ZEKREET FORT

Known from surveys carried out by Béatrice de Cardi in 1973-74, this fort is dated by surface ceramics to the modern period and is comparable in plan to buildings from the same period (late ^18th, early ^19th century) in Qatar. For example, the al-Huwaylah and Zubara sites. But it seems that it may have been built at the very beginning of the ^19th century, when Rahmat b. Jabayr seized Zubara in 1809 and established his hegemony over this part of Qatari territory. The fort of Zekreet would be the southernmost mark of this tribal chief's territorial expansion. But this superiority was short-lived: in 1811, the town of Zubara was retaken by the Al-Thani tribe. Rahmat B. Jabayr withdrew to the town of Damman when he was ousted from Zubara. Whether the fort of Zekreet became a staging area for Rahmat B. Jabayr's troops, or whether the fort of Damman became a staging area for Rahmat B. Jabayr's troops, remains unclear. Jabayr's troops, or whether it was abandoned as early as this date. Known acts of piracy by a member of this clan up to 1841 do not rule out the use of this coastal fort, set in a difficult-to-access cove, as one of the fleet's bases or as a place of refuge for members of the extended family. Textual sources provide no information about its possible destruction by the ruling powers when Jasim B. Jabayr's fleet was wiped out (1841). The fortress does not seem to have been a remarkable and effective defensive zone, given the construction techniques, which were not very elaborate for a truly defensive system. It was used to keep watch over both desert territories: control of the Ras Abruk area, a small peninsula with protective coves for dhow anchorages, and maritime territories: surveillance of boats, passage, acts of piracy.

A deep borehole uncovered a number of ceramics dating from the Abbasid period (^9th century), suggesting a temporary "encampment" type of occupation prior to the modern era. During this period, the site may have been linked to the "city" of Ras Uwaynat 'Ali, located on the other side of the Bay of Zekreet and dated to the Sassanid and Abbasid periods.

The presence of a madbassa for the production of date syrup, of a certain size and so close to the sea, suggests the hypothesis of a commercial relationship between Qatar and Bahrain in the early ^19th century. The absence of any palm groves in this large area of the west coast is obvious. In this case, we might suggest that dates were shipped in from Bahrain.

The compilation and analysis of the Zekreet pottery typology show that the camp area was used extensively as a cooking and dining area. Life was organized in unbuilt structures, perhaps on a temporary and/or seasonal basis.

Indeed, the madbassa artisanal zone was only operational for a few months a year, and the population had to diversify its economy with an occupation linked to livestock (goats and dromedaries) or to its geographical context: the seaside. The harvesting of pearl oysters is attested to by a large deposit of shells near the madbassa, and the location of this protected complex at the head of the cove enabled strategic retreats and occasional incursions into the Gulf.