History
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A document detailing Al Wakrah's formation and Kemball's account written by Lewis Pelly, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, in 1863
Satellite imagery of Al Wakrah taken in 2009.
Formation[edit]
Arnold Burrowes Kemball, a British Political Resident, wrote with reference to Al Wakrah in 1845, providing significant historical context for the town's establishment. According to Kemball's account, Al Wakrah did not exist at the time of Persian Gulf resident John MacLeod's 1822 survey of Qatar's east coast. He states that the town was founded by Ali bin Nasir, chief of the Ajman tribe, who had previously resided in Al Bidda (modern Doha). Following a dispute with the Bahraini ruler, Ali bin Nasir and his followers faced the destruction of their dwellings in Al Bidda and the threat of forcible relocation to Bahrain. To evade this punitive measure, they established their new settlement at the foot of Jebel Al Wakrah. Architectural evidence suggests that Al Wakrah may have served as the first urban centre of Qatar.
Al Khalifa rule[edit]
In 1851, the Battle of Mesaimeer took place in Mesaimeer, to the west of Al Wakrah. The conflict primarily involved Qatari forces led by Mohammed bin Thani and Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, then under Bahraini suzerainty, against the invading army of Faisal bin Turki, Imam of Emirate of Nejd, who was seeking to stage his third invasion attempt of Bahrain from the peninsula. Bahraini and Abu Dhabi forces, nominally allied with Qatar, remained largely uninvolved in the fighting. The battle lasted from 2 June to 4 June of that year, with the Qatari leader Mohammed bin Thani agreeing to a separate peace agreement with Faisal bin Turki, angering his former Bahraini allies.
On 25 July, 1851, a peace agreement was reached between the Bahrainis and Wahhabis. The resulting accord stipulated that Ali bin Khalifa would pay 4,000 German krones annually as zakat to Faisal, while the latter agreed to restore Al Bidda Fort to Ali bin Khalifa and to abstain from interference in Qatari affairs or on behalf of Abdullah bin Ahmed's sons. However, the chief of Al Wakrah, Rashid bin Faddal, objected to this agreement, preferring to stay under Wahhabi rule. As a result, he left Qatar, migrating to the coast of Fars.
In 1863, the Bahraini ruler Muhammad bin Khalifa sent his cousin Mohammed bin Ahmed to act as deputy emir of Qatar. The Qataris soon compelled him to return to Bahrain after he arrested and deported the ruler of Al Wakrah, as well as many other notables from the town to Bahrain. The incident was reported by the Acting Political Resident in a dispatch dated 13 April 1863. According to the dispatch, the reason given for the evacuation was to eliminate a haven for debtors and disreputable characters who were perceived as detrimental to trade and peace in the region.
In 1866, an event known as the Al Wakrah Incident occurred. Bahrain arrested a Qatari Bedouin of the Na'im tribe in Al Wakrah market and deported him to Bahrain. The caravan, preparing for the customary pearl diving expedition, was attacked and its goods confiscated. When resistance was offered, the Na'im leader, Ali bin Thamer, was apprehended and sent to Bahrain. Upon his arrival, he was incarcerated.
In 1867, the Na'im tribal elders appealed to Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani for assistance, recognizing his growing influence and reputation for justice. Jassim mobilized a general levy of Qatari forces and marched on Al Wakrah, seeking to apprehend the Bahraini representative Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, who took shelter in Al Wakrah Fort. The besieging forces intensified their efforts to the point where they nearly captured the fortress. Lacking sufficient defensive capabilities, Ahmed was compelled to flee to Al Khuwayr, a location in the northern part of mainland Qatar, from where he dispatched a message to the ruler of Bahrain reporting the events.
Qatari–Bahraini War[edit]
Main article: Qatari–Bahraini War
In an act of deception, the Al Khalifa then lured Jassim to Bahrain in 1867, by writing a letter admonishing the Bahraini representative assuring him that no ill will was harbored towards Jassim. He also released the Na'im chief, Ali bin Thamer. However, upon his arrival, he was imprisoned. Following this, Muhammad bin Khalifa assembled a naval fleet to raid Qatar, sparking the Qatari–Bahraini War.
Bahrain succeeded in gaining support from Abu Dhabi, as Doha and Al Wakrah have long been harbors of refuge for Omani seceders, and launched a naval assault. As a result, Al Wakrah, along with neighboring Doha, was sacked by the combined Bahraini and Abu Dhabi forces that year in an incident commonly known as the Second Destruction of Doha. A British record later stated "the towns of Doha and Wakrah were, at the end of 1867 temporarily blotted out of existence, the houses being dismantled and the inhabitants deported".
