Wikipedia

Al-Shahaniya

Al Shahaniya (Arabic: الشحانية, romanized: Ash Shīḩānīyah) is a municipality (3299 km2) in Qatar, with its municipal seat being a city of the same name (39 km2). Formerly in the municipality of Al Rayyan, but now an independent municipality,[2] the municipal seat was delimited in 1988 by Law No. 22.[3] In 2014, the cabinet ratified a draft amending provisions to the 1988 law that formalized Al Shahaniya as Qatar's eighth municipality.[4]

Al Shahaniya
الشحانية (Arabic)
Municipality
Map of Qatar with Al-Shahaniya highlighted
Map of Qatar with Al-Shahaniya highlighted
Coordinates (Al-Shahaniya City): 25°22′20″N 51°12′17″E / 25.37222°N 51.20472°E / 25.37222; 51.20472
Country Qatar
CapitalAl-Shahaniya City
Zones7
Government
 • MayorMohammed Saif Al Hajri
Area
 • Total3,309 km2 (1,278 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)[1]
 • Total187,571
 • Density57/km2 (150/sq mi)

Etymology

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Beach sands in the vicinity of Al Hamlah Water Well near Umm Bab

Al-Shahaniya derives its name from a plant known locally as 'sheeh' which was valued for its anti-inflammatory properties.[5] A variation of this name is Al-Sheehaniya.[1] The plant's Latin name is Artemisia inculta; it is an aromatic perennial that frequently grows in the Middle East and North Africa region but which is scarce in Qatar due to its unsuitable soils.[6]

History

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In 2014, Al-Shahaniya split off from Al Rayyan Municipality to form its own municipality. Integrating approximately 35% of Al Rayyan's area into the new municipality, some of Al Rayyan's western localities such as Al Gharbiam, Al Utouriya, Al Jemailiya, Umm Bab, Rawdat Rashed, Al Nasraniya, Dukhan and Al Khurayb were also included in the new municipality.[7] Mohammed Al-Sahooti was the first mayor of the municipality.[8] As of 2017, Mohammed Saif Al Hajri was mayor.[9]

Geography

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Rainbow over Rawdat Jarrah, a depression north of Dukhan.

The municipality is well known for its sunken land-surfaces and vast plains. As such, there are upwards of 40 plains and 487 rawdas (depressions), the most important being Rawdat Rashed. Other geographic features listed by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment include 169 jeris (places where water flows), 71 hills, seven highlands, 13 sabkhas, and 15 capes.[10] Rocky hills and limestone cliffs are found abundantly around the general area of Dukhan.[11] Only one island is found off its shores; that being Janan Island.[10]

Much of the municipality is occupied by Al Reem Biosphere Reserve, and there are numerous small villages dotted along the reserve's main highway. These villages typically have less than a 100 inhabitants and were built over the few existing water sources in the region, as is often reflected in their names.[12]

Al-Shahaniya City is the largest settlement in the municipality as well as in central Qatar.[13] It is located halfway between Dukhan and the capital Doha, and is situated just off Dukhan Highway. As an urban center, it serves as a central location for surrounding rural settlements, such as Rawdat Rashed and Al Khurayb.[14] The majority of activity associated with camel racing and oryx breeding in Qatar take place within the municipality.[13]

To the west of Al-Shahaniya is Dukhan, which constitutes the most important western Qatari city. It is an industrial city and was constructed for oil extraction purposes. QatarEnergy is chiefly responsible for the city's development and administration.[15] Portions of Dukhan have expanded outside of the concession boundaries; these sections are controlled by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.[16]

Administrative divisions

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Village of Al Khurayb

The municipality is divided into 7 zones which are then divided into 467 blocks.[17]

Administrative zones

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The following zones were recorded in the 2015 population census:[1]

Zone no. Census districts Area (km²) Population (2015)
72 Al Utouriya 662.2 1,232
73 Al Jemailiya 623.3 1,685
80 Al-Shahaniya City 287.1 138,509
82 Rawdat Rashed 454.1 26,258
84 Umm Bab 494.1 5,305
85 Al Nasraniya 423.2 1,308
86 Dukhan 365 13,274
Municipality 3309 187,571

Districts

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Other settlements in Al Shahaniya include:[18]

Economy

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Oil and natural gas

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Pipeline system for Dukhan's oil wells

In the early days of oil and natural gas exploration, Dukhan was Qatar's most important industrial city. Oil exploration first took place in 1935; this was proceeded by Dukhan's first oil well drilling in 1940.[19] Presently, Dukhan represents one of the four historic industrial centers of Qatar.[20] In addition to its oil and natural gas processing facilities, Dukhan also hosts a desalination plant and a sewage treatment plant.[19]

