Al Rayyan الريان | |
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 Map of Qatar with Al Rayyan highlighted (from 2015 withoutAl-Shahaniya) | |
| Coordinates (Al Rayyan):25°19′N51°22′E / 25.32°N 51.37°E /25.32; 51.37 | |
| Country |  Qatar |
| Capital | Al Rayyan City |
| Zones | 10 |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,450 km2 (950 sq mi) |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
• Total | 605,712 |
| • Density | 247/km2 (640/sq mi) |
| entire municipality | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
| ISO 3166 code | QA-RA |
| Website | Al Rayyan |
Al Rayyan (Arabic:الريان; also spelledAr Rayyan) is the third-largestmunicipality inQatar. Its primary settlement is thecity of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of theDoha Metropolitan Area. The vast expanse of mostly undeveloped lands in the south-west also falls under the municipality's administration.
Similar to many other names given to Qatari settlements and municipalities, Al Rayyan Municipality was named after a geographic feature present in its namesake, thecity of Al Rayyan. The city derives its name from theArabic termray, which translates to "irrigation". This name was bestowed upon it due to its low elevation, allowing it to act as aflood plain and provide a sustained supply of water to the numerous plants that grew within its boundaries.[2]
In March 1893, theBattle of Al Wajbah was fought between the Qataris andOttomans at the recently builtAl Wajbah Fort, located 16 km (10 mi) west of Old Doha. Although Qatar did not gain full independence from the Ottoman Empire, Qataris see the outcome of the battle as a defining moment in the establishment of Qatar as a modern state.[3]
Al Rayyan Municipality was created as an independent municipal administration by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning in 1972.[4]
In 2004,Al Jemailiya Municipality was merged with Al Rayyan, andJariyan Al Batnah Municipality was split between Al Rayyan andAl Wakrah Municipality.Doha Industrial Area, also known as Zone 58, was split off from Al Rayyan and integrated intoDoha Municipality, becoming an exclave of Doha.[5]
In 2014, the western city ofAl-Shahaniya was dissociated from Al Rayyan Municipality to form its own municipality. Integrating approximately 35% of Al Rayyan's area into the new municipality, some of Al Rayyan's western localities such as Al Gharbiam,Al Utouriya,Al Jemailiya,Umm Bab,Rawdat Rashed,Al Nasraniya,Dukhan and Al Khurayb were also included in the new municipality.[6]
Al Rayyan is bordered by four municipalities:Umm Salal to the northeast,Al-Shahaniya to the west,Doha to the east andAl Wakrah to the southeast. It is divided into two main sections; the west consisting of scattered rural settlements, farms and open desert, and the east comprising thecity of Al Rayyan, an urban offshoot of MetropolitanDoha's westward growth.[7]
According to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), the municipality has 223depressions, 38wadis, 24streams, sixplains, sixsabkhas, sixcapes, and sixbays. No islands exist off its coasts.[8] The MME recorded 50 hills, includingJebel Nakhsh, which stands 90 meters tall.[9] Furthermore, there is onehighland in the municipality, called Alaa Jaow Al Mathlouth Al Janoubi which consists of elevated surface south of an elongated depression and its namesake, Jaow Al Mathlouth.[8]
Al Gharrafa, which is a district of Al Rayyan City and also a part of metropolitan Doha, is being developed as a large-scale commercial hub for residents of northwest Doha, northern Al Rayyan and southern Umm Salal. The district is already a well-established retail center, hosting many major malls and supermarkets. Some residential developments are also planned for the district.[10]
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The municipality is divided into 10zones which are then divided into 1410 blocks.[11]
Al Rayyan Municipality has the following administrative zones as of 2015:[1]
| Zone no. | Census districts | Area | Population (2015) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Al Gharrafa Gharrafat Al Rayyan Izghawa Bani Hajer Al Seej Rawdat Egdaim Al Themaid | 80.9 km2 (31.2 sq mi) | 56,027 |
| 52 | Al Luqta Lebday Old Al Rayyan Al Shagub Fereej Al Zaeem | 13.4 km2 (5.2 sq mi) | 18,433 |
