# Abandoned Villages Offer a Glimpse of Qatar's Humble Past > Qatar's deserted fishing villages preserve traces of the country's humble past. Here is where to see the life that existed before the oil boom. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/zabroshenne-horoda-daiut-predstavlenye-o-skromnom-proshlom-katara/ - Language: en - Published: 2025-02-03 - Categories: Culture, Historic Sites, Museums, Beaches, Tours, Qatar --- Behind a small arched doorway, a narrow spiral staircase winds up to the top of a weathered minaret that still stands tall, even as nearly everything around it has crumbled away. Inside a tiny room at the top of the round tower, four small windows open onto a long-abandoned landscape. On one side, the crumbling ruins of old fishermen's houses, most without a roof, door or window, stretch along the turquoise coastline. On the other lies the Qatari desert. This is Al Jumail, one of several deserted villages scattered across Qatar's northwestern coast. The remains of these little-known "ghost towns" offer a fascinating window into life in centuries past, before Qatar's remarkable oil-and-gas-fueled economic boom began drawing people away from its small traditional villages toward the ever-expanding modern capital of Doha. Though little is known about its origins, Al Jumail dates back to the second half of the 19th century, according to Qatar Museums. The extensive remains of houses and other structures point to the importance of the village, one of the oldest settlements in the area, which stayed inhabited well into the last century. ## Fishing and Pearl Diving ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-46-1-2024.jpg) Most of the economic activity of Al Jumail's residents, along with the inhabitants of other entirely abandoned neighboring villages, was tied to the sea. "These are fishing villages, so the houses are built slightly above the tide line," says Ronald William Hawker, an expert on the architecture of the Persian Gulf. "The tidal flats in front of the villages are filled with fish traps that caught fish at low tide. The surrounding waters were shallow, so they most likely used smaller boats that could move through shallow water and around the various reefs, rocks and tidal currents," he adds. East-West/West-East and the Zekreet Peninsula Most people in the Gulf had several key seasonal ways of earning a living, with pearl diving, one of Qatar's main sources of income before the discovery of oil in the 1930s, taking place over four summer months. "Their whole life was connected to the sea," says Jumana Bashir Al Hamad in a video shown at the striking, newly built National Museum of Qatar, part of a series of clips featuring elderly Qataris documenting aspects of the country's history. "We started work from the first morning star until the maghrib prayer (sunset)," recalls Ahmed Mohammed Srour. "We never rested or napped. There was no breakfast, and not even lunch. The only meal was at dinner," usually rice and fish, if the latter was available. ## An Organic Community Design ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-46-2-2024.jpg) Back then, most residents of coastal towns moved into the Qatari desert in winter, setting up camp with their animals at various oases across the peninsula. In summer, they returned to their homes by the water along the western, northern and eastern coasts, to villages such as Al Areesh, Al Huwaila, Al Ghariya and Al Mafjar, among others. The layout and organizational principles of these towns and villages were shaped largely by the surrounding environment and Islamic traditions, with mosques playing a central role. In Al Jumail, most dwellings were courtyard houses that faced inward. They had relatively high walls and staggered entrances designed to block any view into the courtyard and the private family spaces. Food was cooked over wood fires, people's diet consisted mainly of rice and fish, and dates were used as a substitute for sugar. "People grouped together according to their extended family," says Hawker. "They weren't allowed to build in a way that let them look into their neighbors' courtyards. That gives the overall community design a more organic layout compared to the grid systems favored by Western architects." The construction of these northwestern coastal settlements reveals multiple phases and includes techniques that both predate and follow the era of oil concessions. Older building methods combine a foundation of beach stone or coral with limestone plaster for the walls. "Both are typical of the region," says Hawker, noting that Al Jumail has also changed over the years thanks to its occasional use as a filming location. Al Zubarah: A Vanished Port and a Gateway to Qatar's Past "These villages are the last breath of the old building system, before life came to revolve entirely around the oil and gas industry, and they embody Islamic law and its concept of the physical arrangement of society," he adds. Free to visit, the ruins of Al Jumail and the surrounding villages are clearly marked with signs on the main road leading to Al Zubarah, Qatar's only UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important centers of pearl diving and trade in the region during the 18th century. Although they can be reached in an ordinary car, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended for the few kilometers of off-road driving.