Far view of Jebel Al Wakrah, site of the final confrontation between Bahraini and Qatari forces
In June 1868, the Qataris attempted to launch a counterattack against the Bahrainis, but, were defeated in the Battle of Damsah. The aftermath of the Battle of Damsah saw the Qatari forces execute a strategic withdrawal, prompting a pursuit by Bahraini troops to Al Wakrah. At this location, the Qatari contingent mounted a defense in the Battle of Jebel Wakrah, successfully encircling the Bahraini forces and capturing two of their commanders. The engagement concluded with a negotiated exchange of prisoners, following which Jassim bin Mohammed returned to his seat of power in Doha.
As a result of the war, in 1868, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Pelly, the British Resident in Bahrain, issued a warrant for a Mohammed bin Khalifa's arrest and effectively deposed him as hakim of Bahrain. Pelly traveled to Al Wakrah, where he met with Mohammed bin Thani and signed a landmark agreement in which the British recognized the Al Thani as the rulers of Qatar.
Ottoman rule (1871–1916)[edit]
19th century[edit]
Old dhow in Al Wakrah at morning.
Almost immediately after Qatar succumbed to Ottoman control, Major Ömer Bey compiled a report on the major towns in the peninsula. The article, published in January 1872, reflected on the depopulation of Al Wakrah resulting from the war by estimating a meager population of 400 while approximating the town's fleet at 50 ships. Abu Al-Qassim Munshi, a British resident in Qatar, wrote a memo regarding the districts of Qatar in 1872. In it, he mentions that "in the year 1218 [1803 in the Gregorian calendar], Al Wakrah was ruled by the Al-Boo-Aynain tribe", although J. G. Lorimer claims that the Al Buainain tribe migrated to Al Wakrah from Ar Ru'ays and Fuwayrit sometime after 1828.
In 1885, a group of 100 Al Wakra natives from the Al-Buainain and Al-Jehran tribes left the town and settled at Al Ghariyah due to a dispute with Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani. A coalition, led by Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab, was formed to resist Sheikh Jassim. A meeting was summoned between Sheikh Jassim and Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab and the discussion was mediated by an Ottoman commander of an Al Bidda-situated gunboat. The Ottoman commander's proposal that the coalition be left alone infuriated Sheikh Jassim. This incited tribesmen loyal to Sheikh Jassim to attack Al Ghariyah, but they were defeated, with the Bani Hajer tribe suffering a few casualties.
In August 1887, during the Qatari–Abu Dhabi War, Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi lodged a formal complaint with British authorities regarding a maritime incident involving Qatari vessels. According to Zayed's account, a baghlah originating from Al Wakrah allegedly engaged in acts of piracy. The vessel was reported to have first plundered a Bahraini boat in the vicinity of Ashat Island. Subsequently, the same vessel approached a baghlah crewed by members of the Qubaisi tribe, who were engaged in pearl diving activities. The report states that the Qubaisi divers, unaware of the impending threat, were caught off guard. The aggressors opened fire on the Qubaisi vessel, resulting in the death of a crew member identified as Ashkan. Zayed attributed this act of aggression to the instigation of Jassim bin Mohammed, the de facto ruler of Qatar, and Ali bin Rashid of Al Wakrah.
A British survey conducted on the area in 1890 asserted that the town, still suffering from the effects of the 1867 war, had since been rebuilt. The surveyors wrote that the Al Wakrah had 12 forts, at least 1,000 inhabitants, and several boats. Jebel Al Wakrah, an 26 m (85 ft) high rocky hill, was noted 1 mi (1.6 km) south of the town.
20th century[edit]
A conflict occurred off the coast of Al Wakrah in 1900 between individuals of the Al Bin Ali tribe and Amamara tribe after a fleet of Amamara vessels were blown into the Al Bin Ali's ships by strong winds. A relative of Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani defused the situation after the initial exchange of gunfire and no casualties were recorded. Nonetheless, the British Political Resident arrived in Al Wakrah that year and issued a 1,000 rupee fine to the Al Bin Ali tribe after his investigation found them guilty.
