Al Jassasiya Rock Carvings

Al Jassasiya is the largest rock-carving site in Qatar, a group of low limestone hills on the north-east coast about 60 km north of Doha and 4.8 km south of Fuwairit, with nearly 900 catalogued petroglyphs. Entry is free, but Qatar Museums currently lists the site as temporarily closed, so check before driving out.

The site lies on low limestone hills about 4.8 kilometres south of Fuwairit and about 60 kilometres north of Doha. Of the dozen or so petroglyph sites along Qatar's coast, it holds the greatest number of carvings.

The carvings were found in 1957, and a Danish team led by Holger Kapel examined them in the early 1960s. In 1974 his son Hans Kapel carried out a systematic survey that catalogued nearly 900 single figures and compositions spread over 580 numbered locations. Their age is still debated. Some writers proposed origins in the Neolithic or the 3rd century BC, but a 2012 study found no evidence of very old carvings, and Qatar Museums now considers it more likely that most were made within the past 250 to 300 years.

Cup marks are by far the most common motif, cut in rows or arranged as rosettes and stars. Many rows are thought to have served as boards for a mancala-type game known in Qatar as Al Haloosa or Al Huwaila. Figurative carvings show fish, turtles and ostriches, along with enigmatic signs.

Al Jassasiya also has the only boat carvings recorded in Qatar. Researchers counted 141 boats: 124 drawn from above, in plan, and 17 in side view, some showing details of rigging and oars. They are best seen in low, slanting light, when the shallow grooves cast shadows.

Entry is free and no ticket is needed, but Qatar Museums currently lists the site as temporarily closed until further notice, so check its website before the drive. When open, visit early morning or late afternoon for the best light on the carvings, wear sturdy shoes and do not step on or touch the rock surfaces; about an hour on site is enough.

When it is open, the drive from Doha takes about 50 minutes north on Al Khor Coastal Road or Al Shamal Road, turning east towards Al Huwaila and Al Jassasiya. There is no public transport and there are no facilities on site, and the ground is rocky and uneven. Walking on, touching or chalking the carvings is prohibited. Fuwairit Beach, 10 km away, and Al Ghariyah Beach, 15 km away, make easy additions to the trip.

When the site reopens, Qatar Museums lists hours of 9:00 to 17:00 from Saturday to Thursday and 12:30 to 17:00 on Friday, with free entry. It describes the Al Jassasiya carvings as unique in composition and design among the petroglyphs of the Gulf, and links the rows of cup marks to Al Haloosa, a mancala-type board game also called Al Huwaila.