| 53 | New Al Rayyan Al Wajbah Muaither | 110.9 km2 (42.8 sq mi) | 77,875 |
| 54 | Fereej Al Amir Luaib Muraikh Baaya Mehairja Fereej Al Soudan | 18.1 km2 (7.0 sq mi) | 24,593 |
| 55 | Fereej Al Soudan Al Waab Al Aziziya New Fereej Al Ghanim Fereej Al Murra Fereej Al Manaseer Bu Sidra Muaither Al Sailiya Al Mearad | 82.4 km2 (31.8 sq mi) | 283,675 |
| 56 | Fereej Al Asiri New Fereej Al Khulaifat Bu Samra Al Mamoura Abu Hamour Mesaimeer Ain Khaled | 61.1 km2 (23.6 sq mi) | 128,928 |
| 81 | Mebaireek | 160.5 km2 (62.0 sq mi) | 12,483 |
| 83 | Al Karaana | 554.3 km2 (214.0 sq mi) | 2,614 |
| 96 | Abu Samra | 801.7 km2 (309.5 sq mi) | 984 |
| 97 | Sawda Natheel | 566.7 km2 (218.8 sq mi) | 100 |
| Municipality | 2,450 km2 (950 sq mi) | 605,712 | |
Other settlements in Al Rayyan include:[12]
Due to Al Rayyan's lack of a coastline in its population centers in the eastern section, fishing andpearling did not play a part in building its economy; this is in sharp contrast to Qatar's other urban centers which were largely dependent on maritime activities. Instead, nomadic herding oflivestock and small-scalecrop cultivation comprised the livelihoods of its past inhabitants.
According to government statistics recorded whenAl-Shahaniya was still integrated into Al Rayyan, the municipality accounted for the majority of Qatar's farming activities. In 2015, 36% of Qatar's total farmland was based in Al Rayyan, putting it just ahead ofAl Khor with 35% of the country's farmland. There were 499 farms occupying 17,136 hectares, 256 of which were involved in cultivating crops, 234 of which were mixed operations, 8 of which raised livestock, and 1 categorized as "other".[13] The municipality had a livestock inventory of 108,508, including 52,582 sheep and 27,380 goats. Livestock numbers were surpassed only by Al Khor.[14]
Until 2017,Muaither Yard was the only farmers' market in the municipality.[15]Qatar Foundation established Torba Farmers' Market inEducation City in November 2017. Only organically grown produce is sold at this market.[16]
According to the 2015 census conducted by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, there were a total of 199 schools located in Al Rayyan at that time.[17]State schools were recorded as amounting to 108 in the 2016 education census – 50 were exclusively for girls and 58 were for boys. A slightly higher number of students were male, at 23,558 compared to 23,455 female students.[18]
Several schools have transferred to Al Rayyan from Doha as a result of lower operating costs and closer proximity to students.[19]
Various universities main campuses inEducation City, a city-scale project byQatar Foundation which is spread across theAl Gharrafa,Gharrafat Al Rayyan andAl Shagub districts ofAl Rayyan City.[2] Among the universities are:[20]
Healthcare standards in the municipality have been boosted bySidra Medical and Research Center,[19] which is in theAl Gharrafa district ofAl Rayyan.[2] Its initial inpatient hospital was formally opened in January 2018 with 400 beds.[21] At peak operational capacity, it will serve more than 275,000 patients per year.[22] Biomedical research is also conducted at Sidra, with its research facilities becoming operational in 2015.[23]
Aspetar, a specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, is found in theAspire Zone in theBaaya district.[19] Commencing operations in 2007,[24] it was the first-ever sports medicine hospital in the Middle East region. It earned accreditation as aFIFA Medical Centre of Excellence in 2009.[25]
Overall, there were twenty-six health care facilities recorded by the 2015 government census.[17] Sixty-four pharmacies were recorded in the municipality in 2013 by Qatar's Supreme Council of Health.[26]
Public transport in the municipality is generally poor and not used by most of its residents due to a lack of facilities at the central station and inconsistentheadway.[27]
Doha Metro'sGreen Line, also called the Education Line, passes through Al Rayyan. There aremetro stations inAl Shagub,Education City andQatar National Library, andOld Al Rayyan.[28] The line was opened to the public on 10 December 2019.[29]
