Al Ruwais

A night in Al Ruwais with the corniche, Ras Rakan and the harbour

Give Al Ruwais a night, not just the hour most visitors spend on the Al Shamal loop. Walk the Al Shamal Corniche, opened in May 2018, in the evening cool, and time the boat crossing to Ras Rakan, the islet about 2.4 km off the tip of the peninsula, for the morning. The harbour completes the picture.

The name means "small head", for the way the town juts into the sea. Begin at Al Ruwais Mosque, thought to be the oldest surviving mosque in Qatar: first built around the 17th century and rebuilt in the 1940s, it holds about 100 worshippers. The 1955 police station now serves as a museum of finds from Ruwayda, an abandoned village that ranks among the country's largest archaeological sites.

Then the shore. The Al Shamal Corniche, opened in May 2018, runs for 2,570 m. A dugong sculpture joined it on the beach in 2022. Ruwais Beach, also called Abu Dhalouf, sits on a spit just north of town, with coves, shaded benches and toilets.

Ras Rakan, the islet at the very tip of the peninsula, lies about 2.4 km offshore and 4 km northwest of town. Its channel is too shallow for boats. People cross by wading at low water, so check tide times before setting out and turn back well before the sea rises.

Why the northern tip of Qatar runs cooler than Doha

Al Ruwais runs a little cooler than Doha at the tip of the peninsula: its annual mean daily maximum is 29.5°C, and even August, the hottest month, averages 37.1°C. Rainfall averages 83.9 mm a year, mostly in winter. November to March is the best window, and Ras Rakan is a hawksbill turtle nesting site.

Even August, the hottest month, peaks at an average of 37.1°C, several degrees below the capital's 41°C and 42°C in high summer.

Winters are wetter too. That is more rain than the capital receives.

The cooler northern summer does mean, though, that an early walk on the corniche or an evening on the beach stays bearable later into spring than it would in Doha.

Wildlife adds its own calendar. Ras Rakan is one of Qatar's main hawksbill turtle nesting sites, so during the nesting season keep away from marked nests and respect any closures. Dugongs and flamingos are occasionally seen from Ruwais Beach, and roughly 13 hectares of mangroves line this stretch of coast, and the town is a known birdwatching spot.

Fatayer, shawarma and the few places to eat in Al Ruwais

Eating out in Al Ruwais is simple because there is little choice. Iskendar Kebab, on the road towards the beach, is known for fatayer and shawarma; otherwise bring supplies from Doha or Al Khor or eat at your resort. The sea still supplies the best meal, from the fishing harbour.

Before oil, this was one of the peninsula's most important fishing centres. On Ruwais Beach visitors catch shrimp and crabs in the shallows at high tide; a small net and a bucket are all you need.

Life here is small-town and traditional. Non-Muslims should admire the old mosque from outside unless invited in, and everyone should dress modestly on the corniche. Ask before photographing people, especially women.

In the heat of the day the town's two libraries make quiet refuges. The Ali Abdullah Al Fayedh library, opened in 2017, holds more than 21,000 Arabic books, and the Ali Bin Hussein Al-Sada library, opened in May 2021, specialises in Islamic literature.