Historical Al Rekayat Fort in Qatar is Ready to Welcome Visitors

After the full completion of its restoration, Qatar Museums (QM) announced that the historic Al Rekayat Fort, which is 110 km from Doha and situated in the northeast of the Qatar peninsula and 8 km to the northwest of Al Zubarah, will soon be included in tourist itineraries related to introducing the State of Qatar's heritage in terms of defensive architecture.

Adel Al Moslamani, Director of QM's Cultural Heritage Conservation, stated during a special tour of the historic Al Rekayat Fort for Qatar News Agency (QNA), "After highlighting what has been accomplished in it, the Fort is willing to handle visitors and to be linked to the tourist movement in general in the northern areas, emphasizing that its interior design provides the organization of cultural and tourist events under particular conditions that prevent damage from occurring,"

Al Rekayat Fort (which means "well" in Arabic) is one of the oldest and most significant desert forts in Qatar, according to historical sources. Al Moslamani clarified that this is because of the fort's distinctive local architectural style, which paved the way for its historical integration into the local environment of the country.

He continued by saying that since the fort contains a freshwater well, it is thought that it was constructed to guard the region's important water supply.

He pointed out that the fort has three rectangular towers and one circular one, is surrounded by the scattered ruins of a settlement, and has short rooms without windows but with entrances that lead to the courtyard on its three north, east, and west sides. He remarked that the southern wall contains the fort's primary entrance.

The fort's preservation and restoration work was completed in September 2021, according to the Director of QM's Cultural Heritage Conservation, who stated as much in a statement to QNA. The fort's outdoor lighting utilized solar energy to power its external lighting sources at the beginning of the restoration work, which started in October 2020.

Al Moslamani emphasized that the 1988 restoration, which has become an essential part of the fort's history, was respected in order to restore the fort to its original form. Additionally, a mobile service building was built outside the fort and on a nearby site to accommodate visitors. In the current restoration, the use of traditional and authentic building materials was supplemented with modern techniques, particularly with regard to insulation materials, in a way that did not adversely influence the traditional building materials, he said.

He emphasized that the ceilings were repaired utilizing the same elements in accordance with the regional Qatari architecture style.

During the 9th meeting of the Heritage Committee of ISESCO in June 2021, Al Rekayat Fort joined the two Qatari archaeological sites—Barzan Towers and Al Khulaifi Heritage House—on the Islamic World Heritage List.