Natural gas and oil distribution pipelines and pumping stations are located in Al-Shahaniya City, Al Khurayb, and Mazrouah.[21]

Manufacturing

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South of Dukhan is the industrial city of Umm Bab. Aside from accommodating Qatar's first major non-oil related industry in the form of a cement processing facility which began operation in 1969,[22] there also exists minor oil and gas separation facilities within the city.[23]

A substantial government wellfield in Rawdat Rashed was historically used as a water source for Umm Bab's cement industry.[24] Currently, Rawdat Rashed is one of the three major landfill sites in Qatar, being used mainly for construction and demolition waste.[25]

Agriculture

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Palm trees on the outskirts of Khalil bin Mubarak bin Atiq Al Mansouri Farm in Al Jemailiya

Agriculture is scarce in Al Shahaniya's southern sector because of its lack of groundwater and unsuitable soils. Several farms are located near the aquifer system of Rawdat Rashed. There are also small clusters of farms near Al Jemailiya and Al Utouriya.[26]

In April 2018, the Animal Production Research Station was established in Al-Shahaniya City by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment. Spanning roughly 78,000 square meters and constructed at a cost of QR 30 million, its facilities include a research station, animal sheds and a veterinary clinic.[27]

There is a major government-owned plant nursery which spans over 2,500 sq meters in the village of Al Utouriya. Plants grown in this nursery are used for research and also distributed to government ministries.[28]

In a bid to improve the country's food self-sufficiency, Al Faisal Holding announced in 2017 that it would be constructing a poultry farm in Al Shahaniya with a production capacity of 3.5 million chickens annually and 80,000 eggs per day.[29]

Education

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Military convoy near Rawdat Rashed Primary & Preparatory Independent School for Boys

As per the 2016 education census, thirty-one public schools operate within Al Shahaniya's boundaries. Of these schools, seventeen are exclusively for girls and the remaining fourteen are reserved for boys. Female students were numbered at 2,090, narrowly outnumbering the 2,036 male students.[30]

Healthcare

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According to the 2015 government census, 8 healthcare centers operate in the municipality.[31] In January 2012, Qatari officials, in tandem with the Cuban government, unveiled The Cuban Hospital in Dukhan.[32] The hospital is located in the portion of Dukhan under municipal jurisdiction and serves the entire western region.[16]

Transportation

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Service road near Dukhan Highway, between Dukhan and Al-Shahaniya City

Dukhan Road is the main road in the municipality, extending all the way from the capital Doha to Dukhan.[33] Ashghal (the Public Works Authority) started a refurbishment project on the road in 2011. Works on the second phase were done in 2014, with new additions including two camel underpasses and a bicycle lane.[34]

Infrastructure

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In Al-Shahaniya City, a wide-scale public defense complex was inaugurated in 2010. Branches of various security organizations are hosted in the complex, such as the Dukhan Security Department. Two notable buildings in the complex are the Shahaniya Services Centre, which manages passports and travel documents and the Shahaniya Civil Defense Centre.[35] North of the public services complex, off Al Utouriya Road, is the municipal headquarters.[36]

A military base known as Al Dehailiyat Army Camp is located in Al Dehailiyat, an area near Al Shahaniya City.[37]

 
Robotic camel jockey at Al-Shahaniya Camel Racetrack

Sports

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Al-Shahania Sports Club is centered in the municipality. Formed in 1998, the club was originally based in Al Jemailiya, but shifted its headquarters to Al-Shahaniya City in 2001. It is most notable for its football team which at one point participated in Qatar's premier football league, the Qatar Stars League.[38]

Qatar's main camel racetrack and camel training facilities are also located in the seat of the municipality.[39] Robots are used to jockey the camels.[40] One prominent competition that takes place on the track is the annual Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani's Camel Festival.[41]

 
Entrance to the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum

Visitor attractions

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In 1979 Qatar's government portioned off a 12 square km area of Al-Shahaniya as a sanctuary for Arabian oryxes, making it among the first protected environmental areas in the country. Oryxes for the reserve were transported from Muaither Farm by sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud Al Thani.[42] There were around 100 animals in the reserve in 1988.[43] Aside from oryxes, there is an area of the reserve where red-necked ostriches are housed.[42]

Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum is a massive 530,000 square meter, 3-building museum established in 1998 in the municipality.[44] It is located in Al Samriya, a locality of Al-Shahaniya City and is accessible through Dukhan Road.[45]

References

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  Al Shahaniyah travel guide from Wikivoyage

