Notes on Archaeological Discoveries from Qatar

By Sultan Muhesen and Faisal Al Naimi

Background

Qatar was once best known for pearls. In the twentieth century this gave way to oil. But the archaeological heritage of this state on the northeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula is swiftly being brought into the twenty-first century.

The first systematic archaeological fieldwork in Qatar was organized by a Danish team in the 1950s. This was followed by British work in 1960s and a French expedition in the 1970s. Further excavations were undertaken by Qatari teams in the 1980s and the 2000s. Since 2008 international missions have worked together with the Qatar Museums on projects around the country. These projects comprise:

The University of Birmingham working on the Qatar National Historical Environment Record (QNHER), a geospatial-database that combines data from survey, excavation and marine archaeology;

The University of Copenhagen, working on the Qatar Islamic Archaeology and Heritage (QIAH) project, which has undertaken survey and excavation in the eighteenth and nineteenth century pearl fishing town of Al Zubarah and the hinterland in advance of the successful UNESCO World Heritage nomination for Al Zubarah;

The University of Wales, who have been excavating at the twelfth — eighteenth century sites of Rubaiga and Ruwaida;

The German Archaeological Institute (DAI), which has been undertaking survey in south Qatar.

The outcome of these researches has been wide-ranging and significant. Many discoveries dated from prehistory to the modern era are changing our perception of Qatar’s past and its heritage, and have shown that Qatar is in fact more rich in archaeological remains than was previously thought. Geomorphological and palaeo-environmental research has also provided valuable information for understanding the palaeo-geography of Qatar, its landscape, resources, raw materials, and fresh water, and their important relationship to human settlements and archaeological sites over several millennia.

Archaeological results     

The image of Qatar’s past can be briefly summarized as follows:

Surface stone artifacts indicate some of the earliest known human occupation in Qatar, which can tentatively be attributed to middle/upper or late Paleolithic.

The first clearly documented prehistoric occupation is dated to the Neolithic period. This is termed PPNB (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B) in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, or Qatar B Neolithic in Qatar, and is evident from the beginning of the seventh to the end of the sixth millennium BC. The most characteristic tools are ‘blade-based’ flint arrowheads, naviform cores and blades, with key sites discovered at Aceila in the west, and Umm Tarqa (central Qatar), and Shagra (southeast Qatar).

The middle/late Neolithic period, fifth–fourth millennium BC sees an increase in the number of sites, probably representing increased occupation. The tone tools from this period include flint ‘barbed and tanged’ arrowheads, points, bifacial knives, as well as trade goods such as obsidian from eastern Turkey and painted ʿUbaid, pottery from Southern Mesopotamia. In addition, diorite and hematite were used for the production of axes and chlorite for vessels. A key site is Wādī Ḍebayʿān (northwest Qatar), which represents one of the most important sites of the period in the Gulf region. Sites of this period generally comprise surface workshops for flint knapping, surface scattered artifacts, burial complexes and a few occupation sites with evidence for structures.

By the end of fourth millennium there appears to be a decline in occupation with groups possibly becoming more mobile as the climate became more arid. Sites from this period mainly are comprised of burial cairns, flint workshops, and small temporary camps. Since these are often ephemeral, the development of chronologies and typologies for the classic, pre-Islamic, ages of settlement is a challenge for future researchers in Qatar. However, recent discoveries are leading us to consider that Qatar was probably continuously occupied from the Neolithic to the early Islamic periods.

The beginning of ninth century AD saw a gradual rise in population in Qatar. A key site of this period is Murwab(northwest Qatar), a once-thriving Abbasid town with houses, mosques and a fort. The rich material culture discovered to date includes high-status imported ceramics, tools, and coinage, and other materials.

Islamic occupation continued to rise during the following centuries, achieving its zenith in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This was a period when towns with dwellings, forts, mosques, and souqs flourished in several coastal and inland areas including Huweila, Ruwaida, Rubaiqa, and Jassasiyah. The enigmatic origins of the famous rock art at Jassasiyah also presents challenging questions for future archaeological researchers in Qatar.

