Qatar–Saudi Arabia border
Qatar’s only land border, a short line across the base of its peninsula. When Saudi Arabia and its allies cut ties with Qatar in 2017, the crossing at Salwa and Abu Samra was shut, and it stayed closed until a deal in January 2021.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 29 September 2026Suggest a correction
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The blockade
On 5 June 2017 Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar, accusing it of financing “terrorism” and of being too close to Iran; Doha denied the allegations. Two weeks later Saudi Arabia shut the Salwa gate on Qatar’s only land border. It was reopened for two weeks that August for Qatari pilgrims to the Hajj, which Qatar’s foreign minister called a politically motivated decision, and in December 2017 Saudi customs closed it permanently.[1]
“It’s good the crisis has been resolved and the warm welcome we had, and the happiness we see in our brothers.”[2]
Reopening
In January 2021 Riyadh announced a US-backed deal to end the dispute. On 9 January vehicles crossed the Saudi border from Qatar for the first time since mid-2017, as traffic resumed at the Abu Samra crossing, 120 km south of Doha. Arrivals into Qatar still had to take COVID-19 tests and quarantine.[2]
Timeline
More borders
Saudi Arabia
Sources
- [1]Saudis permanently close only land border with Qatar · Al Jazeera · 20 December 2017
- [2]Qatar-Saudi land border reopens after Gulf crisis detente · Al Jazeera (news agencies) · 9 January 2021
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.