Historic landmarks such as theBarzan Tower are located in Umm Salal.The municipal headquarters is located inUmm Salal Ali, about 10 km from the coast and 15 km north ofDoha, the Qatari capital.
"Umm" isArabic for "mother", whilesalal refers to large rocks or stones. Hence, the name translates literally to "mother of rocks". The city was named for the numerous rock formations found in the area.[2]
Umm Salal was established as a municipality in 1972.[3] On 29 November 1974, Mohammad bin Jaber Al Thani, a former minister of the Municipality and Urban Planning, became the municipality's first director.[4] As of 2017, Rashid Ahmed Al-Kaabi is the director of Umm Salal Municipality.[5]
Umm Salal shares land borders withDoha to the southeast,Al Rayyan to the south,Al-Shahaniya to the west,Al Khor to the north, andAl Daayen to the east. It does not have a coastline.[6] Occupying roughly 2.7% of Qatar's territory, the municipality is relatively small in size. Its landscape consists of many open spaces and rock formations.
View of Umm Salal Mohammed
The northern portion of the municipality is largely agricultural due to the presence of a large aquifer, and it accommodates a number of small villages and farms.[7]Saina Al-Humaidi, at a distance of 5 km north ofUmm Salal Ali, is the main urban settlement located in the north. Government land grants have expanded the boundaries of Saina Al-Humaidi in recent years, and it is being developed as a residential center for the nearby rural communities.[8]
In the municipality's southern portion,Umm Salal Mohammed constitutes part of theDoha Metropolitan Area. Slightly to the north is Umm Salal Ali, which is also considered to be within the Doha Metropolitan Area's boundaries, albeit to a much lesser extent. These two towns have fueled a large part of the municipality's southern growth.[7]
Umm Salal's eastern and western segments are divided by the path of the national utilities corridor. Desert mainly dominates the western section, which has few settlements. The eastern section is highly urbanized and adjacent to Al Shamal Road.[7]
According to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), the municipality accommodates 21rawdas (sunken landform), 10wadis (river valleys), 20jeris (streams), and three hills.[9]
As of 2017, most of the industry that takes place within Umm Salal's boundaries is centered on construction, at 3,200 employees, with agriculture coming second at 2,000 employees, and retail and services trades in third, numbering 1,500 employees. A vast majority of the municipality's inhabitants work outside the municipality.[13]
Qatar's largest mall,Doha Festival City, was partially opened inUmm Salal Mohammed[14] in April 2017. Valued at QR 6.4 billion, the mall will eventually have 540 retail stores covering an area of 244,000 square meters.[15]IKEA was the first store to be commissioned in Doha Festival City, opening its doors in March 2013.[14]
In recent years,heavy industry companies have set up in or relocated fromDoha Industrial Area to Umm Salal. Factors that account for this pattern involve the finer condition of the roads, fewer transportation costs and more affordable renting of industrial buildings. It was reported that severalmetal fabrication andsteelworks factories were being planned in 2016.[16]
Entrance to Bu Fasseela Warehousing Park inBu Fasseela
Majorlogistics centers have been set up in the south-central Umm Salal. In 2015, a QAR 133 million logistics area inJeri Al Samir was announced by the Ministry of Economy and Trade.[17] The area allocated for the logistics center was 74,180 square meters, and it had an estimated completion date of early 2017.[18]
Barwa Group embarked on a QAR 395 million warehouse complex project, due to be completed in 2017, with an area 259,446 square meters in Umm Shahrayn, next to Jeri Al Samur.[19]
One of the largest warehousing parks outside of Doha, the Bu Fasseela Warehousing Park, located inBu Fasseela, serves several multinational companies and is spread over 496,410 square meters.[20]
Cabbage field at Al Sulaiteen Complex inUmm Salal Ali
Agriculture plays an important role in Umm Salal's rural areas. Roughly 11% of Qatar's total farmland was found in Umm Salal in 2015, ranking third of Qatar's seven municipalities. There were 161 farms spread over 5,044 hectares, with roughly half (80) being involved in growing crops and the other half (78) being split between crops and livestock.[21] The municipality had a livestock inventory of 41,870, the majority of which were sheep (23,607).[22]
The majority of farms are concentrated to the east ofUmm Salal Ali and in the north nearSaina Al-Humaidi.[23] Al Sulaiteen Agricultural Complex is headquartered in Umm Salal Ali. Consisting of 40 hectares of cultivable land owned by Abdullah Salem al-Sulaiteen, up to 300 tonnes of fresh produce is shipped from the farm annually. Desalination plants are also located onsite.[24]
The on-ramp to Al Shamal Road near Umm Salal Mohammed, northbound
Movement into and out of the municipality is mainly facilitated by Al Shamal Road, which is on the eastern fringes, close toAl Daayen. Celebration Highway is the other major highway in Umm Salal, and connects toDukhan Highway as well as toAl Rayyan Municipality. Public transport is poor and characterized by a lack ofbus services andbus stops.[25]
In the future,Doha Metro's Green Line will connect Doha to Umm Salal via rail. Tram stations will be located inAl Kharaitiyat,Umm Salal Mohammed, andUmm Salal Ali, the latter station being the northernmost extension of the rail network in the municipality.[26]
Storefronts on Umm Salal Ali Road in Umm Salal Ali
A comprehensive plan and vision released by the municipality in December 2017 outlined theUmm Salal Mohammed area as being developed as the region's administrative seat and economic hub, andIzghawa,Umm Salal Ali andAl Kharaitiyat undergoing developments to become major mixed-use residential areas.[27]
In the southwest of the municipality, the North Gate Mixed Use development project is underway. Close to Qatar's major population centers, North Gate is planned to have 98,000 square meters dedicated to retail space, 64,000 square meters for office space and over 400 housing units and apartments.[28]
In Umm Salal Ali, a massive sewer treatment facility was constructed at a cost of QAR 3.63 billion and became fully functional in February 2016. It has the capacity to process 245,000 cubic meters of sewage daily.[29]
Entrance to the International School of London Qatar in Umm Salal Mohammed
According to the 2016 education census, sixteen public schools operated in Umm Salal at the time. Half of the schools were exclusively for girls and the other half were reserved for boys. Female students numbered at 3,814, outnumbering the 3,549 male students.[30]
A number of private international schools also have a presence in Umm Salal, such as theRoyal Grammar School, Guildford, which is based inUmm Salal Mohammed and which opened to students in September 2016,[31] in addition to the Qatar Finland International School[32] and the International School of London Qatar,[33] which are also based in Umm Salal Mohammed.
