Only a small part (2.5%) of the archaeological site of Al Zubarah in Qatar has been excavated. The ruins discovered under the sand bear witness to the pearling and trading tradition that sustained the coastal cities of the Persian Gulf. Small independent states – the ancestors of today’s Gulf states – were able to prosper outside the domination of the Ottoman, European, and Persian empires. At the end of the 18th century, the walled city of Al Zubarah covered an area of about 60 hectares. It had two walls, palaces, houses with patios, souks, mosques, public squares and a fishing and trading port. Beyond the outer city wall, the Qal’at Murair Fort is a testimony to the defensive system built along the coast at that time.