Al Jumail

Al Jumail is one of several villages on Qatar's northwestern coast abandoned when the pearl trade collapsed in the 1930s after Japanese cultured pearls took the market, and its houses, courtyards and a mosque with a small minaret stand roofless in the sand, walls of coral stone and mud plaster weathering down. Nothing has been rebuilt. The sea is a short walk from the buildings.

History

By tradition the Al Hassan branch of the Al Muhannadi confederation settled here in the mid-18th century, coming from Al Khor, and built houses and a defensive wall, whose foundations, laid by Isa bin Salman Al Hassan Al Muhannadi, still stand. George Barnes Brucks recorded the village as Yamale in the first British survey of the Gulf in the 1820s, and Lorimer's Gazetteer of 1908 noted remains of houses and a fort (Wikipedia, Al Jumail).

What to look for

• The roofless houses - coral stone and mud plaster walls standing open.
• The mosque - the building with its small minaret still standing.
• The collapse - a village emptied when the pearl trade failed in the 1930s.
• The coast - the shore the village worked, a short walk away.

When to go

November to March is the comfortable season. Late afternoon light is best on the walls. Summer heat on the open coast is severe.

What to expect

The buildings are unstable and entering them is unwise. There is no interpretation and no facilities. The track in is rough and the site is easy to drive past.

Nearby

Al Ruwais is east, and Al Zubarah is south.

Key facts