The towers
Mud and stone.
عماد محمد الحاج — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Suneermohamed — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC0 · Mehmet Lutfi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tall1965 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · N.alwanly — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zairon — CC0 · Zairon — CC0
Two watchtowers of mud and stone at Umm Salal Mohammed, north of Doha, built in the late nineteenth century and restored in 1910 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani. «Barzan» means a high place. They were part of a defensive system protecting the rawda, a hollow where precious rainwater collects. The towers stand about 16 m high, with outside stairs to the top and parapets pierced with lookout holes. They are said to have also served to watch over pearl divers and approaching ships, and to observe the moon for the start of the Hijri months. They were restored in 2003 and are set in a small garden with a traditional house. The site is open and free, and half an hour is enough. It fits easily into a drive through northern Qatar on the way to Al Zubarah.
Mud and stone.
To the top.
Beside them.
Umm Salal Mohammed, north of Doha
A high place. The towers were built as lookouts guarding a rainwater hollow, and are said to have been used to watch the moon too.