Abu Hamour

Abu Hamour (Arabic: بوهامور‎, romanized: Abū Hāmūr) is a district in the municipality of Al Rayyan in Qatar.[3] Known to some as the "Wholesale Market District", it is a part of Metropolitan Doha.[4]

Abu Hamour بوهامور
District
Sabah Al-Ahmad Corridor in Abu Hamour
Abu Hamour
Coordinates: 25°14′16″N 51°29′57″E
Country	Qatar
Municipality	Al Rayyan
Zone	Zone 56
District no.	94
Area [1]
• Total	7.2 km^2 (2.8 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	20 m (70 ft)

Etymology

In Arabic, "abu" translates to "father" and in this context is used as a prefix for a specific characteristic of the area. The second part of the name, "hamour", is a specific type of fish that occurs commonly in Qatari waters. According to local tradition, the district was named after the type of fish most commonly caught by resident fishermen.[5]

Administration

Roundabout in Abu Hamour

When free elections of the Central Municipal Council first took place in Qatar during 1999,[6] Abu Hamour was designated the constituency seat of constituency no. 12.[7] It would remain constituency seat in the next three consecutive elections until the fifth municipal elections in 2015, when it was split between constituencies no. 10 and no. 11.[8] In the inaugural municipal elections in 1999, Hamad Mubarak Al Marri won the elections, receiving 36.4%, or 207, of the votes. Runner-up that year was Hafeez Salem Al Nabat Al Marri, whose share of the votes was 111, or 19.5%. Voter turnout was 75.7%.[7] Khalid Mohammed Al-Ma'adid was elected in the 2002 elections.[9] For the third municipal elections in 2007, Hamad Rashid Al Nabat was elected constituency representative.[10] In 2011, Saleh Jaber Al Marri won the elections.[11]

Areas

Baluchi Camp

Street in Baluchi Camp in Abu Hamour

A large area in Abu Hamour has been set aside by the government to house members of the Baluchi ethnic group. Originally, the Baluchis hail from Oman, Iran, and Pakistan, but began migrating to Qatar beginning in the 1950s, when Qatar started to reap the benefits of its oil drilling. First, the government designated a Baluchi housing area in Fereej Abdel Aziz in the 1950s, and later relocated them to Nuaija, before finally settling on Abu Hamour. There are currently thousands of Baluchis living in the camp, some of whom have positions in Qatar's government and army but do not possess Qatari citizenship.[12]

The Qatari government provides the residents with building materials, although many of the structures do not meet regulations and contain illegal modifications. Infrastructure in the area is poor, with many of the 900 to 1000 houses lacking sewage and running water. There are two supermarkets and five mosques found in the camp.[12]

Wholesale Market Area

Ornamental plants market in Abu Hamour

The Wholesale Market Area in Abu Hamour previously accommodated Abu Hamour Central Market, one the largest marketplaces in Qatar. In the early 20th century, the wholesale market was located in the Al Jasrah area of Doha in what is presently Souq Waqif. As urban expansion continued unabated in Doha throughout the later 20th century, it was decided that the wholesale market would be transferred to Abu Hamour and remain under the jurisdiction of Doha, thus becoming the new western boundary of Greater Doha. While it still operated, the Abu Hamour Central Market contained a fresh vegetable and fruit market, a livestock market and an ornamental plants market.[13] In early 2017 all wholesale shops in Abu Hamour Wholesale Market were shut down, most being shifted to the Umm Salal Central Market in Umm Salal Ali.[14] The fruit and vegetable market was moved to Al Sailiya, while the livestock market, which frustrated locals had attributed a foul odor to, was transferred to Abu Samra in southern Qatar. Municipal officials plan to convert the now defunct Abu Hamour Central Market into a commercial complex.[15]

