We made a little trip just North of Doha to visit the Barzan Towers from which our compound derives its name. The name "Barzan" comes from the Arabic for "high place". The towers were built in 1910 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al-Thani. Here is one of the towers:
And here is the other. The towers have been used to watch pearl divers, as a look out for approaching ships, and as an observatory for the phases of the moon.
Here is the entrance of our compound Barzan2. The architectural inspiration seems clear.
| The towers were built for strength with walls a meter thick at their base. Here is the view from one of the gun holes in one of the towers.
There is a very small mosque at the site. The rounded part should face toward Mecca. The mosque was once used as a madrassa to teach the Holy Quran to children. The site was extensively restored in 2003. |
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Here is a picture of the mosque and the rounded part from the inside. The inside of the mosque was empty.
From the top of the taller tower you can see the neighborhood and off in the distance the skyline of Doha.
The ceiling of the small building in an ornate and colorful woven pattern. Some of doors in the towers are very short so that some people can feel tall!
Reference: The heritage of Qatar