Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On National Day, 3 September, the country flutters with the maroon-and-white national
flag, symbolising the bloodshed of past conflicts (particularly those of the latter half of the
19th century) and subsequent peace. Over the past two decades, Qatar has earned a repu-
tation as one of the most politically stable countries in the region and enjoys international
confidence in its ability to host successful high-level events. In 2001 Qatar hosted the
World Trade Organization Conference and the 15th Asian Games in 2006. In 2022 it will
host the FIFA World Cup.
Qatar is a member of many international organisations such as the UN, the Organisation
of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Arab League, the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Within the space of 80 years, Qatar has emerged from the virtual anonymity of its past
to become a regional force to be reckoned with. Monuments to that achievement are found
symbolically in the country's modern infrastructure and its social welfare programs. But
also, perhaps for the first time in its history, they're also found in a tangible sense, by the
growing ring of magnificent buildings that grace Doha's corniche, and in the high-profile
events the country hosts.
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History
Early Inhabitants
The written history of Qatar begins in grand fashion with a mention by the 5th-century
Greek historian Herodotus, who identifies the seafaring Canaanites as the original inhabit-
ants of Qatar. Thereafter, however, Qatar appears to be the subject more of conjecture than
history. Although there is evidence, in the form of flint spearheads, pottery shards (in the
National Museum), burial mounds near Umm Salal Mohammed and the rock carvings of
Jebel Jassassiyeh of the early inhabitation of Qatar (from 4000 BC), the Peninsula has sur-
prisingly little to show for its ancient lineage.
Take Al-Zubara, for example: the famous ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy tantal-
isingly includes 'Katara' in his map of the Arab world. This is thought to be a reference to
Al-Zubara, Qatar's main trading port right up until the 19th century. A visitor to the small
modern town, however, would have difficulty imagining a dhow dodging the sandbanks at
low tide, let alone a fleet of cargo ships moored in the harbour and, bar a few minor ar-
chaeological remains, the surrounding desert is marked by absence rather than by historic-
al presence.
