Al Kharrara
Al Kharrara
الخرارة | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Limestone escarpments near Al Kharrara | |
  Al Kharrara | |
| Coordinates: 24°54′2″N 51°10′17″E / 24.90056°N 51.17139°E | |
| Country |  Qatar |
| Municipality | Al Wakrah Municipality |
| Zone | Zone 95 |
| District no. | 683 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.4 km2 (4.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 45 m (148 ft) |
Al Kharrara (Arabic: الخرارة, romanized: Al-Kharārah; also spelled Al Harrarah) is a village in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Wakrah.[3] The closest sizable city is Mesaieed, located to the east.[4] It is a desert area, characterized by high aridity and the presence of grazing animals such as dromedary camels, goats and sheep.[5]
Etymology
[edit]The village's name comes from the Arabic word "khar", which roughly means "the sound of running water". As the area consists of varying elevations and several hills, the process of surface runoff is highly noticeable during the wet months.[6]
Geography
[edit]Al Kharrara is situated in south-central Qatar. The villages of Al Aamriya and Umm Hawta in Al Rayyan Municipality are nearby to the west.[7] It forms part of the southern desert region, which occupies 34.7% of Qatar's total area. Of the four sub-regions of the southern desert, Al Kharrara is a part of the southern zone of the Miocene-Tiwar sub-area.[8]
The area around Al Kharrarah is part of a region characterized by Miocene-era formations that are distinct from the surrounding older rock types. These formations formed in a more recent geological period and in a different marine and continental environment compared to the surrounding areas. In terms of terrain, Al Kharrarah is part of a region characterized by a mix of rocky plains (hamada), hills and sand dunes. Elevations exceed 60 metres (200 ft) in some areas.[8]
History
[edit]According to journalist Richard H. Curtiss, inscriptions dedicated to the pre-Islamic Nabataean god Manāt were found in Al Kharrara.[9]
In J.G. Lorimer's 1908 publication Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, he refers Al Kharrara as a Bedouin outpost that lies "20 miles south of Dohah and 6 from the east coast, between Naqiyān and Jabalat-at-Tuwar". He noted the presence of a masonry well, 27 fathoms deep, containing good water.[10]
Industry
[edit]The Qatar Primary Materials Company has centered its dune sand extraction operations here due to the area's relatively large deposits.[11]
Sports
[edit]The second stage of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally, which runs for 345.89 km, starts in Al Kharrara and ends in Sealine Beach (a section of Mesaieed).[12]
Gallery
[edit]-
Small farm with blooming fennel in Al Kharrara -
Limestone arch in Al Kharrara -
View of Al Kharrara from a mountain slope -
A dhub (Uromastyx aegyptia) near its burrow in Al Kharrara -
Old water well in Al Kharrara
References
[edit]- ^ "District Area Map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Al Kharrara, Zone 95, Qatar on the Elevation Map". elevationmap.net. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Four killed in road crash near Mesaieed". The Peninsula Qatar. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "First evidence of scavenging behaviour in the herbivorous lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis" (PDF). Journal of Arid Environments. 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "District map". The Centre for Geographic Information Systems of Qatar. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Qatar Socio-Economic Atlas". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ^ a b "طبوغرافية شبه جزيرة قطر" (in Arabic). Qatar Historical Encyclopedia. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Richard H. Curtiss (June 1996). "Qatar in History: Ties to World's Earliest Civilizations". Washington Report. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. J G Lorimer. 1908' [1521] (1636/2084)". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 6 July 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Home page". Qatar Primary Materials Company. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Chilean duo of Garces and Latrach guide DMAS South Racing's Ford Ranger to superb eighth place in Qatar". Rally Maniacs. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
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