![Reliefkarte Katar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Reliefkarte_Katar.png)
The Qatar–Saudi Arabia border is 87 km (54 mi) in length and runs from the
Gulf of Bahrain
The Gulf of Bahrain is an inlet of the Persian Gulf on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, separated from the main body of water by the peninsula of Qatar. It surrounds the islands of Bahrain. The King Fahd Causeway crosses the western section of the ...
coast in the west to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
coast in the east.
Description
The border begins in the west at the
Gulf of Salwah
The Gulf of Salwah (Dawhat Salwah) is the southern portion of the Gulf of Bahrain. The Gulf of Salwah is a narrow bay separating the peninsula of Qatar from Saudi Arabia. It is bordered to the west by a well-vegetated shoreland containing palm tree ...
, proceeding overland via 4-5 straight lines (maps differ on the precise depiction) which forms a broad arc, terminating in the east at the
Khawr al Udayd
Khawr al Udayd, ( ar, خور العديد; also spelled Khor al Adaid and Khor al-‘Udeid) is a settlement and inlet of the Persian Gulf located in Al Wakrah Municipality in southeast Qatar, on the border with Saudi Arabia. It is known to loca ...
coast.
Qatar–United Arab Emirates border
![United Arab Emirates Topography](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/United_Arab_Emirates_Topography.png)
Prior to the signing of the 1974
Treaty of Jeddah between Saudi Arabia and the UAE there was some confusion as to whether Qatar shared a border with the UAE, with maps commonly depicting a long Emirati panhandle touching Qatar. This Treaty gave Saudi Arabia access to the Khawr al Udayd, thereby removing any the possibility of Qatar sharing a border with the UAE.
History
Historically there was no clearly defined boundary in this part of the
Arabian peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
. From 1868 Britain exercised control over Qatar as a de facto protectorate, formalised as such in 1916. The interior of Arabia consisted of loosely organised Arab groupings, occasionally forming emirates, most prominent of which was the
Emirate of Nejd and Hasa
The Emirate of Nejd and Hasa was the second iteration of the Third Saudi State from 1913 to 1921. It was a monarchy led by the House of Saud.Madawi Al-Rasheed. (2002). ''A History of Saudi Arabia''. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University P ...
ruled by the
al-Saud
The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...
family.
[ Madawi Al-Rasheed. ''A History of Saudi Arabia''. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Pp. 40.] Britain and the Ottoman Empire theoretically divided their realms of influence via the so-called '
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
' and '
Violet lines' in 1913–14.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
an
Arab Revolt
The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On t ...
, supported by Britain, succeeded in removing the Ottomans from much of the Middle East; in the period following this Ibn Saud managed to expand his kingdom considerably, eventually proclaiming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. Ibn Saud refused to recognise the Anglo-Ottoman lines and lay claim to large parts of the eastern Arabian hinterland (the so-called ‘Hamza line’).
![Sketch map illustrating Qatari Saudi border dispute](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Sketch_map_illustrating_Qatari_Saudi_border_dispute.jpg)
On 25 November 1935 British officials met with Ibn Saud in an attempt to finalise a frontier between the new kingdom and their coastal protectorates, including Qatar. The conference proved abortive however and the issue remained unresolved.
According to a British document written in 1936, the prime cause of friction in the territorial dispute revolved around where Qatar's south-west borders should end. The rulers of both Qatar and Saudi Arabia claimed that their control of the Dohat Salwa area had historical precedent, however, Ibn Saud claimed that the Sheikh of Qatar had previously ceded to him this territory, to which the Sheikh vehemently denied. The letter stated:
The conference proved abortive however and the issue remained unresolved.
In 1955, following
an attempt by Saudi Arabia to assert its control over the
Buraimi Oasis
ar, وَاحَة ٱلْبُرَيْمِي, Wāḥat Al-Buraymī
, native_name_lang = ar
, image_skyline = Mezyad Fort.jpg
, image_caption = Mezyad Fort in Al Ain (UAE), with Jebel Hafeet, which is partially in the Omani Governorate ...
on the
Oman-Trucial States border, Britain stated that it would unilaterally use a slightly modified version of the 1935 'Riyadh line' henceforth.
A border treaty between Qatar and Saudi Arabia was made in 1965, though the precise terms of its implementation was a long-standing point of contention between the two.
In September 1992, tensions arose between the two when Saudi forces allegedly attacked a Qatari border post, resulting in the death of two Qatari soldiers and the imprisonment of a third. A border agreement was reached between the two parties in 1999 and the final treaty was signed in 2001.
Following a
severe deterioration in
Saudi-Qatar relations in 2017 the border was shut. In June 2018 Saudi Arabia announced that it is planning on constructing a 61 km (38 mi) long
Salwa Canal
The Salwa Canal was a proposed shipping route and tourism project through Saudi Arabia along its border with Qatar, effectively turning the latter into an island. The project appears to be abandoned for the present.
Background
In June 2017, S ...
running along the Saudi side of the Salwa Border Crossing at a cost of $745 million. The canal is set to physically separate Qatar from its only land border and effectually render it an island. Media outlets in Saudi Arabia hinted at the possibility of the Saudi government dedicating portions of the canal towards a military installation and a dump site for nuclear waste. The border was reopened on 4 January 2021, in November 2021, the border was re-demarcated, with Qatar gaining the southern shore of the
Khawr al Udayd
Khawr al Udayd, ( ar, خور العديد; also spelled Khor al Adaid and Khor al-‘Udeid) is a settlement and inlet of the Persian Gulf located in Al Wakrah Municipality in southeast Qatar, on the border with Saudi Arabia. It is known to loca ...
.
Border Crossings
*
Abu Samra
Abu Samra ( ar, أبو سمرة, Abū Samrah) is a settlement in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan (90 km away from Doha). It used to be part of the Jariyan al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated int ...
See also
*
Qatar-Saudi Arabia relations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qatar-Saudi Arabia border
Borders of Qatar
Borders of Saudi Arabia
International borders