Coordinates: 25°19′10″N 51°21′12″E / 25.31944°N 51.35333°E / 25.31944; 51.35333

Rawdat Rashed

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Rawdat Rashed
روضة راشد
Village
Rawdat Rashed is located in Qatar
Rawdat Rashed
Rawdat Rashed
Coordinates: 25°19′10″N 51°21′12″E / 25.31944°N 51.35333°E / 25.31944; 51.35333
Country Qatar
MunicipalityAl-Shahaniya
ZoneZone 82
District no.492
Area
[1]
 • Total32.2 km2 (12.4 sq mi)
Military convoy near Rawdat Rashed Primary & Preparatory Independent School for Boys.
Vegetation in a roadside depression in Rawdat Rashed.

Rawdat Rashed (Arabic: روضة راشد, romanized: Rawḑat Rāshid) is a village in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al-Shahaniya.[3] It was demarcated in 1988.[4] It used to be part of the Jariyan Al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan.[5] In 2014, the village was incorporated into the newly-created Al-Shahaniya Municipality.[6]

Located in central Qatar, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the capital Doha, the village was once of considerable size but lost much of its population due to government efforts to resettle the country's rural population in Doha in the mid-to-late 20th century. The region in which the village lies is extremely arid and, thus, was historically sparsely populated. Previously, the site was accessible only via unpaved desert roads.[7] The Dhal Al Misfir cave is located in the area.

Etymology

In Arabic, rawdat refers to a depression where rainfall runoff accumulates. The second part of the name, "Rashed", was given to commemorate a man named Rashed who died in the rawdat.[8]

Geography

Rawdat Rashed is situated in central Qatar. The villages of Wadi Al Jamal Al Shamali and Umm Wishah are nearby.[9]

Barwa Group launched a planned community named Madinat Al Mawater (literally 'Motor City') on the outskirts of Rawdat Rashed, near the junction of Rawdat Rashed Road–Salwa Road. The community will host residential units, workshops, car showrooms, and apartment complexes.[10]

Industry

The area contains the most substantial supply of fresh groundwater in the southern zone of the country.[11] A government wellfield is found in the area, and was previously used as a water source for Umm Bab's cement industry.[12]

Rawdat Rashed is also one of five sites for the government-sponsored project to develop reservoirs in the country.[13] Once completed, the reservoirs are expected to be the largest in the world in their category,[14] with a total length of 650 km and constructed at a cost of QR 14.5 billion. Rawdat Rashed's water reservoir is built at 50 ft above sea level, and will be used as the main water supply for the capital of Doha in the scenario of an electricity outage at the other stations. In June 2018, the first phase of the project was completed.[15]

Rawdat Rashed is one of the three major landfill sites in the country, being used mainly for construction and demolition waste.[16]

Transport

Rawdat Rashed Road, a 33 km road stretching through the city connected to Dukhan Highway, which links Dukhan and Doha, is known locally as the 'road of death' due to the large number of fatal accidents which occur on the road.[17] After announcing a redevelopment plan for the road in 2014, the Public Works Authority commenced redevelopment work in 2015.[18][17] The redevelopment project, due for completion in late 2019, will also link the road with Salwa Road.[19]

Historical landmarks

Old mosque

Completed in 1948, the Old Mosque in Rawdat Rashed is notable for its aesthetics, particularly its tall and elegant minaret. The mosque's iwans are notably higher than those of most other old mosques, creating a more spacious interior. The mosque's courtyard can be entered through two simple post and lintel openings on the east and north sides; the original wooden doors having been lost to time. The courtyard itself consists of sandy soil with scattered desert plants. In the northeast corner of the courtyard stands the meda (ablution fountain), positioned behind a wall that matches the height of the courtyard's exterior walls.[7]

The mosque's most distinctive element is its minaret, located at the southeast corner of the courtyard. Dominating the surrounding landscape, it features a square base nearly 3 meters high, topped by a cylindrical shaft rising another 6.3 meters, and crowned with a rounded cupola that adds another 4 meters, making the total height almost 13 meters. Eight thin square columns support the cupola. The minaret's slender spiral staircase, constructed from danshil wood and baszhil (bamboo laid over the wood beams), is bound together with ropes and coated with mud plaster.[7]

The open iwan connects to the courtyard through six large rectangular openings with a straightforward post and lintel design. The decorative qibla (prayer wall facing Mecca) remains intact in all corners. The inner iwan of the qibla follows a similar design, being wide and narrow with a high ceiling and two windows at both ends. The qibla itself is square with a rounded roof. Originally, there were two narrow square slots on either side of the qibla for ventilation, though these are now absent.[7]

References

  1. ^ "District Area Map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  2. ^ "2015 Population census" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. April 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. ^ "2010 population census" (PDF). Qatar Statistics Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  4. ^ "قانون رقم (32) لسنة 1988 بتعيين حدود قرية روضة راشد". almeezan.qa. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  5. ^ "2004 population census". Qatar Statistics Authority. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  6. ^ Hisham Yassin (16 January 2014). "بلدية الشحانية تضم %35 من مساحة الريان الحالية" (in Arabic). Al Arab. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d Jaidah, Ibrahim; Bourennane, Malika (2010). The History of Qatari Architecture 1800-1950. Skira. p. 274. ISBN 978-8861307933.
  8. ^ "District map". The Centre for Geographic Information Systems of Qatar. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Qatar Socio-Economic Atlas". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Madinat Al Mawater". Waseef. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  11. ^ Llamas, M. Ramon; Custodio, E. (2002). Intensive Use of Groundwater: Challenges and Opportunities. CRC Press. p. 369. ISBN 978-9058093905.
  12. ^ Al-Kubaisi, Mohammed Ali M. (1984). Industrial development in Qatar: a geographical assessment (PDF). Durham E-Theses, Durham University. p. 152.
  13. ^ "رئيس الوزراء: يطلق مشروع الخزانات الاستراتيجية الكبرى لتأمين المياه". Qatar Government. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  14. ^ Amery, Hussain A. (15 June 2015). Arab Water Security: Threats and Opportunities in the Gulf States. Cambridge University Press. p. 121. ISBN 9781316381069.
  15. ^ Sanaullah Ataullah (29 June 2018). "PM opens first phase of QR14.5bn reservoirs project". The Peninsula. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  16. ^ Salman Zafar (3 June 2015). "Solid Waste Management in Qatar". EcoMENA. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Ashghal commences redevelopment work on Qatar's 'road of death'". Doha News. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  18. ^ "Latest stretch of upgraded Dukhan Highway opens". Doha News. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  19. ^ "Rawdat Rashed Road fully open to traffic". Gulf Times. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
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