Al Da'asa ( ar, دعسة) is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...
located on the western coast of
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
. It is the most extensive
Ubaid site in the country. It was excavated by a
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
team in 1961.
The site is theorized to have accommodated a small seasonal encampment, possibly a lodging for a hunting-fishing-gathering group who made recurrent visits. This is evidenced by the discovery of nearly sixty
hearths at the site, which may have been utilized to cure fish, in addition to flint tools such as
scrapers, cutters,
blades
A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...
and
arrow heads. Furthermore, many painted Ubaid potsherds and a
carnelian
Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a brownish-red mineral commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker (the difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often used ...
bead were found in the fire pits, suggesting overseas connections.
In the mid-1900s, after oil was discovered to the north in
Jebel Dukhan, the industrial city of
Dukhan
Dukhan ( ar, دخان) is a city in the western municipality of Al-Shahaniya in the State of Qatar. It is approximately west of the capital, Doha. Dukhan is administrated by Qatar's state oil agency QatarEnergy and is the site of the first oi ...
was formed to provide infrastructure and services for workers of the
Dukhan oil fields. A village was established at Al Da'asa for oil workers employed in Dukhan.
Etymology
According to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, the word 'Da'asa' is an
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
term used for
footpaths, being so named for an old footpath found here.
Archaeology
Discovery
Under the leadership of Danish
archaeologist Holger Kapel, several flint sites in Qatar were excavated from 1960 to 1964. Al Da'asa was the largest of these sites, and was discovered in 1961. A number of highly weathered potsherds were collected from the site for analysis. Shortly after, the site was revealed to a British excavation team who identified the potsherds as originating from the
Ubaid period
The Ubaid period (c. 6500–3700 BC) is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The name derives from Tell al-'Ubaid where the earliest large excavation of Ubaid period material was conducted initially in 1919 by Henry Hall and later by Leonard Wo ...
.
Excavations
In addition to the 1961 excavation led by Holger Kapel, the site was again excavated in 1978 by a team led by
Beatrice De Cardi.
Quern stone fragments, hearths and Ubaid pottery were discovered during the first excavation. A
carnelian
Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a brownish-red mineral commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker (the difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often used ...
bead and three fragments of red, non-Ubaid pottery, thought to originate from the Arabian coast, were also among the discoveries.
Occupation
Al Da'asa's residents are thought to have comprised fishermen or merchants from
Ur. However, the stone tools uncovered are consistent with tools used elsewhere in Arabia during the Ubaid period and bear no resemblance to the tools used in southern
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
.
Posthole
In archaeology a posthole or post-hole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide; however, truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive, most ...
s, meant for tents or huts, were noticed by the excavators. The mass number of
hearths suggest mass activity took place during its occupational period, and may be attributed to a relatively sizable population in which each family cooked in a separate fire pit.
[Abdul Nayeem (1998). p. 118] Another possibility is that the hearths were made to cure and dry large amounts of fish.
Recent history
A village was established here in 1956 to provide housing for oil workers employed in the
Dukhan
Dukhan ( ar, دخان) is a city in the western municipality of Al-Shahaniya in the State of Qatar. It is approximately west of the capital, Doha. Dukhan is administrated by Qatar's state oil agency QatarEnergy and is the site of the first oi ...
industrial city. By 1990, the house had around 70 households. Aside from the oil industry, some of its inhabitants made their living from fishing and selling their catch in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...
.
References
{{Archaeological sites in Qatar
Archaeological sites in Qatar
Ubaid period
Al-Shahaniya