Al Zubarah fort (Zubara Fort)

Al Zubara Fort, also known as Fort Zubara, Zubara Fort, Al Zubarah Fort, or Az Zubara Fort, is a historic Qatari military fortress built under the oversight of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in 1938. Al Zubara Fort was originally built by Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani in 1938 to serve as a Coast Guard station, although some utter that it was built to serve as a police station. It was later renovated into a museum to display diverse exhibits and artworks, most especially for contemporarily topical archaeological findings. Al Zubara Fort is situated in the ancient town of Zubarah, which in turn is located on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, and is about 105 km from the Capital of Qatar. Adjacent to the walled coastal town of Al Zubarah, this 20th-century fort is the youngest and most prominent feature of the Al Zubarah Archaeological Site, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A pristine example of a typical Arab fort, its one-meter-thick walls warded off invaders and helped keep rooms cool during the hot summer. This important site houses residential palaces, mosques, courtyard houses, fishermen’s huts, streets, double defensive walls, a harbor, a canal, and cemeteries.