Al-Shahaniya (city)

Al-Shahaniya City (Arabic: مدينة الشحانية‎, romanized: Madīnat Ash Shīḩānīyah) is a city in Qatar, located in the municipality of its namesake, Al-Shahaniya.[2]

Al-Shahaniya City

مدينة الشحانية
City
Camels crossing the road in Al-Shahaniya near the camel racetrack in the Lebsayyer locality
Al-Shahaniya City
Coordinates: 25°22′20″N 51°12′17″E
Country Qatar
MunicipalityAl-Shahaniya
ZoneZone 80
District no.451
Area
 • Total39 km2 (15 sq mi)
Satellite imagery of Al-Shahaniya City in 2010. The camel racectrack can be seen in the bottom left.

Qatar's most notable camel racetrack, Al-Shahaniya Camel Racetrack, is situated in the city.[3]

Etymology

Al-Shahaniya derives its name from a plant known locally as 'sheeh' which was valued for its anti-inflammatory effects.[4] It is also spelled Al-Sheehaniya.[2] The plant's Latin name is Artemisia inculta; it is an aromatic perennial that frequently grows in the Middle East and North Africa region but which is scarce in Qatar due to its unsuitable soils.[5]

Geography

Al Shahaniya is situated in central Qatar. Nearby areas of interest include the village of Lehsiniya and the Al Dehailiyat Army Camp to the east, the village of Umm Leghab to the north-east and the village of Al Khurayb to the north.[5]

The following areas are considered to be localities or extensions of Al-Shahaniya city:[5]

History

In J.G. Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Al-Shahaniya is described as a 'Bedouin camping ground' with a 35-feet deep masonry well yielding good water in 1908.[6]

Administration
Ochradenus baccatus off Dukhan Highway near Al-Shahaniya

When free elections of the Central Municipal Council first took place in Qatar during 1999,[7] Al-Shahaniya was designated the seat of constituency no. 24.[8] It would remain the headquarters of constituency no. 24 for the next three consecutive elections until the fifth municipal elections in 2015, when it was made the headquarters of constituency no. 23. Also included in its constituency is Al Khurayb, Al Nasraniya, Umm Leghab, and Lehsiniya.[9] In the inaugural municipal elections in 1999, Faleh Fahad Al-Hajri won the elections, receiving 54.2%, or 149 votes. Runner-up that year was Ali Mohammed Al Dossari, receiving 45.8%, or 126, of the votes. Voter turnout was 86.8%.[8] Shaher Saud Al Shammari was elected in the 2002 elections.[10] He retained his seat successfully in the next elections in 2007.[11] In the 2011 elections, Mohamed Zafer Al-Hajri was elected as the constituent's representative.[12] Al-Hajri retained his seat in the 2015 elections.[9]

Infrastructure
Robotic camel jockey at Al-Shahaniya Camel Racetrack
Camel owners and spectators drive along this road during races for a closer view of the action

A wide-scale public defense complex was inaugurated in 2010. Branches of various security organizations are hosted in the complex, such as the Dukhan Security Department. Two notable buildings in the complex are the Shahaniya Services Centre, which manages passports and travel documents and the Shahaniya Civil Defense Centre.[13]

North of the public services complex, off Al Utouriya Road, is the municipal headquarters. Qatar's Ministry of Agriculture has set up an Agricultural Services Center in the city.[14]

In April 2018, the Animal Production Research Station was established in the city by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment. Spanning roughly 78,000 square meters and constructed at a cost of QR 30 million, its facilities include a research station, animal sheds and a veterinary clinic.[15]

Healthcare in the city is served by Al-Shahaniya Health Center. Among its facilities are a dental clinic, a radiology clinic, a women's clinic and a general clinic.[16]

There are several labor camps in the vicinity of Al Shahaniya.[17]

Industry

Natural gas and oil distribution pipelines and pumping stations are located in Al-Shahaniya City and several of its suburbs.[18]

The Arab Qatari Agricultural Production Company was founded in 1989 in the city.[19]

