Al Ruwais
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Ar Ru'ays اَلرُّؤَيْس |
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|---|---|
| Settlement | |
 Ar Ru'ays
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| Coordinates: 26°08′00″N 51°13′00″E / 26.13333°N 51.21667°ECoordinates: 26°08′00″N 51°13′00″E / 26.13333°N 51.21667°E | |
| Country | Qatar |
| Municipality | Madinat ash Shamal |
Ar Ru'ays (Arabic: اَلرُّؤَيْس), also spelled Al Ruwais, is a port town in the municipality of Madinat ash Shamal in Qatar. It is located on the northern tip of Qatar, approximately 127 km north of the capital Doha.
It is a popular birdwatching spot.
A British survey conducted on the area in 1890 describes Al Ruwais as "a small town on the mainland, 2 ½ miles south of Ras Rakan; it has four towers on the fort, which is the first thing seen from the northward when making the land. They have many boats, which run in over the reef, and anchor in shelter close to the beach. The fort is visible 6 or 7 miles".
At the start of the 20th century, Al Ruwais was described as such in J.G. Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf:
A village of Qatar, the nearest to the top of the promontory, about 2 ½ miles south of Ras Rakan. It is inhabited by about 70 families of the Sadah tribe who own 18 pearl boats, 2 other sea-going vessels and 10 fishing boats; they also have 4 horses and 20 camels. There is a reef in front of the village within which the boats belonging to it anchor. The place is protected by a small fort with four towers, and drinking water is fetched from the Umm Dha'an well, 1 ½ miles inland south of Ruwais.
Al Ruwais became the second settlement outside of the capital Doha to construct a formal school in 1954.
One of the earliest harbor towns in Qatar, Al Ruwais accommodates what is believed to be the oldest mosque in Qatar. Initially built around the 17th century, Ruwais Mosque was reconstructed in the 1940s. It is rectangular in shape, with an open courtyard, and can hold around 100 worshipers. The Ministry of Tourism and Al Shamal Municipality are coordinating to preserve the mosque and to promote it as a tourist attraction.
A government complex housing a Ministry of Justice office was opened in Al Ruwais in July 2014.
Al Ruwais Port development project, which has the stated aim of transforming Al Ruwais Port into northern Qatar's pathway to the world, was launched in January 2015 by Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. It was reported that, in June 2017, Al Ruwais Port had 57 ships with an overall capacity reaching 10,745 tons.
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Wikipedia