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Theme Week Qatar – Al Wakrah

Friday, 26 August 2016 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Gulf States / Golfstaaten
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Al-Wakrah is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality. Al Wakrah’s eastern edge is the shores of the Persian Gulf. Governed by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, it was originally a small fishing and pearling village. Over the years, it evolved into a big town with a population of more than 90,000 and it is considered to be one of the major cities in Qatar. Historic architecture is abundant in Al Wakrah, particularly in its coastal areas, and it is captured in mosques, old homes and harbour. The house of Sheikh Ghanim Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, located on the beach, is considered to be an important historic landmark. This building has two storeys and its windows were designed to represent ornamental shapes. It was refurbished in 2004 under the supervision of the Restoration Departments of Qatar Museums Authority (QMA). Abdullah bin Saad House, formerly owned by Abdullah bin Saad Al Mutallaq, is located in a remote section on the south-east coast of the city and is considered to be a historic landmark. The house was constructed in the early 20th century; most likely around 1920. After the municipality assumed ownership of the house in 1984, it was renovated two years later and eventually re-opened as a museum.

Previously, Al Wakrah’s largest mosque was Al Ayouni Mosque, constructed around 1935. It was built near the coast because it was the most active and populated section of the city. After a new mosque was built closer to the main road, the mosque became defunct. It has a square shape, measures 16 m by 17 m, and lies 67 cm above ground elevation. A rare characteristic of the mosque is its single entrance on the east side; a majority of other mosques in Qatar constructed during this period had three entrances. The outdoor praying area is accessible from five pathways separated by narrow columns. Adjacent to this is the prayer hall, which can be accessed from three different entrances in the outdoor area. Abu Manaratain Mosque, a relatively small mosque, was erected in 1940 near the shore. It may have previously had two minarets, as its name indicates. It measures 27 m by 8 m. In the past, there was another mosque that neighbored Abu Manaratain on the west, but it was later disassembled. There are five entrances to the mosque. The minaret is funnel-shaped and extends 9 metres high. There is no outdoor praying area; only an indoor prayer hall is present. Built around 1940, the Al Subaiei Mosque, located near Al Wakrah Museum, has since been renovated, with older building materials being replaced by concrete blocks. It has been used contiguously since its construction. As a result of continuous additions and structural improvements, it now measures 22 m by 13 m. The minaret has a square base and extends 5.5 metres high.

The recreation area is currently being redeveloped. Plans for the area in the future include a wild life park and a country club. There is also going to be a “continuous public waterfront” offering activities for the public, two hotels and a golf course. A railway station will be located near the mosque, and there will also be a climate controlled underground pedestrian area. Al Wakrah’s New Downtown regional center has been divided into seven segments.

• The Wakrah Gateway is an exclusive zone for major government and public offices.
• South Square‘ will witness a mix of office complexes, residential apartments and middle and lower level retail outlets.
• The Festival Bay will be an exciting area marked by at least two resort hotels, business investment hotels, maritime museum at water front, marina, arts and cultural centre.
• Wakrah Sands will be dotted with family parks, recreation precincts, commercial and cultural complexes.
• Wakrah Residence is an area reserved for construction of multi-facility residential complexes.
• Wakrah College is an exclusive zone reserved for educational institutions.
• Wakrah Trade Center is meant for developing malls and retail outlets.

The master plan envisages Wakrah to be developed as a preferred waterfront destinations and a vibrant city where people would be really want to visit and stay over. Considering the city’s heritage history, a separate area will be developed as a heritage zone. Re-establishing Al Wakrah city’s historic core with distinctive sense of place and traditional architecture is another proposal. Construction of quality villas, regional parks, waterfront public spaces are among other projects planned as part of the model township in Al Wakrah.

A large quota of public parks and entertainment projects has been allocated for Al Wakrah. One of the most significant projects was Al Wakrah Heritage Village. The village includes Al Wakrah Souq, Al Wakrah Corniche and a gated mosque. It opened in December 2014, seven years after the project was launched. There are more than a hundred shops in the souq selling traditional crafts as well as several restaurants. The construction of the Wakrah Mall, the multi-storeyed mall located at the opposite to Al Wakra Hospital, was tentatively dated for completion by the end of 2015. It was launched by the Ezdan Group.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on Wikivoyage Al Wakrah and Wikipedia Al Wakrah. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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