18th century Fuwayrit served as the main residence of the Al Musallam rulers of Qatar during the 1600s and 1700s, while they had their main fort at
Al Huwaila. Approximately 2,000 members of the Al Musallam lived in Qatar during that period. The Banu Ali also had their homes here. According to family tradition, the
Al Thani family migrated from
Zubarah, previously Qatar's largest town, to Fuwayrit some time in the late 1700s.
Mohammed bin Thani, who went on to rule the Peninsula, was born here. He recorded the following notes about Fuwayrit, which he referred to as
Affeeraat:
1828–1829 conflict In 1828–1829, a conflict emerged between the inhabitants of Fuwayrit and
Doha after natives of Fuwayrit robbed a family with close ties to the
Al Thani family. A nephew of Thani bin Mohammed named Khalfan bin Khalfan inherited a large sum of money after his father, a wealthy
tawash (pearl trader), died. Khalfan's mother gave Thani the inheritance to invest on her son's behalf. When Khalfan reached adulthood, Thani distributed the money, which now amounted to a fortune, to Khalfan, and to his own son
Mohammed bin Thani. Khalfan used his share of the wealth to open a business in Fuwayrit. Tensions soon arose between envious Fuwayrit residents and Khalfan, culminating in Khalfan being robbed of all his money. Having been deprived of his livelihood, he appealed to
Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the Bahraini representative stationed in Qatar, as the peninsula was under nominal Bahraini suzerainty at this time. However, he had little interest in Khalfan's protests as he was preoccupied with the recent death of his brother, Salman. A man named Ali bin Amr Al Attiyah was present during Khalfan's appeal and promised to lend his aid on account of a tribal alliance. They went to Doha where they were successful in receiving volunteers from the
Bani Malik,
Al Soudan, and Al Salata tribes. The deposed ruler of Bahrain, Abdullah bin Ahmed bin Khalifa, lived in Qatar during this period. After garnering support from the
Wahhabis of
Najd, he threatened to occupy Bahrain. In addition to having support from the Wahhabis, Isa bin Tarif had also pledged his allegiance to Abdullah bin Ahmed. This prompted Mohammed bin Khalifa to write a letter describing the situation to Captain William Lowe of the
East India Company's naval squadron, in November. Captain Lowe responded to the letter by requesting Mohammed bin Khalifa to refrain from hostilities at sea, and warned that any vessels found being used for war would be seized. Mohammed bin Khalifa retorted by blaming Isa bin Tarif and Abdullah bin Ahmed for creating a warlike atmosphere. On 7 November 1847, Isa bin Tarif and his deputy jointly wrote to
Samuel Hennell describing their suspicions of Mohammed bin Khalifa's plan to invade the north-east coast of Qatar. Intent on defending the coast from Bahraini intervention, Isa bin Tarif and Mubarak bin Ahmed preemptively arrived in Fuwayrit with troops in the first week of November. Mohammed bin Khalifa retorted by sending 7 small ships and 20
battils and advancing towards Fuwayrit by way of Zubarah. As the tensions worsened, the British dispatched several naval ships to blockade Al Bidda and wrote warning letters to Isa bin Tarif, Abdullah bin Ahmed and Mohammed bin Khalifa. Shortly after, Mohammed bin Khalifa's military general Ali bin Khalifa landed on the coast of
Al Khor with 500 Bahraini troops under his command. The Bahraini forces were accompanied by the governors of
al-Hasa and
Qatif. The forces of Isa bin Tarif and Mubarak bin Ahmed numbered 600 troops and lacked any cavalry units. The decisive battle took place on 17 November 1847 near Fuwayrit. Isa bin Tarif's forces were defeated after he and eighty of his men were killed. After proclaiming victory, Mohammed bin Khalifa sent his warships to attack and demolish Al Bidda, and relocated most of its inhabitants to Bahrain. Afterwards, Abdullah bin Ahmed fled to
Iran, while his son Mubarak bin Ahmed fled to
Najd with 200 supporters. Mohammed bin Khalifa allowed 250 prisoners of war to settle on
Kish Island. This was a defining point in Qatar's history, as Isa bin Tarif's death left a gap in the peninsula's leadership which was to be filled by the Al Thani family.
Late 19th century In November 1879, there was a mass exodus of members of the Bu Kuwara tribe from Doha to Fuwayrit. The cause of the migration was tensions between the tribe and Emir
Jassim bin Mohammed, and was said to have been instigated by the Bahraini sheikh. In 1881, they were joined by members of the
Al Nuaim tribe. An 1890 British account records Fuwayrit as "A small walled town with several towers, 12 miles northwest of
Ras Laffan, standing on a small khor; it has some white sand-hills immediately to the northward of it. The people of these towns are of the Al Bu Kuwara [Kuwari] tribe. At about 4 miles north of this place, a small village with several towers has been established by people from Wakra, and called
Al Ghariyah. A small village with several towers, called ar Riyat, now stands about 2 miles north of Fuwairit and just to northward of the sand hills."
20th century s in Fuwayrit Fuwayrit was described as such in
J.G. Lorimer's
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf in the early 20th century: According to anthropological fieldwork in 1950, it was estimated that approximately 600 tents belonging to the Bu Kuwara tribe stood in the area. According to the Origins of Doha Project, which is a
UCL-headed project funded by the
Qatar National Research Fund, aerial photographs taken of the site indicate that it was abandoned by the mid-20th century. However, a new village called Safya had emerged to the immediate south of Fuwayrit. It is possible that Fuwayrit, like many other settlements in
Al Shamal during the mid-1900s, experienced significant population outflow due to upper
aquifer salinization resulting from the overuse of diesel-powered water pumps. Nonetheless, once Qatar had begun reaping profits from its oil extraction activities, many northern settlements became repopulated as it had become feasible to transport water over longer distances.
21st century From January to February 2016, the Origins of Doha Project, being assisted by
Qatar Museums, surveyed Fuwayrit and made a comprehensive list of all of its historic buildings which dated back to the 20th century. This was done to gain a more thorough understanding of the country's history during this period in lieu of written sources, which are scarce. Aerial photography indicates that the new settlement of Fuwayrit, called Safya, has expanded considerably in the 21st century, particularly along the coast and towards Al Marroona. Nonetheless, construction outside the settlement boundaries is prohibited to prevent disruption of the area's small but diverse ecosystem. ==Landmarks==