Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bouring Hawar Islands, which were a bone of contention until the oil-rich islands were
awarded to Bahrain. While Qatar is mostly flat, the oil-drilling area of Jebel Dukhan
reaches a height of 75m.
The sand dunes to the south of the country, especially around the inland sea at Khor al-
Adaid, are particularly appealing. Much of the interior, however, is marked by gravel-
covered plains. This kind of desert may look completely featureless but it's worth a closer
look: rain water collects in
duhlans
(crevices), giving rise intermittently to exquisite little
flowering plants. Roses even bloom in the desert, though not of the floral kind: below the
sabkha
(salt flats that lie below sea level), gypsum forms into rosettes, some measuring
8in to 10in across. Stone mushrooms and yardangs, weathered out of the limestone es-
carpment near Bir Zekreet, offer a geography lesson in desert landscape. Anyone with an
interest in sharks' teeth, shale or any other aspect of Qatari wildlife can contact
Qatar's Nat-
ural History Group
(
www.qnhg.org
)
, which runs regular field trips and slide shows.
Wildlife
A passion for hunting, traditionally with falcon or saluki (a Bedouin hunting dog), has
marked Qatar's relationship with birds (particularly the tasty bustard) and mammals, with
the double consequence that there is little wildlife left. The Qataris are the first to admit
this and are most eager to remedy the situation. Gazelle, oryx (Qatar's national animal)
and Arabian ibex are all locally extinct, but ambitious breeding programs aim to reintro-
duce the animals into the wild. A herd of oryx can be seen, by permit only or while on a
tour, at a private reserve near Al-Shahaniya. There are also protected areas, north of Al-
Khor, for the endangered green turtle, which nests on the shore.
Altogether easier to spot, a rich and diverse number of birds (waders, ospreys, cormor-
ants, curlews, flamingos, larks and hawks) frequent the coastal marshes and the offshore
islands. A golf course may seem an unlikely birding venue, but the lush oasis of Doha
Golf Club occasionally attracts the glorious golden oriole and crested crane. The man-
grove plantations north of Al-Khor are another good place to get the binoculars out.
A dusting of rain or dew in the colder months and a dried-up wadi (river bed) can be
transformed into a hub of activity: the trumpets of Lycium shawii and the orchid-like
Indigofera intricata are two recently classified plant species that have surprised botanists.
Environmental Issues
Qatar is now 2m higher than it was 400 years ago thanks to 'geological uplift', a phe-
nomenon where movements in the earth's crust push the bedrock up. As a result, the un-
