History of Qatar

103
Introduction
Lusail University
Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
Spring 2025

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 The Geography of Qatar

Qatar is located between latitudes 24° and 26° N and longitudes 50° and 51° E.
It is situated in the middle of the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
It forms a small peninsula overlooking the western coast of the Arabian Gulf.
It has a palm-like shape, surrounded by water on three sides, with the southern
border connected to Saudi Arabia.
Qatar lies within the northern desert region.
It is positioned between the three continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa, making
it a gateway for Arab tribes’ migrations.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 This location has made the sea an important source of living and wealth for the people, especially in terms of
.trade routes, maritime transport, pearling, and fishing

.This has led to the establishment of developed coastal villages

.Qatari people worked in grazing in the summer and pearl diving in the winter

.The diving season is from Spring to Fall

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 Qatar is a sandy, rocky plain where some grasses and trees
grow. The rest of the soil consists of sand dunes known as
”NIQYAN”.

Qatar consists of rocks and desert, with the northern part being
low-lying.

The highest hill is Jabal Qurain, standing at 103 meters.

This area has a group of wells.

The population is concentrated on the eastern coast, where they

Movement and instability occur due to the lack of water.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 A Brief History of Qatar Through the Ages
A- Qatar in the Ancient Era:

European archaeological missions began working in Qatar in the mid-20th century, starting with the
Danish mission, which published a volume on its discoveries of Stone Age tools.

This was followed by French and English missions.

The Danish mission found many stone tools, tombs, and writings on rocks, belonging to the
civilizations of the Ancient, Middle, and Modern Stone Ages.

There is little information available about Qatar compared to ancient countries and peoples.

Although there is a site called "Qataria" mentioned by the Roman historian Belanius, little is said in
praise of the people of the country.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 The Roman historian Pliny said that the first to live in Qatar and its
neighboring areas were the Aramean tribes.

The Greek geographer Ptolemy cited a map of the Arab countries where the
name "Katara" appeared.

It is said that some of its remains can be found near Zubarah.

Alexander of Macedon sent an expedition that reached Ras Musandam ( near

His Seleucid successors also showed interest in the region.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 :B- Qatar in the Islamic Era
Qatar is also mentioned in the writings of Arab writers and geographers such as:

Al-Firouzabadi in "The Ocean Dictionary”.

From the 4th century BC until the 16th century AD, Qatar was located within the so-called "country of
Bahrain" or "region of Bahrain," which extended from Basra to Oman.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 Qatar received the message of Islam towards the end of the life of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon
him) when he sent Al-Ala Al-Hadrami in the 8th year of migration to the Country of Bahrain to meet its
ruler, Al-Mundhir bin Sawi Al-Tamimi.
Al-Mundhir encouraged the people to embrace Islam, and most of the people of Bahrain, particularly from
the tribe of Abdul Qais, who favored stability, converted.
The tribe of Bakr bin Wael remained attached to a nomadic lifestyle.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, Abdul Qais was divided into two groups: one that
stayed Muslims and another left Islam ( apostates).
Al-Ala Al-Hadrami fought the apostates and raised the flag of Islam over the region.

Al-Ala Al-Hadrami called for a naval attack to strengthen the ground armies of the Islamic conquest.
3 three naval units led by Al-Mundhir launched from Qatar. However, the attack was not successful, which
angered Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab, who was not happy about Muslims engaging in naval jihad.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 The region then witnessed an opposition movement, known as the Kharijites, against the
Umayyad Caliphate.

This movement began as a protest against what they saw as a deviation of Islam.

The Kharijites posed a threat to the Umayyads.

The Umayyads increased their pressure on them, leading to internal divisions among the
Kharijites.

Eventually, they moved towards peace during the rule of Caliph Omar bin Abdul Aziz.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 The Abbasids fought the Kharijites, forcing them to flee to Oman and Yemen.

2 new opposition movements appeared:

The Zanj which was ended by the Caliphate in Baghdad.

The Qarmatian began as a secret movement in Bahrain and spread to Al-Ahsa, Bahrain, and Qatar. Their
ideas were unclear, but they controled most of the Arabian Peninsula.

The Qarmatians destroyed the Arabian Peninsula's capital, "Hajar," and built the city of "Al-Ahsa," which
they made the new capital of the region.

Abdullah Al-Oyouni, with the help of the Caliphate in Baghdad, destroyed the Qarmatians after two
centuries.

The rule of his descendants continued and called the "Ayouni State."

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 Then, the State of Bani Asfour ruled the region

Then the state of Jabour founded by Zamil bin Jabr.

The rulers of Oman from the Nabahna dynasty attacked it in the early eighth century AH.

The Portuguese controlled the Gulf in the 16th century.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 The region of Bahrain faced many problems, leading to poverty and
insecurity.

These conditions, along with tribal conflicts and revolutions, made the
region dangerous due to their weak nsatural resources.

Therefore, they did not receive much attention from the Abbasid State
because of their distance from the Caliphate's center in Baghdad.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 C- At the Beginning of the Modern Era:

The region was exposed to the Portuguese invasion in the early 16th century.
Since the region of Bahrain was under the control of the rulers of Hormuz, the Portuguese, after controlling
Hormuz, marched to Bahrain and occupied it along with Qatar for 38 years from 1517 AD.

They extended their control to Qatif and Kuwait after tough battles.

When Sultan Selim I entered Egypt in 1517 AD, he ordered an Ottoman fleet from Egypt to assist the Gulf
Arabs in confronting the Portuguese.

This fleet succeeded in seizing Aden ( in Yemen) before the Portuguese could advance towards it.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 In the 1540s, the Ottomans arrived by sea and land to the eastern coasts of the Arabian
Peninsula, using routes from Iraq.

In Qatar, Muslim forces engaged in a jihadist war against the Portuguese.

The conflict continued until the Ottomans, with the support of local forces, kicked the
Portuguese from the region in 1555 AD.
The Ottomans then exercised a nominal sovereignty over the region.
Despite maintaining some degree of sovereignty on the eastern coast of the Arabian
Peninsula—from Basra to Qatar, Kuwait, Al-Ahsa, and Bahrain—in the second half of
the sixteenth century, they had no administrative presence outside Basra.
However, in the first half of the seventeenth century, the Ottomans appointed four
governors who managed Al-Ahsa.
This governance ended in 1670 AD with the rise of Bani Khalid, who gained the loyalty
of other tribes in the region, extending from Basra to Najd and most of the coast,
including Al-Ahsa, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. Nevertheless, they preferred to declare
their loyalty to the Ottoman Empire.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin
 However, Bani Khalid was affected by internal power struggles, and their influence over the region
weakened from the mid-eighteenth century.

Despite this, their influence continued through allied families, such as the Al-Musalam family in Qatar,
who were harmed by the conflict between Bani Khalid and the first Saudi state.

This conflict was resolved when the Saudi leader, Suleiman bin Afaisan, achieved a victory over Bani
Khalid in 1793.

January 13, 2025 Lusail University History of Qatar Dr. Lubna Naser Eddin