Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013, the Al Zubarah Archaeological Site is Qatar’s first entry in this international register. Once a thriving pearl fishing and trading port in the 1760s, the Al Zubarah site showcases impressive, excavated findings. These include a city wall, ancient residential palaces and structures typical of an urban centre – including markets, living and industrial areas. Stretching from Fort Zubarah lining the coast to the early inland settlement of Qal’at Murair, the site provides a reimagination of a Gulf merchant town in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Middle East Institute (NUS), in collaboration with the Qatar Embassy in Singapore, welcomed Dr Ferhan Sakal from Qatar Museums to take our audience on a virtual tour of Al Zubarah. Beyond nostalgia, Dr Sakal also shared his knowledge about contemporary uses of the Zubarah Fort, for instance.

Speaker: Dr Ferhan Sakal, Head of Excavation and Site Management Archaeology, Qatar Museums

Dr Ferhan Sakal is a Turkish German archaeologist who studied prehistory and ancient near eastern studies at Istanbul University and Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (Germany). He holds a Masters in ancient near eastern studies and a PhD in near eastern archaeology from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. Before moving to Qatar, he worked in several excavation projects in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Germany and was the field director of multiple excavation and survey projects. He published books, editions and articles on chronology, archaeological excavations and material studies. Dr Sakal has been working at Qatar Museums since 2013 and currently holds the position of Head of Excavation and Site Management at the department of archaeology.

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To view the slides used during the event, click here.