Discover how Qatar is rejuvenating its cultural heritage sites

At the very northern tip of Qatar, a plan is underway to turn an old, abandoned settlement into a modern tourist attraction. Once a thriving settlement, Al Mafyar was abandoned around 50 years ago. Since then, the former buildings have been left to the elements.

Using the bones of what’s already available, Qatar Museums has grand plans to rejuvenate this village and turn it once again into a centre of cultural importance.

The vision is to turn Al Mafyar into a tourist attraction with cultural and heritage eco-friendly activities. The design team behind bringing this vision into existence say they’re drawing on the village's history for inspiration.

“What we want to achieve is to bring back the community life to this deserted village,” says Omar Merhebi of G Interiors, who is working on the interior design of the project. “Each house has its unique form, its unique character, so we wanted them to have a sense of that belonging to that place and take that journey.”

The decision to redevelop the site wasn’t made lightly. Archaeologists working close to the project needed to make sure that older ruins below the ground were protected and unscathed in the process.

“There are some sites where they would not be appropriate. There are some buildings where it would not be appropriate,” says Dr Rob Carter, a Senior Archeology specialist at Qatar Museums.

Carter continues: “In other cases, if it was not done, then these things would just collapse anyway and disappear and become fully archaeological. So, you might as well make use of them and you might as well make use of them in a way that makes the best of the natural environment and the archaeological remains that surround them.”

One of the key considerations of this development is