  1. ^ a b c "2015 Population census" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. ^ "2010 population census" (PDF). Qatar Statistics Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Law No. 22 of 1988 On the Delimitation of the City of Ash-Shahaniyah". almeezan.qa. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Cabinet ratifies law on Al Shahaniya borders". Qatar Tribune. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  5. ^ Heba Fahmy (4 April 2015). "What's in a name? The meanings of Qatar districts, explained". Doha News. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  6. ^ "District map". The Centre for Geographic Information Systems of Qatar. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  7. ^ Hisham Yassin (16 January 2014). "بلدية الشحانية تضم %35 من مساحة الريان الحالية" (in Arabic). Al Arab. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  8. ^ "حوار– منصور المطلق" (in Arabic). Al Watan. 6 April 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  9. ^ Zakaria Ayad (20 June 2017). "السعودية "تطرد الإبل والأغنام القطرية"" (in Arabic). BBC Arabic. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Geonames Sortable Table". arcgis.com. Geographic Information Systems Department (Qatar). Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  11. ^ "About Qatar". Ministry of Municipality and Environment. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  12. ^ Paul Sillitoe (1 August 2014). Sustainable Development: An Appraisal from the Gulf Region. Berghahn Books. p. 230. ISBN 9781782383727.
  13. ^ a b "Al Rayyan and Al Shahhaniya Municipality: Vision and Development Strategy" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. December 2017. p. 13. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Al Rayyan and Al Shahhaniya Municipality: Vision and Development Strategy" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. December 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Al Rayyan and Al Shahhaniya Municipality: Vision and Development Strategy" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. December 2017. p. 4. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Al Rayyan and Al Shahhaniya Municipality: Vision and Development Strategy" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. December 2017. p. 17. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Administrative boundary map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Qatar Development Atlas - Part 1" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. 2010. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Dukhan City". Qatar Petroleum. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  20. ^ The Report. Oxford Business Group. 22 April 2015. p. 152. ISBN 9781910068274.
  21. ^ "Contracts executed by the company" (PDF). Al Darwish Engineering WLL. p. 9. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  22. ^ Looney, Robert E. (March 1990). "Structural Impediments to Industrialization in Qatar". Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive. p. 19. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  23. ^ "National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)". Ministry of Municipality and Environment. p. 6. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  24. ^ Al-Kubaisi, Mohammed Ali M. (1984). Industrial development in Qatar: a geographical assessment (PDF). Durham E-Theses, Durham University. p. 152.
  25. ^ Salman Zafar (3 June 2015). "Solid Waste Management in Qatar". EcoMENA. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  26. ^ "Qatar Atlas: Agriculture/Industry: Agriculture". Qatar Statistics Authority. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Livestock research centre opens in Al Shehaniya". Qatar Tribune. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  28. ^ "تدشين أسبوع الشجرة بروضة بخيلة اليوم" (in Arabic). Al Raya. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Al Faisal Holding launches initiatives to diversify business portfolio". The Peninsula. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  30. ^ "Chapter IV: Education Statistics" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  31. ^ "The Simplified Census of Population, Housing & Establishments 2015" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. April 2015. pp. 65–66. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  32. ^ Joseph Hammond (26 July 2012). "Qatar Funds New Cuban Hospital". Havana Times. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  33. ^ "Land Mark". Ministry of Interior. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  34. ^ Lesley Walker (14 June 2014). "Latest stretch of upgraded Dukhan Highway opens". Doha News. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  35. ^ "Qatar: Public security complex opens in Shahaniya". The Peninsula. 8 August 2010.[dead link] Alt URL
  36. ^ "Qatar Landmarks". Ministry of Development Planning. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  37. ^ James Henderson (3 June 2014). "New part of Qatar's Dukhan Highway opens". Construction Week Online. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  38. ^ "Al Shahaniya Club". Qatar Football Association. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  39. ^ "Sports". Qatar Tourism Authority. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  40. ^ "Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  41. ^ "Emir attends part of Founder's Camel Festival Competitions". The Peninsula. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  42. ^ a b "Al Sheehaniya Reserve". Qatar e-Nature. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  43. ^ Alexandra Dixon (1988). Conservation and Biology of Desert Antelopes: Including the Proceedings of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of "Operation Oryx" Symposium. Christopher Helm. p. 50. ISBN 9780747016045.
  44. ^ Mohammed Hassan Al-Kuwari; Maryam Khulaifi; Jamila Abdulla Ahmed; Sawsan Al-Haddad (2013). "دليـل المؤسسات الثقافية في قطر (Directory of Cultural Institutions in Qatar)" (PDF) (in Arabic). Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22.
  45. ^ Fran Gillespie (26 November 2011). "24 hours in Doha". Oryx Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
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