Mesaieed

History

Mesaieed was established in 1949 as a tanker terminal by Qatar Petroleum on a previously uninhabited site along the coast. It was chosen by the company because of its proximity to the working population in Doha and Al Wakrah and because of the depth of its waters. It was the only deepwater port in Qatar for more than 20 years.

It was administered wholly by Qatar Petroleum at the time of its inception. After Qatar Petroleum transferred its headquarters from Dukhan to Mesaieed in 1956, they undertook substantial development on workers' camps and facilities. The government had agreed to the company's request to allow it full jurisdiction over the area, and additionally, until the 1960s, the government had prioritized the development of Doha rather than its natural gas industry. The rapid growth of oil revenues in the 1960s and the accession of Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani in 1972 resulted in the government assuming a portion of control over the area.

In 1997, Mesaieed Municipality was formed from the areas of Mesaieed Industrial Area, Mesaieed and Shagra. It was dissolved in 2006 and reincorporated in the municipality of Al Wakrah.

Geography

Mesaieed is located on the southeast coast, approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Qatar's capital, Doha. It is a part of the Al Wakrah Municipality. The eastern section is situated over a low, rocky promontory which is enclosed by sabkhas on the coast. The sabkha region is 40 kilometres (25 mi) long and between 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) wide. The southern portion of Mesaieed is characterized by sand dunes. To the northeast of the coast, where the residential section is located, there are sandy hillocks which lie 9 m above sea level.

The residual soils are overlain with aeolian deposits. It lies on limestone bedrock, which is found at depths 0.25 m to 8 m above sea level. The industrial area's strategic location and the high water table helps ensure that Mesaieed's groundwater remains unpolluted.

Industrial area

Mesaieed is an industrial city and is managed by Mesaieed Industrial City, a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum. All the industry concentrated in the city constitutes the core of Qatar's industry.

The industrial area accommodates the main plants of the following companies:

Developments

As part of the Qatari government's National Vision 2030, a $7.4 bn project was launched in 2011 to construct a major port strategically located near Mesaieed Industrial Area's port. The port, named 'Hamad Port', is set to be completed in 2016 and will cover an area of 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi).

Tourism

Tourism is confined to Mesaieed's desert areas, primarily to the immediate southeast of the city. Beach resorts on Mesaieed's coast are considered to be among the most important tourist areas in the country. The main tourist resort is Sealine Beach Resort, which has a hotel, villas and water sports facilities.

The sand dunes on the eastern coast are known as 'singing sands' because of the sounds they produce.

In 2012, Barwa Group launched a construction project in the southern zone of Mesaieed to establish a large tourist resort over an area of 829 square metres (8,920 sq ft).

Al Afjah Heritage Village is a cultural attraction located on the western boundaries of Mesaieed.

Telecommunications

The Mesaieed central switchboard was completed in 1978 with a capacity of 3,000 lines. According to government statistics, the total number of telephones installed in 1980 was 405. Qatar National Telephone Services carried out substantial development on the telephone system the next year, resulting in a nearly two-fold increase to 808 telephones.

Transport

The first roads in Mesaieed were constructed in the late 1940s by Qatar Petroleum. They were paved in 1955. The roads fell into disrepair in the 1960s, and in 1968 the government assumed responsibility for developing the road system from Mesaieed to Al Wakrah. In 1977, a road system scheme was designed by William L. Perreira & Associates and work was commenced the same year by the Public Works Authority.

Shopping and services

Mesaieed city has a shopping centre which houses a department store, an electronics store, optical stores, a Q-Tel centre, a branch of the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), two ATMs, some offices and an ICT shop which also houses an internet café. The shopping centre was completed in 2004 and officially opened by the Minister of Energy and Chairman of Qatar Petroleum, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah in March 2006.

Besides QIB, there are four other banks: Doha Bank, Qatar National Bank (QNB), Commercial Bank Qatar (CBQ) and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp (HSBC). HSBC is located inside a state-of-the-art post office (the second largest in Qatar). The QNB branch, established in 1974, was one of the bank's first branches inaugurated outside the confines of Doha.

Adjacent to the shopping centre is a large souq or market. There are all sorts of shops in it like textile shops, supermarkets, groceries, hair-cutting saloons, laundry shops, restaurants, cafés and ICT shops.

Sports

Mesaieed Endurance Track, located in the desert, played host to the endurance riding competition in the 2006 Asian Games. The track was also host to the 2013 CHI Al Shaqab endurance races.

There is a sports complex in Mesaieed which hosts national sports tournaments organized by Qatar Petroleum.

Mesaieed Hockey Club

The MHC was established in Oct 2011 by players from various companies. Since then, the club has taken part in various tournaments organized by the Qatar Hockey Federation (QHF). The club joined the Qatar Hockey League in the 2013 season.

Al Banush Club

It is owned by QAFCO, and is mainly used by the senior staff of QAFCO. It is the largest club in the city and has many facilities including a main hall, a football ground, tennis and basketball courts, a swimming pool and restaurants. The annual QAFCO flower and vegetable show is held on its football ground. A cricket field is located near the club.

QAPCO Club

It is owned by QAPCO. Inaugurated in 2013, it is one of the largest clubs in the city. Its facilities include two football fields, basketball, tennis, badminton and table tennis facilities, a swimming pool and a bowling arena.

QP Golf Club

QP Golf Club is owned by Qatar Petroleum and was founded in 1951. It accommodates one of the only two golf courses in Qatar, and a swimming pool. The golf course is the oldest in Qatar, dating back to at least 1955. It underwent expansion in 1959.

Education

The follows school is located in Mesaieed:

History

The first time a government census was conducted was in 1986. According to population estimates, the population in 1953 was no more than 500. This increased to over 2,500 in 1960, after Qatar Petroleum had shifted their headquarters from Dukhan to Mesaieed. Thereafter, the company took initiatives to decrease the population of the city and industrial area, resulting in a population of around 2,000 in 1976. In 1982, the population increased to approximately 5,800 people, of whom 4,900 were employed in industrial services.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, the settlement comprised 3,318 housing units and 452 establishments. There were 35,150 people living in the settlement, of which 97% were male and 3% were female. Out of the 35,150 inhabitants, 91% were 20 years of age or older and 9% were under the age of 20. The literacy rate stood at 99.8%. Employed persons made up 86% of the total population. Females accounted for 1% of the working population, while males accounted for 99% of the working population.

Registered live births

The following table is a breakdown of registered live births by nationality and sex for Doha. Places of birth are based on the home municipality of the mother at birth.