Al-ʽArish, Qatar

Al-Arish is an abandoned village in Qatar, in the municipality of Al Shamal. It lies one mile south-west of the coastal village of Al Khuwayr.

Etymology

Arish is an Arabic term that refers to "palm trees"; it was named so after palm trees growing in the area which shaded the entire village.

Al Arish was among the villages occupied by Abdullah bin Jassim [Al Thani]'s forces in July 1937 during the 1937 Qatari–Bahraini conflict, in which he led a military expedition against the Al Jabor faction of the Al Naim tribe of Zubarah and its supporters, whom he considered to be defectors to Bahrain.

To the south-west is Sabkhat Al-Arish, a sabkha whose elevation is close to sea level. Due to the high level of salinity, few trees grow there.

Inaugurated in 1975 with a power production capacity of 8.5 megawatts, the Al Arish Power Station was constructed to serve as an energy source for Qatar's northern area.