Al Zubara Fort - a side trip in Qatar....

The next three entries are from a trip we took later on in Qatar. Of course, with the blog entries being backwards....these are chronologically backwards...oh well.
Further on, we visited  Al Zubarah fort. It was built somewhere in the 1930's because Qatar and Bahrain had some  "turbulent relations". This fort is probably the most complete and best known, and picturesque enough to be used on postcards and book covers.

While most of it is empty, there are displays of findings from the nearby excavations (like the one we went to). There's also an old well - when you peer through the metal grid that closes off its top, you can still see yourself reflected in the water deep below.

When you climb up to the top you find curious holes in the metre thick walls. The holes allow light to come in but are twisted to make it difficult for enemies to fire into the fort. The local birds now inhabit these spaces. Wooden shutters are still used in the windows, and can be opened to allow the cooling wind in.

For the coolest 360 degree view of this place visit this link: Al Zubara Fort