Roza Hassad opened Qatar's first large-scale flower-growing facility in Al-Shahaniya City in 2012. Flowers are grown hydroponically, and seventeen different species were planned to be grown at the time of its opening.[20] Production in its 5,500 square meter greenhouse is mainly oriented towards roses. The company has established shops in Doha where it sells its locally produced flowers.[21]

Sport

Qatar's main camel racetrack and camel training facilities are also located in Al-Shahaniya city.[22] Robots are used to jockey the camels.[23] One prominent competition that takes place on the track is the annual Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani's Camel Festival.[24]

Al Samariyah Equestrian Centre is located near the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum.[25]

Visitor attractions

In 1979 Qatar's government portioned off a 12 square km area of Al-Shahaniya as a sanctuary for Arabian oryxes, making it among the first protected environmental areas in the country. Oryxes for the reserve were transported from Muaither Farm by sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud Al Thani.[26] There were around 100 animals in te reserve in 1988.[27] Aside from oryxes, there is an area of the reserve where red-necked ostriches are housed.[26]

Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum is a massive 530,000 square meter, 3-building museum established in Al-Shahaniya in 1998.[28] It is located in Al Samriya, a locality of the city and is accessible through Dukhan Road.[29]

Al-Shahaniya Park opened in 2014 over an area of around 26,000 square meters. Facilities include a mosque, a football field, a volleyball court and a basketball court.[30]

  • Night-time satellite view of Al-Shahaniya Camel Racetrack and nearby buildings
  • Rocky desert of Al Samriya near the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum
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References
  1. "District Area Map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  2. "2015 Population census" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. April 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. "Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack". Online Qatar. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  4. Heba Fahmy (4 April 2015). "What's in a name? The meanings of Qatar districts, explained". Doha News. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  5. "District map". The Centre for Geographic Information Systems of Qatar. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  6. "'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. J G Lorimer. 1908' [1528] (1643/2084)". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  7. "Central Municipal Council". Government Communications Office of Qatar. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  8. "إنتخابات الدورة الأولى" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. "مقـار الدوائـر" (in Arabic). Ministry of Interior (Qatar). Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  10. "الدورة الثانية" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  11. "إنتخابات الدورة الثالثة" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  12. "رابعاً: إنتخابات الدورة الرابعة كشف بأسماء السادة المرشحين الفائزين في عضوية انتخابات المجلس البلدي المركزي (الدورة الرابعة - 2011م)" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  13. "Qatar: Public security complex opens in Shahaniya". The Peninsula. 8 August 2010. Alt URL
  14. "Qatar Landmarks". Ministry of Development Planning. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  15. "Livestock research centre opens in Al Shehaniya". Qatar Tribune. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  16. "Al Sheehaniya HC". Primary Health Care Corporation (Qatar). Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  17. James Montague (24 August 2017). "The Billionaires Club: The Unstoppable Rise of Football's Super-rich Owners". Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 285.
  18. "Contracts executed by the company" (PDF). Al Darwish Engineering WLL. p. 9. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  19. "Arab Qatari Agricultural Production Company". Arab Qatari Agricultural Production Company. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  20. "Qatar opens 'first of its kind in Middle East' flower facility". Doha News. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  21. Chantelle D'Mello (13 December 2013). "PHOTOS: Qatar flower facility Roza Hassad holds open days for public". Doha News. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  22. "Sports". Qatar Tourism Authority. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  23. "Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  24. "Emir attends part of Founder's Camel Festival Competitions". The Peninsula. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  25. Anand Holla (7 July 2016). "Six things to do this Eid" (PDF). Gulf Times. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  26. "Al Sheehaniya Reserve". Qatar e-Nature. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  27. Alexandra Dixon (1988). Conservation and Biology of Desert Antelopes: Including the Proceedings of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of "Operation Oryx" Symposium. Christopher Helm. p. 50.
  28. Mohammed Hassan Al-Kuwari, Maryam Khulaifi, Jamila Abdulla Ahmed & Sawsan Al-Haddad (2013). "دليـل المؤسسات الثقافية في قطر (Directory of Cultural Institutions in Qatar)" (PDF) (in Arabic). Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  29. Fran Gillespie (26 November 2011). "24 hours in Doha". Oryx Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
  30. "Al Shahaniya Park opens to public". Qatar Tribune. 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
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