Trip to Al Ruwais

There are really only three roads out of Doha: one to the north (Al Shamal: meaning “north” & also the name of the strong winter wind that occasionally blows from the north-west), one to the east which goes to Dukhan & the oilfields, & one to the south which ends up in Saudi Arabia. Last Saturday, we decided to explore the north & headed out at 08h.00 together with our friend Betty. The road is a monotonous four-lane highway that runs for 100 km to Al Ruwais, an active fishing port & our first destination. For the first 70 km there is nothing but construction on both sides, meaning many trucks & a lot of dust & sand in the air. The desert is everywhere & nowhere. Many wealthy Qataris have “farms” which can be glimpsed in the distance.

The “farm” is the Qatar version of a Canadian summer cottage & is a place to escape to at the weekend. There the comparison ends. These “farms” are luxury villas, set in extensive property & surrounded by high walls & palm trees. Some Qataris grow crops (even wheat) & dates for their own use or amusement. They own animals including camels, horses, & mini-zoos (gazelles, deer, cheetahs), as well as falcons for hunting. We did see two camels on the drive north but not where we expected to find them. Al Ruwais proved to be a bird-watcher’s delight, with huge numbers of shorebirds feeding at low tide. Among them the rare (in Qatar) Crab Plover. [In fact, it was so good that I returned next day to have a better look!] The Al Ruwais fishing port is still very active & feels much as it must have felt for the last two or three hundred years. Dhows are continually on the move, & individuals sell their catch to local buyers.

The town (population around 4,000) is very quiet & a huge contrast to Doha. It was very pleasant to spend a couple of hours just enjoying being there. After a picnic lunch, we headed along the coast road to the west to visit some of the deserted villages that can be found there. Most were deserted in the 1970s when economic conditions in Doha & the oilfields drew the inhabitants away. There is little to be seen today apart from remnants of the old buildings, the mosque tower, & piles of rubble.

There is nevertheless a romantic feel to being there & they are worth at least one visit. Al Gamel, Al Khuwair, & Al Areesh, may be abandoned but the coast is worth a visit. We were

horrified by the amount of rubbish washed ashore all along the high-tide line, mostly plastic bottles & plastic bags thrown from boats in the Arabian Gulf. So, we headed home passing the Fort at Al Zubara, which was built in 1938 & used by the military until the 1980s. It is now a museum but is closed on Saturdays!