Ras Abrouq
رأس أبروق
Sandstone cliffs at the cape
Sandstone cliffs at the cape
Ras Abrouq is located in Qatar
Ras Abrouq
Ras Abrouq
Location in Qatar
Coordinates: 25°34′41″N 50°50′46″E / 25.57806°N 50.84611°E / 25.57806; 50.84611
Country Qatar
MunicipalityAl-Shahaniya
ZoneZone 72
District no.203
Area
[1]
 • Total11.6 sq mi (30.1 km2)
Time zoneUTC+3 (AST)

Ras Abrouq (Arabic: رأس أبروق; also known as Bir Zekreet)[2] is the northernmost extension of the Zekreet Peninsula, a stretch of land to the north of Dukhan in Qatar.[3] It has a beach of the same name[2] and various archaeological sites. Since the 21st century it has functioned as a tourist site.[2]

Large parts of its territory are legally protected areas that are dedicated to a nature reserve for wild deer.[4] Richard Serra's East-West/West-East sculpture was completed in Brouq Nature Reserve in 2014 at the behest of the Qatar Museums Authority.[5]

Etymology

In Arabic, the word "ras" translates to "head", and in this context is used to refer to a cape. The other constituent, "abrouq", is derived from the nearby range of light-colored hills in the Zekreet Peninsula (also known as the Abrouq Peninsula).[3]

Its name is also spelled as Ras Broog.[3]

Location

Ras Abrouq is a cape located on the tip of the Zekreet Peninsula near the city of Dukhan. It is 70 km west of the Qatari capital of Doha.[6] Located south of Ras Abrouq is the village of Zekreet. [3]

Archaeology

Ras Abrouq is one of the most extensive Neolithic sites in Qatar. It has one of the highest proportions of Ubaid potsherds in Qatar.[7] Excavations in the 1970s revealed a ring-like structure, hearths, Ubaid pottery, cairns, and stone tools dating to the Neolithic period. Many fish bones and snail shells were also recovered.[8] G.H. Smith, an excavator of the site, suggested that it was a seasonal encampment and that its inhabitants had trade relations with nearby civilizations.[8][9]

Further archaeological excavations yielded Barbar ceramics originating from the Dilmun civilization dating to the third millennium BC.[10] A number of chambered cairns dating to the same period contained 108 beads made of stone and shell.[11]

Excavations conducted during the mid-20th century uncovered potsherds of Seleucid characteristic and a cairnfield consisting of 100 burial mounds dating to the 3rd century BC.[12][13] The relatively large number of cairns suggest a sizable sea-faring community prevailed in the area during this period.[14]

Further excavations revealed a fishing station dating to c. 140 BC which was used by foreign vessels to dry fish during the Sasanian period.[15] A number of stone structures and large quantities of fish bones were recovered from the site.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "District Area Map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Natural Landmarks Archived 3 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Qatar Tourism
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Geographic Information System". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Ras Abrouq Rock Formations". National Tourism Council (Qatar). Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  5. ↑ "Serra in the desert". ArtForum International. September 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "Tourist attractions". Ministry of Interior of Qatar. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Abdul Nayeem, Muhammad (1998). Qatar Prehistory and Protohistory from the Most Ancient Times (Ca. 1,000,000 to End of B.C. Era). Hyderabad Publishers. p. 182. ISBN 9788185492049.
  8. 1 2 Abdul Nayeem (1998), p. 118.
  9. ↑ De Cardi, Beatrice (1978). Qatar Archaeological Report. Excavations 1973. Oxford University Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780199200788.
  10. ↑ Abdul Nayeem (1998), p. 197
  11. ↑ Abdul Nayeem (1998), p. 211.
  12. ↑ "History of Qatar" (PDF). www.qatarembassy.or.th. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatar. London: Stacey International, 2000. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  13. ↑ Kapel, Holger (1967). Atlas of the stone-age cultures of Qatar. p. 12.
  14. 1 2 Casey, Paula; Vine, Peter (1991). The heritage of Qatar (print ed.). Immel Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 978-0907151500.
  15. ↑ Rahman, Habibur (2006). The Emergence Of Qatar. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 978-0710312136.
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