limestone and clay, the fortress walls are plastered with gypsum. Inside, nineteen rooms on the lower level and upper chambers within the towers once served various purposes, including housing, worship, and assembly. Despite unauthorized modifications in the past, efforts in 1990 by the Museums and Archeology Department of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage restored the fortress to its original state, removing alterations and reinforcing structural integrity.[5]
wajbah, fort, 3017111, 3940528, 3017111, 3940528, oldest, forts, qatar, located, locality, wajbah, rayyan, situated, west, doha, fort, built, late, 18th, 19th, century, location, important, battle, when, army, sheikh, jassim, mohammed, thani, subdued, ottoman,. 25 18 6 16 N 51 23 38 59 E 25 3017111 N 51 3940528 E 25 3017111 51 3940528 Al Wajbah Fort is one of the oldest forts in Qatar 1 Located in the locality of Al Wajbah in Al Rayyan it is situated 15 km west of Doha 2 The fort was built in the late 18th or 19th century and was the location of an important battle when the army of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani subdued the Ottoman army in 1893 3 It was used as the residence of Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani at various periods 4 The fort s most prominent features are its four watchtowers It underwent restoration in the later 20th century 4 Contents 1 History 2 Architecture 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory editIt is unknown exactly when Al Wajbah Fort was built but it is thought to date back either to the late 18th century or the 19th century At the time Al Wajbah was a popular spot for the local Bedouins to graze their camels owing to its relative abundance of greenery compared to other nearby localities In 1893 after sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani stopped paying taxes to the Ottomans as he felt they were trying to usurp control of the peninsula they sent a contingent to confront him This culminated in the Battle of Al Wajbah in which the Ottoman soldiers were defeated and were forced to retreat to Doha about three hours away 5 Architecture editRectangular in shape the fortress measures 34 meters in length and 19 meters in width boasting four towers two round and two rectangular While the round towers feature serrated upper platforms and shooting openings the rectangular ones lack such features Drainage systems integrated into the fortress walls efficiently manage rainwater runoff 5 Constructed primarily from hard limestone and clay the fortress walls are plastered with gypsum Inside nineteen rooms on the lower level and upper chambers within the towers once served various purposes including housing worship and assembly Despite unauthorized modifications in the past efforts in 1990 by the Museums and Archeology Department of the National Council for Culture Arts and Heritage restored the fortress to its original state removing alterations and reinforcing structural integrity 5 See also editBattle of Al WajbahReferences edit Al Wajbah Fort Explorer Visit Qatar Archived from the original on 18 October 2018 Retrieved 10 November 2016 Al Wajba Castle Qatar Museums Authority Retrieved 4 July 2015 permanent dead link a b Museums and forts Ministry of Interior Qatar Archived from the original on 26 January 2015 Retrieved 4 July 2015 a b c Mohammad Jassim Al Kholaifi 2006 Traditional Architecture in Qatar Doha National Council for Culture Arts and Heritage pp 39 41 This article about a building or structure in Qatar is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Al Wajbah Fort amp oldid 1217505234, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
