Rawdat Rashed

Rawdat Rashed روضة راشد
Village
Rawdat Rashed
Coordinates: 25°19′10″N 51°21′12″E / 25.31944°N 51.35333°E / 25.31944; 51.35333
Country	Qatar
Municipality	Al-Shahaniya
Zone	Zone 82
District no.	492
Area [1]
• Total	32.2 km2 (12.4 sq mi)

Rawdat Rashed (Arabic: روضة راشد, romanized: Rawḑat Rāshid) is a village in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al-Shahaniya.^[3] It was demarcated in 1988.^[4] It used to be part of the Jariyan Al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan.^[5] In 2014, the village was incorporated into the newly created Al-Shahaniya Municipality.^[6]

Located in central Qatar, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the capital Doha, the village was once of considerable size but lost much of its population due to government efforts to resettle the country's rural population in Doha in the mid-to-late 20th century. The region in which the village lies is extremely arid and, thus, was historically sparsely populated. Previously, the site was accessible only via unpaved desert roads.^[7] The Dhal Al Misfir cave is located in the area.

In Arabic, rawdat refers to a depression where rainfall runoff accumulates. The second part of the name, "Rashed", was given to commemorate a man named Rashed who died in the rawdat.^[8]

Rawdat Rashed is situated in central Qatar. The villages of Wadi Al Jamal Al Shamali and Umm Wishah are nearby.^[9]

Barwa Group launched a planned community named Madinat Al Mawater (literally 'Motor City') on the outskirts of Rawdat Rashed, near the junction of Rawdat Rashed Road–Salwa Road. The community will host residential units, workshops, car showrooms, and apartment complexes.^[10]

The area contains the most substantial supply of fresh groundwater in the southern zone of the country.^[11] A government wellfield is found in the area, and was previously used as a water source for Umm Bab's cement industry.^[12]

Rawdat Rashed is also one of five sites for the government-sponsored project to develop reservoirs in the country.^[13] Once completed, the reservoirs are expected to be the largest in the world in their category,^[14] with a total length of 650 km and constructed at a cost of QR 14.5 billion. Rawdat Rashed's water reservoir is built at 50 ft above sea level, and will be used as the main water supply for the capital of Doha in the scenario of an electricity outage at the other stations. In June 2018, the first phase of the project was completed.^[15]

Rawdat Rashed is one of the three major landfill sites in the country, being used mainly for construction and demolition waste.^[16]

Rawdat Rashed Road, a 33 km road stretching through the city connected to Dukhan Highway, which links Dukhan and Doha, is known locally as the 'road of death' due to the large number of fatal accidents which occur on the road.^[17] After announcing a redevelopment plan for the road in 2014, the Public Works Authority commenced redevelopment work in 2015.^[18][17] The redevelopment project, due for completion in late 2019, will also link the road with Salwa Road.^[19]

Completed in 1948, the Old Mosque in Rawdat Rashed is notable for its aesthetics, particularly its tall and elegant minaret. The mosque's iwans are notably higher than those of most other old mosques, creating a more spacious interior. The mosque's courtyard can be entered through two simple post and lintel openings on the east and north sides; the original wooden doors having been lost to time. The courtyard itself consists of sandy soil with scattered desert plants. In the northeast corner of the courtyard stands the meda (ablution fountain), positioned behind a wall that matches the height of the courtyard's exterior walls.^[7]

The mosque's most distinctive element is its minaret, located at the southeast corner of the courtyard. Dominating the surrounding landscape, it features a square base nearly 3 meters high, topped by a cylindrical shaft rising another 6.3 meters, and crowned with a rounded cupola that adds another 4 meters, making the total height almost 13 meters. Eight thin square columns support the cupola. The minaret's slender spiral staircase, constructed from danshil wood and baszhil (bamboo laid over the wood beams), is bound together with ropes and coated with mud plaster.^[7]

The open iwan connects to the courtyard through six large rectangular openings with a straightforward post and lintel design. The decorative qibla (prayer wall facing Mecca) remains intact in all corners. The inner iwan of the qibla follows a similar design, being wide and narrow with a high ceiling and two windows at both ends. The qibla itself is square with a rounded roof. Originally, there were two narrow square slots on either side of the qibla for ventilation, though these are now absent.^[7]