Al Shagub (Arabic: الشقب, romanizedAsh Shaqb; also spelled Al Shaqab) is a district of Al Rayyan City in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan.[3] Since it houses the universities in Qatar Foundation's educational project Education City, the district is sometimes referred to as Education City. Qatar Foundation has played a major role in developing the district.[citation needed]

Al Shagub
الشقب
District
Aerial view of Al Shagub. The Al Shaqab Equestrian Center can be seen in the top right.
Aerial view of Al Shagub. The Al Shaqab Equestrian Center can be seen in the top right.
Al Shagub is located in Qatar
Al Shagub
Al Shagub
Coordinates: 25°18′27″N 51°26′29″E / 25.30750°N 51.44139°E / 25.30750; 51.44139
Country Qatar
MunicipalityAl Rayyan
ZoneZone 52
District no.63
Area
 • Total3.0 km2 (1.2 sq mi)
Elevation24 m (79 ft)

History

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J.G. Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf gives an account of Al Shagub in 1908. He describes it as a "Bedouin camping ground" that is "7 miles west of Dohah and a little north-east of Maraikh". He goes on to write "there is a fort here with a masonry well, 6 fathoms deep, of good water inside; it is on the way from Dohah to Wajbah."[4]

Infrastructure

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Sidewalk near Georgetown University in Qatar in Al Shagub.

The district houses Education City's university campuses, including Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, and Georgetown University in Qatar. The Qatar National Library is also in the district. Other facilities affiliated with Qatar Foundation are situated in Al Shagub and the nearby north-bound districts of Gharrafat Al Rayyan and Al Gharrafa.[5]

The Al Shaqab Equestrian Center is located towards the southern edge of the district. Al Shaqab Fort is found near the original site of the equestrian center.[6] To the immediate south of the equestrian center is the Al Rayyan Municipal Office in the district of Old Al Rayyan.[5]

Historical landmarks

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Constructed in 1935, Al Shagub Well is one of Qatar's oldest extant wells. It was one of the few wells yielding good water in the area, the other main wells being located to the east in Doha. There is a wall and roof structure shielding the well, and there are two benches nearby.[7]

Another structure dating to 1935 is the Al Shagab Swimming Pool, which was built as part of a house in an area devoid of people at the time. During this period in Qatar, pools were exceedingly rare. The pool occupies a rectangular space of 8 metres (26 ft) by 6 metres (20 ft). There are also two other pools attached to the residence.[8]

Transport

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The underground Al Shaqab station currently serves the Green Line of the Doha Metro.[9] It is located on Huwar Street in Old Al Rayyan, near its border with Al Shagub.[10] The station was opened to the public on 10 December, 2019 along with the other Green Line stations.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "District Area Map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Al Shagub, Zone 52, Qatar on the Elevation Map". elevationmap.net. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  3. ^ "2015 Population census" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. April 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  4. ^ "'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. J G Lorimer. 1908' [1528] (1643/2084)". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 6 July 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ a b "GIS Portal". Ministry of Municipality and Environment. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  6. ^ Barry Neild (20 March 2018). "A five-star resort for horses: Qatar's Al Shaqab equestrian center". CNN. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  7. ^ Jaidah, Ibrahim; Bourennane, Malika (2010). The History of Qatari Architecture 1800-1950. Skira. p. 322. ISBN 978-8861307933.
  8. ^ Jaidah, Ibrahim; Bourennane, Malika (2010). The History of Qatari Architecture 1800-1950. Skira. p. 324. ISBN 978-8861307933.
  9. ^ "QAR Metro". arcgis.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Plan My Journey Map". Qatar Rail. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  11. ^ "All Doha Metro lines open for public". The Peninsula. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.