evidence: The first objective of this research project is to collect information on the pre-Islamic historical geography and toponyms of the Beth Qaṭraye region from the most important available sources. The project will produce a number of publications including a toponymical and a lexical dictionary in addition to an online lexical search tool and a project website. The toponyms will shed light on the language of Beth Qaṭraye in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic period by analyzing their etymology and name components. The historical geography will clarify the cultural relations between this region and other areas around the Gulf, and how patterns of social predominance shifted over time. Recent archaeological discoveries by the Qatar Museums Authority such as an East-Syriac (Nestorian) Cross, discovered in Umm al Maradim in central Qatar in December 2013, will further consolidate the project’s geographical and toponymical research. This project will as a result provide a better understanding of not only the dynamics of society within Beth Qaṭraye, but also the place of Beth Qaṭraye within the larger history of the Middle East in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods.