Al Zubara Fort
Fort in Qatar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Zubara Fort (Arabic: حصن الزبارة), also known as Fort Zubarah, Zubarah Fort, Al Zubarah Fort, or Az Zubarah Fort, is a historic Qatari military fortress built under the oversight of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in 1938.[1][2]
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| Al Zubara Fort | |
|---|---|
حصن الزبارة | |
| Zubarah in Qatar | |
Al Zubara Fort. | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Historical Fortress |
| Owner | Qatar Government; Ministry of Tourism, Qatar Museums Authority |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Intact |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 25.9769°N 51.0454°E |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1938 |
| Built by | Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani |
| In use | 1938–mid 1980s |
| Materials | Compressed mud, coral rock, gypsum plaster, limestone, and wood |

History
Following the 1937 Qatari–Bahraini conflict, Al Zubara Fort was built by Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in 1938 to serve as a Coast Guard station, although some claim that it was built to serve as a police station.[3] It was built partially from the remnants of the ruined Qal'at Murair, which it effectively replaced.[4] It was later converted into a museum to display diverse exhibits and artwork, especially for contemporarily topical archaeological findings.[1][2]
Geography
Structure
Al Zubara Fort has a square courtyard surrounded by walls on all sides. The walls are 1 metre (3.3 ft) thick and were built by stacking pieces of coral rock and limestone using mud as a mortar, then coating the stack in a gypsum-based plaster. Three of the fort's corners have round towers with Qatari-style battlements whilst the fourth has a rectangular tower with machicolations. There's a 15 metres (49 ft) deep well in the courtyard.[1]
Eight rooms on the ground floor, which originally housed soldiers, are now used to house exhibits.[1]