Al Khor (city)

Al-Khor الخور
City
From top, left to right: Far view of the Al Khor Towers, Shops in Al Khor, Main road through centre, with shops, Harbor at noon.
Al-Khor Location in Qatar
Coordinates: 25°41′24″N 51°30′36″E / 25.69000°N 51.51000°E / 25.69000; 51.51000
Country	Qatar
Municipality	Al Khor Municipality
Zone	Zone 74
District no.	269
Area [1]
• Urban	4.4 sq mi (11.4 km2)
Population  (2021)[2]
• City	61,877
Time zone	UTC+3 (AST)

Al Khor (Arabic: الخور, romanized: Al Khawr) is a coastal city in northeast Qatar, located 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the capital Doha. Considered one of Qatar's largest cities, it is the capital city of the municipality of Al Khor and Al Thakhira. Dating back to the 18th century, it is one of Qatar's oldest settlements. The name of the city, meaning creek in Arabic, emerged because the original settlement was built on a creek. Until the mid-1900s, it was known as Khor Al Shaqiq.^[3]

Originally a fishing and pearling village, much of Al Khor's recent growth has been due to its proximity to Qatar's northern oil and natural gas fields and to Ras Laffan Industrial City. Along with neighboring Al Khor Community, it hosts a large number of oil workers. Al Khor Island, an important archaeological and tourist site, can be found to the northeast of the city. It was also the venue for the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.^[4]