Petroglyphs-Part 3

At 7am, the temperature had already hit the mid-30sC/90sF. Hot, but doable. The Al-Jassasiya site was not more than an hour from Doha – Friday morning, back roads, and traveling at about 110-120ks – an easy ride. No sign posts or markers directed us, only Carl’s knowledge of where to turn on road, sand, or rock surfaces got us to the carvings. Reaching the glyphs required a little off-roading. Always an adventure on motorcycles as the integrity of desert sand is not to be trusted. Tires sink into the soft sand and the hard compacted, crusted surface is rife with rubble and stones that pop and ping through the air at the slightest disturbance. But we managed to park without trouble and followed Carl on foot to the limestone outcroppings that loomed on the near horizon.
No gates protected the remains of the forgotten culture, and no warnings about walking on, touching, or otherwise defacing the petroglyphs were to be seen anywhere. I wondered if, because they are part of Qatar’s nomadic history, they are not worth worrying about, let alone preserving, as much as the country’s propitious present and future in the excavation and exportation of oil and gas.