[12][13] It supported this claim by invoking two purported historical documents, but they were later found to be forgeries produced by Qatar in an attempt to gain leverage over Bahrain in their long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the town.

[23] Inhabitants from nearby settlements, including wealthy merchants, migrated to Zubarah en masse during the 1770s due to the prevalence of attacks and the plague in the Persian Gulf region.

[9] From around 1810, the British Empire became more influential in the Persian Gulf area, stationing political agents in various ports and cities to protect their trading routes.

[46] On 16 August 1873, assistant political resident Charles Grant falsely reported that the Ottomans had sent a contingent of 100 troops under the command of Hossein Effendi from Qatif to Zubarah.

"[48] The Al Khalifa witnessed another opportunity to renew their claim on the town in 1874 after a Bahraini opposition leader named Nasir bin Mubarak moved to Qatar.

They believed that Mubarak, with the assistance of Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, would attack the Kunaisi,s living in Zubarah as a prelude to an invasion of Bahrain.

Political resident Edward Ross demanded that the Ottoman authorities punish the townspeople for the crime, and extended an offer of British naval assistance.

There were reports in 1888 that Jassim intended to restore the city so that it could serve as a base for his son-in-law to attack Bahrain, but he renounced his plans after being warned by the British.

The Bahraini sheikh, fearful that Jassim bin Mohammed was preparing to launch an invasion, issued a warning to him and informed the political resident in Bahrain of the dispute.

Much to the indignation of the Ottomans, the British sent a naval ship to Zubarah shortly after and seized seven of the Al Bin Ali's boats after the tribe's leader refused to comply with their directive.

[54] Subsequently, the governor of Zubarah declared Bahrain as Ottoman territory and threatened that the Porte would provide military support to Qatari tribes who were preparing to launch a naval invasion.

The incursion and subsequent Ottoman retreat prompted Jassim bin Mohammed and his army to surrender on unfavorable terms, in which he was instructed to hoist the Trucial flag at Zubarah.

Lorimer's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf gives the following account of Zubarah in 1908: "A ruined and deserted town on the west side of the Qatar Promontory, about 5 miles south of Khor Hassan.

The town was walled and some 10 or 12 forts stood within a radius of 7 miles round it, among them Faraihah, Halwan, Lisha, 'Ain Muhammad, Qal'at Murair, Rakaiyat, Umm-ash-Shuwail and Thaghab [...].

[60] That year, in the aftermath of the conflict and subsequent out-migration, Abdullah bin Jassim began the construction of Al Zubara Fort to compensate for the reduced garrison.

[62] In the mid-20th century, the political adviser in Bahrain, Charles Belgrave, reported that just a few Bedouin of the Naim tribe lived, albeit nomadically, in the ruined town.

In an attempt to amass a water supply, Murair Fort was constructed 1.8 km (1.1 mi) eastward of the original settlement, on the margins of the desert scarp.

Zubarah, being one of the focal pearling and trading towns, contributed to the geopolitical, social, and cultural trajectories of Gulf history which shape the region today.

[72][73] Ceramics, coins, and the remains of foodstuffs from the excavations attest to Zubarah's far-reaching trade and economic links in the late 18th century, with material deriving from eastern Asia, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, Africa, Europe, and the Persian Gulf.

The discovery of coffee cups and tobacco pipes in the excavations reveals the growing importance of these commodities all over the Persian Gulf during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The etching of a merchant's dhow –a traditional wooden boat of Arabia– found incised into the plaster in a room of a courtyard building, details how intimately the town's inhabitants associated their daily lives with long-distance maritime trade and commerce.

[77] The size and visual dominance of the palatial compound suggest that it was occupied by a family of wealthy and powerful sheikhs who were community leaders in the social and economic life of the town.

[75] In addition to two major attacks carried out at the behest of Nasr Al-Madhkur in 1778, and 1782, the residents of the town were engaged in a war with the Banu Kaab of Khuzestan during the late eighteenth century.

The fort's design recalls earlier features common in Arab and Gulf fortification architecture but varies by being constructed on concrete foundations.

[93] The planned Qatar–Bahrain Friendship Bridge, slated to be the longest fixed link in the world, will connect the northwest coast of Qatar near Zubarah with Bahrain, specifically, south of Manama.

[96] In March 1956, the site of Zubarah was included in the first Danish expeditions of Qatar and a team of archaeologists from Aarhus University and Moesgård Museum provided preliminary reconnaissance of the area.

Numerous sites belonging to different chronological periods have been identified and recorded, and exploratory excavations have been conducted at a number of important localities, especially Freiha and Fuwayrit.

To preserve the architectural remains, a restoration program has been launched using a special, saline-resistant mortar and plasters to maximise the visitor experience, while abiding by UNESCO heritage guidelines.

[99]Hamad ibn Isa wrote again to the political resident in Bahrain in 1939 to inform him that Abdullah Al Thani was constructing a fort in Zubarah.

In June 2018, the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) held a conference on the history of the Al Khalifa family's control of Qatar until 1868, during which they urged the Bahraini government to renew its claims over Zubarah.