Yet Al Zubarah remains the largest and most important archaeological site of the eighteenth/nineteenth century in Qatar. This iconic town was a main center for international trade and pearl fishing in the Gulf. It is also the best-preserved town of the period. The settlement comprises a fortified, outer wall and later inner wall, courtyards, harbor, suq, palatial compound and madbassas, structures used to produce date syrup.

Carvings into the plaster walls within structures depict sailing boats. Other features include a canal and the famous Zubarah fort. Excavations at Al Zubarah have produced an abundance of finds, including ceramics, tools, weapons, and jewelry, including imports from China and Europe. Other interesting finds include diving weights, wooden boxes for pearls, animal figurines, and soon. In 2013 Al Zubarah was inscribed as a World Heritage Site and is now under a systematic program of research, conservation, and protection according to World Heritage Convention regulations.

Marine archaeological research over the past four years has now added more than 70 sites to the QNHER database, including new shipwrecks located mainly off the north coast of Qatar. In addition, large areas of the submerged landscape have now been mapped providing information about former islands, estuaries, coastlines, and river valleys that were exposed during the lower sea levels.

The future of archaeological research in Qatar

Archaeological research in Qatar, spearheaded by the Qatar Museums, now has the potential to make cutting edge developments in heritage management at both regional and international levels. In particular the first heritage software and geospatial-database for the region represents a milestone in cultural resource management and empowers regional heritage managers with information about the location, condition, and threats to Qatari monuments.

Research over the past five years is both changing and challenging our understanding of Qatar’s past, yet many questions are still to be answered. It is clear that we are only just beginning to understand the nature of occupation during the Palaeolithic, while there are substantial gaps in the chronology for occupation sites in the Bronze and Iron Ages. We have now mapped and understand much more about the archaeological marine environment including new shipwrecks and submerged landscape features, and new rock art sites are still being discovered.

But there is still much to be done in all of these fields of research. Most importantly, the attention given over the past five years to managing the cultural resources of Qatar is placing this heritage in a central role for strategic planning in areas of research, public engagement, education, and tourism, while ensuring its protection for future generations.

Sultan Muhesen is Senior Advisor of Archaeology and Heritage at Qatar Museums. Faisal Al Naimi is-Director of Archaeology at Qatar Museums

For Further Reading

Al-Naimi F.A., Cuttler, R., Alhaidous, I.I., Momber, G., Al Naimi, S., Breeze, P. and Al Kawari, A.A. 2012. Landscape signatures and seabed characterisation in the marine environment of northwest Qatar. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 42.

Cuttler, R., Tetlow, E. and Al-Naimi, A.F. 2011, Assessing the value of palaeoenvironmental data and geomorphological processes for understanding late quaternary population dynamics in Qatar. Proceeding of the seminar for Arabian Studies, Vol.41, pp.47-60.

De Cardi, B. 1978. Qatar Archaeological Report.QNM/Oxford University press.

Dreschsler, P.H. et al.2013. Ceremonial objects or household items. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, Vol.24, pp.119-24.

Inizan, L.L.1988. Prehistoire a Qatar. Paris, Editions sur les Civilizations.

Kapel, H. 1967. Atlas of the Stone-Age Cultures of Qatar, Vol.1. Aarhus University Press.

Scott Jackson, J., Scott Jackson, W., Al Naimi, A.F., Tetlow, E. and Crassard, R. Forthcoming. The Stone Age of Qatar: new investigations, new finds. Proceeding of the seminar for Arabian Studies, Vol.44.

Al Khulaifi, J.2000, Archaeological sites and architectural heritage in Qatar, published by Qatar Antiquities, in Arabic

World Heritage in Qatar, Special Issue, World Heritage 72, 2014

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