Al Daayen ( [; Wehr: ]; also spelled as [; Wehr: ]) is a municipality in the state of Qatar. Most of the urban landscape can be found in the southern zone of the municipality, particularly in the city of Lusail, while the northern and central sections are primarily rural. It is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Qatar due to its close proximity to the capital Doha.
Umm Qarn hosts the municipal office and serves as the municipality's administrative seat.
Etymology
Al Daayen Municipality is named after the village of the same name, which derives its name from the Arabic word "dhaayen", which roughly translates to "travel". It was given this name in reference to the Qatari tribes who abandoned the village and traveled elsewhere in search of water and suitable pasture.
History
With the demographic and urban growth of the country over the last years, there was the need to create Al Daayen Municipality. The Emir of Qatar ratified the government's resolution 13 in 2004 on the creation of the municipality.
Initial development centered on the southern sector of Al Daayen, close to Metropolitan Doha. Early construction was scattered, often leaving developed and undeveloped sections adjacent to each other.
Geography
Situated alongside Qatar's eastern coastline, the municipality is bordered by Doha to the south, Al Khor to the north, and Umm Salal to the west. An overwhelming portion of the municipality is located within Metropolitan Doha boundaries. Three main divisions exist within the municipality between the northern, central and southern parts. The municipality accounts for roughly 2.5% of Qatar's total area.
According to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), the municipality accommodates 19 rawdas, which were historically popular spots for settlements as they were typically rich in vegetation due to water and sediment run-off. No less than eight of Al Daayen's villages were established near or on rawdas, including Al Rehayya, Al Sakhama and Al Masrouhiya. Upwards of 15 wadis were recorded, a notable one being Wadi Al Banat. Other geographic features listed include four jeris (places where water flows) one plain, four hills, two sabkhas, and two capes. Two natural islands are found off its shores, Al Jazira (literally meaning 'The Island') and Al Aaliya Island.
In the central portion, where most of the municipality's coastline is found, an open desert landscape is predominant. Large swathes of the central-east are dedicated to the Al Wusail Environmental Protected Area.
Northern Al Daayen is typified by agriculture, being dotted by several farms and a few small settlements. Among the most important rural settlements are Tenbek, Jarian, Umm Swaya and Umm Qarn. Umm Qarn is being developed to serve as the nerve center for the northern section, mainly because it is the most developed northern village, already accommodating the municipal office, a primary health center and two primary schools.
Metropolitan Doha infringes into the highly urbanized southern section of Al Daayen. This area serves as the residential and economic hub of the municipality, with the planned city of Lusail being the focal point, having a prospective population capacity of 200,000. Rawdat Al Hamama, Al Ebb and Leabaib are also being developed as major mixed use centers for the southern area.
Administration
The municipality is divided into 2 zones which are then divided into 385 blocks. The villages of Simaisma and Al Jeryan are geographically located in Al Daayen but serve as administrative zones for Al Khor.
As of 2017, Ali Ahmed Yousef Al-Khater is the mayor of Al Daayen Municipality.
Administrative zones
The following zones were recorded in the 2015 population census:
Districts
Other settlements in Al Daayen include: Al Aaliya Island () Al Rehayya () Qaryat Al Lusail Al Shamaliya () Tenbek ()
Infrastructure
Infrastructure in Al Daayen has witnessed massive improvements in recent years, with its number of buildings increasing three-fold from 1987 to 2010. Of the 3,151 buildings recorded in the 2010 census, 92% of these were residential while 8% were commercial. Villas made up 57% of the residential units, followed by traditional houses at 29% and other types of housing constituting the remainder. Only 24% of the buildings were constructed prior to 2000, with the rest being built from 2000 to 2010. Partly due to the majority of utilities projects in Lusail being completed only after the census was taken, none of the residential buildings recorded had access to sewage, 79.4% had access to water and 97.8% had access to electricity.