Murwab, Archaeological settlement from 9th century in northwestern Qatar.
Murwab is an archaeological settlement in northwestern Qatar dating to the 9th century. The site contains the remains of roughly 250 houses arranged in clusters, a rectangular fort, and two mosques scattered across the desert landscape.
Danish archaeologists discovered the site in 1959, followed by further excavations in the 1980s and 2010s that uncovered extensive pottery collections from the early 9th century. These findings document occupation between roughly 805 and 885 AD.
The pottery finds show that residents traded with distant regions and used skilled techniques for everyday items. These objects reveal how early Islamic communities lived and what they valued.
The site requires off-road vehicles to reach and sits away from main roads in open desert. Visitors should prepare for few or no amenities on site and expect raw archaeological remains without much development.
Unlike most settlements of this period, Murwab sits inland rather than on the coast, making it a rare window into life away from the shore. The fort here ranks among the country's oldest known fortifications and shows building methods that differ from coastal settlements.
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