View of Umm Salal Health Centre from Street 491 in Bu Fasseela
The first primary healthcare facility to operate within Umm Salal was located inUmm Salal Ali,[34] and opened in 1985 to serve the entire region.[35] In July 2016, Umm Salal Health Centre opened inBu Fasseela, spread out over an area exceeding 50,000 square meters. This inauguration came after 2.5 years of construction at a cost of QR 115 million.[36] With the stated goal of serving a population of up to 50,000, the facility has 64 clinics, which is more than all other health care centers in Qatar.[37]
Six pharmacies were recorded in the municipality in 2013 by Qatar's Supreme Council of Health.[38]
However, it was one of the five proposed World Cup stadiums which were never built by Qatar. A major factor in its cancellation was its distance from theDoha Metro and from other accommodation and sporting venues in Doha.[42]
The grave of another member of the royal family and a former governor,Ahmed bin Muhammed Al Thani, is also a notable attraction located in the municipality.[4]
A division of Umm Salal Mohammed is being sectioned off as a heritage quarter. This quarter will feature traditionalQatari architecture and neighborhoods (known asfereej), and will have safeguards in place to ensure they are preserved in their original state.[45]
Overall, five parks are located in the municipality as of June 2018.[46] In December 2014,[47] municipal authorities unveiled Umm Salal Park near Barzan Towers in Umm Salal Mohammed.[46] The park will serve the entire central region of Umm Salal. Spread over an area of 12,272 square meters, Umm Salal Park is equipped with a footpath, children's play area, landscaped plants, a cafeteria, and a prayer area.[48] During the same period, a park south of Umm Salal Mohammed inAl Kharaitiyat was opened. Intended to serve the southern regions of Al Kharaitiyat andIzghawa, the park is set over a 2,094 square meter area.[47] Two other parks also exist in this area, with Izghawa hosting the massive 14,000 square meter Izghawa Park[49] and another park in Al Kharaitiyat which occupies 5,836 square meters.[50]
The Mohamed bin Jassim Park became the second park in Umm Salal Mohammed to open in May 2017. It spans an area of 5,988 square meters and features a cafeteria, children's play area and 13 different species of plants.[51]
Three protected environmental areas are found in the municipality. The first, Sunai, is 4 square kilometers and is situated to the north ofUmm Al Amad.[52] It was given legal protection to preserve its biodiversity and to prevent the negative effects of urbanization.[53] The second area is Umm Al Amad reserve, which spans 5.72 square kilometers[54] and is typified by its abundance of vegetation.[55] Finally, Wadi Sultan occupies an area of 1 square kilometers and is west ofAl Kharaitiyat.[52]
It was announced in late 2016 that the largest-ever human-made forest will be established next to the sewage treatment plant inUmm Salal Ali. Set to span 8.3 square kilometers, the forest will contain close to 100,000 trees.[56] Treated water from the plant will be used to irrigate the forest. Combined costs of sewage treatment plant and the forest are close to $3.65 billion.[57]
As of the 2015 population census, Umm Salal's population stood at 90,835.[1] Municipal officials estimated that the population would increase to 104,100 by 2017 as a result of an influx of migrant workers before decreasing by 2032. Most of the growth is expected to happen near the border withDoha Municipality.[13]
In 2010, males accounted for 60.7% of the population while females made up 39.3% of the population.[61] The overall literacy rate was 95.9%.[62] Age-wise, 22.2% of the population was under 15 and the remaining 77.8% was above the age of 15.[63]
The following table is a breakdown of registered live births by nationality and sex for Umm Salal. Places of birth are based on the home municipality of the mother at birth.
^abcd"2015 Population census"(PDF). Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. April 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 17 July 2016. Retrieved8 August 2017.
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