Al Daayen (village)

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Al Daayen is a village in Qatar, located in the Al Daayen municipality along the east coast. It covers about 12.3 square kilometers and is near the settlement of Simaisma, about one mile to the west and roughly 20 miles north of Doha.

Historically, before oil and natural gas were found, Al Daayen was one of Qatar’s larger fishing and pearling villages on the east coast.

There are two ideas about how the village got its name. One says the word dhaayen means "travel," referring to people who left the village in search of water and pasture. The other says the term describes a place where camels rest.

In 1908, the writer J. G. Lorimer described Al Daayen as a coastal village with about 150 houses, mainly belonging to the Kuwari (Kuwari) tribe, plus some Hamaidi and Madhahakah families. The village had about 70 pearl boats, 10 trading vessels, and 10 fishing boats, along with 10 horses and 60 camels used for transport. Drinking water came from Awainat Bin-Husain, six miles inland. Al Daayen was closely connected to Simaisma, located about a mile away.

A notable incident from that era is that, in 1902, a man named Ahmed bin Salman was reported to have committed piracy off the coast of Al Daayen.