At the end of 1902, the Ottomans installed Ottoman administrative officials in Al Wakrah and Zubarah in an attempt to assert their authority. This was in addition to the already existing Ottoman administrative officials in Doha. An Ottoman, Yusuf Bey, was appointed as Mudir of Al Wakrah in the spring of 1903. Due to British discontent, Yusuf Bey's appointment was short-lived, and he was later called to act as the assistant Kaymakam of Qatar and did not return to Al Wakrah. Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was appointed as Mudir by the Ottomans in place of Yusuf Bey the same year. This elicited fresh protests by the British government, who refused the Ottoman's rights to appoint any administrative official in Qatar. In November 1904, the Ottomans abolished the post altogether upon further urging by the British.
Al Wakrah Fort in 1908.
From December 1907, there was a series of disputes between the governor, Sheikh Abdulrahman, and the Al-Buainain tribe. The Al-Buainain tribe had objected to paying the annual boat tax, and in reprisal, the sheikh fined the tribe 10,000 Qatari riyals and expelled 6 of the tribe's leaders. As retribution, one of the tribe leader's sons attempted to shoot Sheikh Abdulrahman. His attempt was foiled, and he was imprisoned; however, he was later forgiven and released in return for the payment of the tax. The Al Buainains later sent an envoy, Ahmed bin Khater, to the Ottomans in Basra to request that a military garrison be erected in Al Wakrah to help accost the sheikh of Qatar, Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani. The envoy returned with two letters from the Ottomans addressed to Jassim bin Mohammed. A fortnight later, the Al-Buainain tribe appealed to a Mutasarrıf of Al-Hasa, Mahir Pasha. This reinvigorated tensions between the British and the Ottomans due to the British perception that this provided the Ottomans an opportunity to exert more authority over the Qatar Peninsula.
British diplomat J. G. Lorimer describes Al Wakrah in his Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia, first published in 1908. His account states that the town accommodated 250 houses and had a population of roughly 1,000. It was said to be located 10 mi (16 km) away from one of Qatar's primary pearling villages, Al Bidda. The records also stated that the town's original inhabitants were migrants from Al Bidda. Al Wakrah was described as "independent of Bidda and other towns; and as thriving and more cheerful in appearance than Bidda, to which it was equal in size".
British protectorate (1916–1971)[edit]
Shell Roundabout in Al Wakrah in 2010.
A British survey carried out in 1925 recounts Al Wakrah in exhaustive detail. Concerning the infrastructure and borders, it asserts that most houses in Al Wakrah were made of mud and stone, as no other building materials were available. The town originally formed a compact block, but in the preceding years a detached quarter known as Rumailah sprung up about 800 yards (730 m) northward. There were 8,000 inhabitants at the time of the census, with 2,000 individuals belonging to the Al-Buainain tribe, 1,500 Huwala people, 850 members of the Al-Khulaifat tribe, 1,000 black Africans, and 2,000 black African slaves. Other ethnic groups and tribes comprised the remaining 650 inhabitants. The Al-Khulaifat and Al-Maadeed tribes were described as being the sole inhabitants of the Rumailah quarter. The report also described the inhabitants of Al Wakrah as primarily being pearl divers, sailors, and fishermen. It further reported Al Wakrah as being a market place with 75 shops.
Post declaration of independence[edit]
Harbor in Al Wakrah.
After Qatar became independent in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani assumed control of the state in February 1972. One of his main policies was the decentralization of Qatar's housing and major infrastructure projects. To promote growth outside of Doha, in 1972 he ordered the construction of a jetty and approach channel in Al Wakrah.
The city's first park, Al Wakrah Public Park, was completed during the mid-1980s. Furthermore, during the 1980s, the Municipal Council of Al Wakrah Municipality initiated major beach clean-ups, the construction of new roundabouts, and the naming of unmarked streets. In March 1986, the Ministry of Public Works signed a deal to build a secondary school for boys in Al Wakrah at a cost of QR 12.9 million.
An urban development plan was enacted in Al Wakrah in 2008. The most prominent features of this plan were the development of Al Wakra Beach, the development of the city center, and the expansion of the southern portion of the city. The plan's main purpose was to improve the infrastructure in order to accommodate more than 600,000 residents.
Al Janoub Stadium, a retractable-roof football stadium and was inaugurated on 16 May 2019. This was the second of the eight stadiums built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, after the renovation of Khalifa International Stadium. It was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016) together with the firm AECOM.
At a press conference held at the Ministry of Education in September 2017, it was announced that Al Wakrah joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities , becoming the first Qatari city to do so. Al Wakra received the UNESCO Learning City Award in 2021 for its provision of educational opportunities to its residents. The city was also recognized for the formation of a Worker's Support and Insurance Fund, sustainability and recycling programs, and a workers' education program in which free personal computers were allocated.
