Qal'at Murair (also Qal'at Im Murair) ( ar, قلعة مرير) is a ruined and deserted fortified castle located a mile and a half to the south eastern part of the town of
Zubarah
Zubarah ( ar, الزبارة), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha. ...
.
History
Qal'at Murair was built by the
Al Bin Ali
Al Bin Ali ( ar, آل بن علي) is a Sunni Arab sub-tribal confederation based in the Arab states especially in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
The Al bin Ali Al Utbi Tribe, is a descendant of the Origina ...
, main and principal
Utub
The Bani Utbah ( ar, بني عتبة, banī ʿUtbah, plural Utub; ar, العتوب ', singular Utbi; ar, العتبي ') is an Arab tribal confederation that originated in Najd. The confederation is thought to have been formed when a group o ...
tribe after their arrival to Zubarah from Kuwait.
It was built in attempt to thwart off challenges by the Al Musallam branch of the
Bani Khalid
Bani Khalid ( ar, بني خالد) is an Arab tribal confederation mainly inhabiting Eastern Arabia and Najd. The tribe ruled southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Eastern Arabia (al-Hasa and al-Qatif) from the 15th century to the 18th century, and agai ...
, who ruled over most of Qatar.
They initiated the
1783 Utub invasion of Bahrain from the fort.
Description of the fort
This castle was built 1500 meters outside the town of
Zubarah
Zubarah ( ar, الزبارة), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha. ...
with a channel and four walls lying between the town and the fort as well as a cemetery some 2100 meters outside the town.
It was a fortified unit to oversee and protect the town from any invaders. Inside the fort was a masjid known as Murair Masjid as well a well two fathoms deep, and outside the fort there are five wells one fathom deep, and all of its water is fresh.
[The Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman, and Central Arabia, John Gordon Lorimer, Volume II, Part 9 (Geographical & Statistical), 1905, p 1524]
See also
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Bani Utbah
The Bani Utbah ( ar, بني عتبة, banī ʿUtbah, plural Utub; ar, العتوب ', singular Utbi; ar, العتبي ') is an Arab tribal confederation that originated in Najd. The confederation is thought to have been formed when a group of ...
*
Zubarah
Zubarah ( ar, الزبارة), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha. ...
References
Al Shamal
Forts in Qatar
Disputed territories in the Persian Gulf
no:Al Zubarah
{{Forts in Qatar