Al Khor

Al Khor
الخور
Municipality

Map of Qatar with Al Khor highlighted
Coordinates (Al Khor City): 25°41′N 51°31′E / 25.69°N 51.51°E / 25.69; 51.51Coordinates: 25°41′N 51°31′E / 25.69°N 51.51°E / 25.69; 51.51
Country  Qatar
Capital Al Khor City
Government
  Mayor Ibrahim Issa Nasser Al Fadalah
Area
  Total 1,613.3 km2 (622.9 sq mi)
Population (2015)[1]
  Total 202,031
  Density 130/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone East Africa Time (UTC+03)
ISO 3166 code QA-KH

Al Khor (Arabic: الخور), also spelled Al Khawr, is a municipality in the state Qatar. In Arabic, Al Khawr means bay. Al Khor City is located in the northeast coast of Qatar, around 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital, Doha and it is considered to be one of the major cities in Qatar.[2]

Al Khor was ruled by the Al Muhannadi tribe before the independence of Qatar in 1971 and still is. It is believed that the Al Muhannadi tribe who live in Al Khor was formed in the late 19th century and it consists of seven Bedouin families.The city is growing in tourism. Al Khor is known for its Al-Sultan beach hotel & resort, a palace that turned into a hotel, and for its large concentration of modern and historical mosques. The main industry of the city is fishing. The municipality is represented by the sports club Al-Khor SC, which play in Al-Khor SC Stadium in the municipality's capital city.

Al Khor City

The city of Al Khor is located 50 kilometres (31 miles) away from Doha. Its location is on the east coast, north of Doha and it is well known for its importance in the pearling industry in the past, as well as its harbour which is filled with fishing boats and small crafts. The town has beaches with some historical towers.[3][4]

History

Al Khor was given its name for its meaning 'the arm of sea stretching in the land forming a bay'. Al-Khor's bay is one of the largest in Qatar.

Gas and oil companies are in Ras Lafan industrial region near Al Khor City and Al Thakhira. The municipality, with its different departments and many other institutions, has taken the responsibility to make the city of Al Khor clean and environment-friendly so as to safeguard environmental life in it.

Geography

Al Khor Archaeological Tower, a far view
Al Khor Archaeological Tower, a close view
Mangrove island at Al Thakhira, Qatar
Vegetation in Al Khor Island
Al Thakhira Beach, Qatar

Al-Khor is in northern Qatar, 57 km away from Doha. Until the early 1940s, it was a harbour and a centre for the pearl industry. It was well known for its fishing harbour and natural pearl trade. Despite the fact that other industries are starting to replace the first two, the city abounds in monuments including mosques, its museum with antiques, and historical towers.

Infrastructure

As of 2015, there are 22 schools, 101 mosques, 9 health care facilities, and 18 community centers or malls operating within the municipality.[5]

Three major government-owned plant nurseries are located in Al Khor; two are in the village of Al Rashida, and there is one in Rawdat Bakheela. Plants grown in these nurseries are used for research and also distributed to government ministries. The nurseries in Al Rashida each span 2,500 sq meters and were established in 2003.[6]

Administration

Al Khor Municipality was established in 1972 and supervises the city of Al Khor in addition to other settlements in the municipality.[7] As of 2017, Ibrahim Issa Nasser Al Fadalah is the mayor of the municipality.[8]

Census zones

The following administrative zones are found in Al Khor Municipality as of 2015:[1]

Zone Area (km²) Population (2015)
Simaisma
Al Jeryan
Al Khor City
373.9 96,169
Al Thakhira
Ras Laffan
Umm Birka
610.8 100,118
Al Ghuwariyah 628.6 5,744
Municipality 1613.3 202,031

Development

At present, it is considered one of the biggest Qatari cities, having all modern services such as schools, clubs, and the General Shamal Hospital comprising most medical departments for it serves al-Khor city and its suburbs. Al-Khor is also proud of hosting the biggest oil and gas extracting factories in the world, since it has the Qatar Company for Natural Liquefied Gas, Ras Lafan Company for Natural Liquefied Gas, and many other petrochemical companies, refineries, water desalination stations, etc. in Ras Lafan industrial region.

Al Khor's municipal council announced plans to open two workers' cities in the Abu Al-Qarais area in 2016. These cities are planned to facilitate 45,000 inhabitants.[9]

Demographics

The following table is a breakdown of registered live births by nationality and sex for Al Khor. Places of birth are based on the home municipality of the mother at birth.[10][11]

Registered live births by nationality and sex
Year Qatari Non-Qatari Total
M F Total M F Total M F Total
2001 76 75 151 67 50 117 143 125 268
2002 93 82 175 57 56 113 150 138 288
2003 97 90 187 59 53 112 156 143 299
2004 93 75 168 59 67 126 152 142 294
2005 87 79 166 72 54 126 159 133 292
2006 89 89 178 75 68 143 164 157 321
2007 78 114 192 85 68 153 163 182 345
2008 103 93 196 117 94 211 220 187 407
2009 114 131 245 132 114 246 246 245 491

Headquarters

The headquarters of the Municipality is at the entry of al-Khor city, it is one of the oldest buildings. At present, it is being renovated to give its façades the traditional aspects of Qatari buildings, an aspect adopted by the Municipality in its building, since it built a building attached to the principal one with the same traditional features.

References

  1. 1 2 "2015 Population census" (PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. April 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  3. http://www.qatartourism.gov.qa/dohaandothercities.html?linka_09
  4. Al Khor Guide :: Qatar Visitor
  5. "The Simplified Census of Population, Housing & Establishments 2015" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. April 2015. pp. 65–66. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  6. "تدشين أسبوع الشجرة بروضة بخيلة اليوم" (in Arabic). Al Raya. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  7. "Al Khor Municipality". Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  8. "تعيين 112 مديراً ورئيساً لقسم ومكتب في 8 بلديات" (in Arabic). Al Sharq. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  9. "مدينتان للعمال في الخور تستوعبان 45 ألف عامل" (in Arabic). Al Sharq. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. "Population statistics". Qatar Information Exchange. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  11. "Qatar Statistics Authority website". Qatar Statistics Authority. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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