Az Zubarah (الزبارة, Zubarah)

Zubarah, az Zubarah, or al Zubarah, was Qatar's premier settlement up to the end of the 19th century and Bahrain's ruling family, the Al-Khalifa, had controlled it for some 200 years. The Al-Thani family (from Qatar) contested it and frequent clashes were the result.

In 1938 the Al-Thani's finally took control over Zubara and constructed the al Zubarah Fort in order to be able to defend the town. The military used the fort up to well into the 1980s, but later it was turned into a museum. Items, mostly potsherds found around the fort, are on display in several rooms around the fort's courtyard.

At Zubarah you can also see the excavated remains of an ancient city. You can still see the remains of an inner and an outer wall, a harbour, a sea canal, screening walls, Qal'at Murair (Murair fort) and the forementioned al Zubarah Fort.

Zubarah was once an important trade and pearl-fishing center and there are numerous 18th and 19th century buildings in town. In all, Zubarah is an important place in Qatar's history, but only some ruins remain as a legacy.

There is no accommodation in Zubarah. The town is on Qatar's northwestern coast, some 105 km (65 mi) northwest of ad-Dauha (Doha). In 2013, Zubarah was inscriber into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.