Arabic: الدوحة (Al-Dawḥah), Doha city, capital of Qatar, located on the east coast of the Qatar Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. More than two-fifths of Qatar's population lives within city limits. Situated in a shallow, indented bay about 3 miles (5 km) deep, Doha has long been an important local port. Because of the offshore coral reefs and shallow waters, she handled only small vessels until the deep sea port was completed in the 1970s.
The city's original quarter, Al-Bidaʿ, Bida in sailor's language, is to the northwest; it was probably founded by members of a Sudanese tribe who emigrated from the Abu Dhabi sheikh. A port city involved in a 19th-century maritime conflict in the Persian Gulf, Doha, a small village, was destroyed in 1867 in the war between Bahrain (which was helped by Abu Dhabi) and Qatar.
In the following year, the British government appointed Muhammad ibn Thānī Āl Thānī, the sheikh of Doha, as the primary ruler of Qatar. He agreed to comply with the terms of the Perpetual Maritime Armistice of 1853, and maritime warfare was drastically reduced.
In the late 19th century, as ruler of most of the Arabian Peninsula, the Ottoman Empire sporadically maintained a garrison in Doha. After Qatar became a British-protected state in 1916, a British political body was maintained in the city. In late 1971 Doha became the capital city of the newly independent Qatar.
Long a sleepy pearling and fishing village, Doha had around 350 pearl boats in the early 20th century. The development of Japanese pearl farming and the world economic depression in the 1930's greatly affected the city. However, the development of Qatar's sizeable oil reserves after World War II led to a complete economic transformation.
Qatar became a very prosperous country with a high per capita income. It carried out a complete modernization of its capital. Old slums were demolished, and modern commercial and residential quarters were built. Doha's water supply is obtained by distilling seawater.
The deep sea harbor accommodates sea vessels. Using modern motorized vessels, the Qatar National Fisheries Company is headquartered in the port, where a modern shrimp packing factory has also been built.
Sites of interest include Clock Tower Square, the souk (market), and the Government House (1969), built on reclaimed waterfront land. Further cultural developments include establishing a world-class Museum of Islamic Art (2008; designed by I.M. Pei) on an offshore island. Doha International Airport is located in the city's southeast. the population. (2015) 956,457; (2020) 1,186,023.