Preliminary report on fish remains from the 18th- and 19th-century pearl fishing and trading settlement of Al Zubārah, Qatar

Abstract

This paper presents initial results of continuing work on the fish remains from excavations at Al Zubārah in northwest Qatar. Al Zubārah flourished as a political, cultural and economic hub during the 18th and 19th centuries following the establishment of a settlement by the ᶜUtūb tribe from Kuwait. Comparison is made between faunal material from contexts dating to the initial settlement of the site in the mid 18th century and occupation deposits from houses inhabited once the town was at the height of its importance as a trading centre. This allows comparison of fishing strategies employed as the town expanded, cultural changes in the preference of fish and the effects on the marine environment as the town's population grew. Analysis also examines evidence for the preparation of fish within the houses and cooking practices.

Keywords:

• Arabian Gulf
• Late Islamic
• Marine exploitation
• Osteometry
• Tannurs

Acknowledgements

This work would not have been possible without the support of Qatar Museums. Thanks are extended to Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani (Chairperson of Qatar Museums), His Excellency Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammad Bin Ali Al Thani (Vice-Chairperson of Qatar Museums) and Mr Faysal Al Na‘imi (Head of Archaeology Section, Qatar Museums). I would also like to thank Drs Hannah Russ and Mark Beech for discussions on fish remains in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf.