Surveys and evaluative excavations within the settlements of Murayr and al-Furayhah aimed to characterize the scale and type of occupation within them and to understand their relationship with al-Zubarah and with their surrounding landscape. Forts located at both settlements evidenced large-scale investment in construction, which appeared to post-date the foundation of al-Zubarah. Work is ongoing and further investigations targeted on features identified by these surveys will begin to discover how the lives of the hinterland populations were affected by the establishment and the demise of the new town. Investigations at these sites will add to the results of excavations within the town of al-Zubarah and aid our understanding of how this settlement, located in an area that did not naturally lend itself to large-scale settlement, survived and thrived. This success may have been helped by good relations with the local populations, and investigations at al-Furahah aimed to uncover evidence of the nature of interactions between these peoples. The construction of the fortified stronghold of Qal'at Murayr to the east of the town may indicate that this relationship was not always amicable, and investigations in an around the fort aimed to characterize the scale and function of the settlement.