Industry

Men watch a camel being lifted by crane in the Abu Hamour Wholesale Market

As a result of its central location, Abu Hamour is an increasingly popular choice for retailers. A number of retail outlets from elsewhere in the country have relocated to the neighborhood.[16] Historically, Abu Hamour hosted the largest wholesale market in the country, but in April 2017 the wholesale market was transferred to Umm Salal Ali.[14]

Abu Hamour is the site of a refined petroleum products distribution depot which formerly belonged to the National Oil Distribution Company (NODCO), a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum, until 2002 when newly-established Qatar Fuel assumed responsibility for the depot's management.[17]

Transport

Currently, the underground Abu Hamour Metro Station is under construction, having been launched during Phase 1A. Once completed, it will be part of Doha Metro's Green Line.[18]

Education

The following schools are located in Abu Hamour:

Name of School	Curriculum	Grade	Genders	Official Website	Ref
Al Arqam Academy	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	N/A	[19]
Al-Muntazah English School	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	N/A	[20]
Al Redwan Kindergarten	Independent	Kindergarten	Both	N/A	[21]
Bangladesh M.H.M High School and College	International	Kindergarten – Primary	Both	N/A	[22]
Birla Public School - Abu Hamour branch	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	Official website	[23]
Doha Modern Indian School	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	N/A	[24]
Ideal Indian School	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	N/A	[25]
Iranian Junior High School For Boys	International	Primary – Secondary	Male-only	N/A	[26]
Iranian Elementary School For Boys	International	Primary	Male-only	N/A	[27]
M.E.S Indian school	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	Official website	[28]
Shantiniketan Indian Private School	International	Kindergarten – Secondary	Both	N/A	[29]

References

1. "District Area Map". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
2. "Bu Hamour, Zone 56, Qatar on the Elevation Map". elevationmap.net. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
3. "2010 population census" (PDF). Qatar Statistics Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
4. "Al Rayyan and Al Shahhaniya Municipality Vision and Development Strategy" (PDF). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. 2017. p. 19. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
5. "District map". The Centre for Geographic Information Systems of Qatar. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
6. "Central Municipal Council". Government Communications Office of Qatar. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
7. "إنتخابات الدورة الأولى" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
8. "مقـار الدوائـر" (in Arabic). Ministry of Interior (Qatar). Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
9. "الدورة الثانية" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
10. "إنتخابات الدورة الثالثة" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
11. "رابعاً: إنتخابات الدورة الرابعة كشف بأسماء السادة المرشحين الفائزين في عضوية انتخابات المجلس البلدي المركزي (الدورة الرابعة - 2011م)" (in Arabic). Central Municipal Council. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
12. Ola Diab (30 June 2010). "The Abu Hamour Camp in Qatar". oladiab.com. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
13. "المجلد األول: مخطط التنمية المكانية لبلدية الريان" [Volume 1: Spatial Development Plan for Al Rayyan Municipality] (PDF) (in Arabic). Ministry of Municipality and Environment. June 2014. p. 22. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
14. Sanaullah Ataullah (26 April 2017). "Wholesale shops in Abu Hamour to shut". The Peninsula. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
15. "'Central Market at Abu Hamour to turn into commercial complex'". Qatar Tribune. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
16. Ramesh Mathew (29 September 2015). "Abu Hamour, neighbourhood favoured by retailers". Gulf Times. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
17. "Qatar Fuel WOQOD: Fuelling the supply lines". IndustryME. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
18. "QAR Metro". arcgis.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
19. "Al Arqam Academy". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
20. "Al-Muntazah English School". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
21. "Al Redwan Kindergarten". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
22. "Bangladesh Mashhoor Ul Haq". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
23. "Birla Public School - Abu Hamour". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
24. "Doha Modern Indian School". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
25. "Ideal Indian School". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
26. "Iranian Junior High School For Boys". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
27. "Iranian Elementary School For Boys". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
28. "Home page". MES Indian School. Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
29. "Shantiniketan Indian Private School". Supreme Education Council. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.