Mesaieed was established in 1949 as a tanker terminal by
QatarEnergy on a previously uninhabited site along the coast. It was chosen by the company because of its proximity to the working population in
Doha and
Al Wakrah and because of the depth of its waters. It was the only deepwater port in Qatar for more than 20 years. During fieldwork conducted by anthropologist
Henry Field in 1950, Field recorded that Sheikh Mansur bin Khalil, a local sheikh, identified the Al Hibab as the primary tribal group residing in the area at the time, estimating their presence at approximately 100 tents. In May 1960, the workers of
Qatar Petroleum in Mesaieed went on strike following the redundancy of six Qatari employees and the firing of one resulting from a fight with an Indian employee. Sheikh
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in his correspondence with the British, stated he believed the redundancies to be justified and thus did not support the workers' right to strike. Despite one or two incidents involving confrontations between strikers and senior staff of Qatar Petroleum, the strike largely remained peaceful. Fearful that the strike would spread to Qatar's other industrial city of
Dukhan, Sheikh Khalifa sent a force of 40 policemen to Mesaieed that month. The development of Mesaieed faced some limitations in its early years: the encroaching industrial area to the south, sand dunes and an energy corridor to the west, and a
sabkha (a type of salt flat) to the east. This configuration directed expansion primarily towards the north, with major roads on the north and west facilitating connections to the
Saudi border, Al Wakrah and Doha. The initial structure plan for Mesaieed envisioned five distinct neighborhoods, each with its own center, delineated by primary and secondary roads. These neighborhoods were designed to feature unique identities and local centers to meet daily needs, promoting both automobile and pedestrian movement. The local centers were intended to offer various facilities, including commercial spaces, local mosques, parking, and recreational opportunities, while the town center provided similar but larger-scale amenities. A pedestrian network was planned for the town, linking the local centers and incorporating recreational facilities. Residential areas were planned with varying densities: high density near the town center, medium density to the east, and low density to the west. By the mid-1970s, it became clear that there was a pressing need for more residential accommodation to support the rapidly growing Mesaieed Industrial Area. In response, the government initiated several projects to provide the necessary housing and associated facilities. Housing for senior staff mainly consisted of villas, while intermediate staff housing for expatriates was designed by Greek-French architect
Georges Candilis and followed a similar design to that used near the newly-created
West Bay district of Doha, which was also designed by Candilis. This housing included over 200 units. By 1976, Mesaieed had approximately 700 residential units, mainly in dormitory-style buildings with some
villas. Projections for 1983 estimated a resident population of about 6,400. At that time, Mesaieed was equipped with essential services and amenities, including a health center, police and fire stations, a post office, two banks, a bakery, a cold store, two primary schools, an international school, staff clubs, mosques, a cinema, and a golf course. ==Administration==