Salwa Road runs from Doha proper toAbu Samra on the Qatar-Saudi border for roughly 95 km.[30] For the most part, the road passes solely through Al Rayyan Municipality, but there is a stretch of highway that serves as the dividing line between Al Rayyan Municipality andAl-Shahaniya Municipality.[2] It is an important commercial artery in the municipality's eastern extremity, hosting car showrooms, superstores and outlet stores.[31] Moreover, many rural areas to the south-west of Metropolitan Doha are connected to the highway network through Salwa Road. It runs through the following districts in Al Rayyan, sorted from east to west and north to south:[2]
Westward travel towardsDukhan andAl-Shahaniya is facilitated by the roughly 66 km-long Dukhan Highway.[10] The road spans fromBani Hajer in the east to Dukhan in the west. It runs through the following districts in Al Rayyan, sorted from east to west and north to south:[2]
TheOrbital Highway is Qatar's longest road at 195 km.[32] Created to bypass the traffic congestion in Doha, the highway begins inMesaieed and ends in the north atRas Laffan. The most important highway junctions for Al Rayyan is the Orbital Highway/Salwa Road junction and Orbital Highway/Dukhan Highway junction.[33]
On 9 December 2015, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment inaugurated a government services complex inAl Rayyan City.[34] Four days later, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce established a branch at the services complex.[35] Later in May 2016 another government services complex was created inMesaimeer. Almost all government ministries are represented at the complex.[36]
In the south-west,Abu Samra accommodates Qatar's sole border crossing withSaudi Arabia.[37] The Ministry of Interior maintains an Immigration Department office and Customs Department office near the border crossing.[2] On 5 June 2017, when a quartet composed of Saudi Arabia, theUnited Arab Emirates,Bahrain andEgyptsevered ties with Qatar, the border crossing was shut down.[38]
Municipal estimates put the number of residential units for workers at 173,550 for 2017.[39] A massive labor camp in theUmm Al Afaei district with a capacity for 21,000 workers was announced in 2013. The project was reported to cost QAR 122 million.[40]
There are a number of historic forts in the municipality, most of which are located withinAl Rayyan City. One such fort isAl Wajbah Fort, which was the setting of a battle between the Ottomans and Qataris in theBattle of Al Wajbah in 1893.[4]
Education City, which houses most of Qatar's universities, is spread throughout theAl Gharrafa,Gharrafat Al Rayyan andAl Shagub districts of Al Rayyan City, as is several ofQatar Foundation's institutes such as theQatar Science & Technology Park andQatar National Convention Centre.[2][41]
Several multi-sports clubs are based in the municipality:Al Rayyan SC,Al-Gharafa SC,Muaither SC,Mesaimeer SC andAl Sailiya SC. All of these fall within the boundaries of Al Rayyan City.[4]
Al Rayyan hosts a racing and equestrian club.Aspire Tower andAspire Park are also nestled in the municipality, specifically on Al Waab Street inBaaya, a district of Al Rayyan City. A large-scale Venetian style mall known asVillaggio Mall is also located in the Baaya district. Doha Zoo is found nearby to these attractions inAl Aziziya.[41] According to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, the municipality accommodates 20 parks as of 2018.[42]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1986[43][44] | 91,996 | — |
| 1997C[43][44] | 169,774 | +84.5% |
| 2004C[43][44] | 272,860 | +60.7% |
| 2010C[45] | 392,661 | +43.9% |
| 2015C[1] | 605,712 | +54.3% |
| c-census; e-estimate | ||
Note: 2010 adjusted figures here, 2015 preliminary figures
Al Rayyan's workforce is relatively diversified compared to the other municipalities. It was reported that in 2010, construction accounted for the largest sector of the workforce at 74,00, with manufacturing coming second at 15,500, followed by transportation and storage (7,900) and education (7,800). Many employed residents work outside the municipality, inDoha.[46]
The following table is a breakdown of registered live births by nationality and sex for Al Rayyan. Places of birth are based on the home municipality of the mother at birth.[47]
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