A visit to Qatar, the gas-rich Arab kingdom growing at a breakneck pace, can be more than just a luxury stopover inside the Middle East. But be prepared to depart Western habits at the door.
Maybe you’re heading to the capital, Doha, to make the most of Qatar Airways’ stopover hotel deal, recharging for a few nights before you press directly to Europe. Or you may find yourself there for the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Either way, here’s how to kill a few days inside the Arabian barren region’s “Fist City.”
DESERT SAFARI
It would help if you did not travel some distance outdoors to Doha to experience it like you’re on every other planet. The sand formations are huge, rugged, and windswept, giving you a flavor of the harshness of desolate tract existence. Before you embark, an air-conditioned four-wheel-drive from Discover Qatar will prevent the air from letting loose of its tires so that it may surf down the dunes.
Request to stop at a camp on the metropolis’s threshold, where you can ride a camel or watch a falcon. Camel racing and falconry are vintage and culturally vital Qatari past instances.
The guide can then take you south to a beach in the Arabian Gulf, where you can see Saudi Arabia through the water. This is an amazing way to get your bearings. The downside: There’s quite a bit of garbage within the barren region.
MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART
This construction has a commanding presence on an artificial island inside the harbor. It holds a large series of Islamic artwork spanning three continents and 1400 years, an exceptional way to deal with Islam’s history.
The museum’s architect, 91-yr-vintage I. M. Pei had to be coaxed out of retirement to design it. Then, he traveled throughout the Muslim world for six months as a student (cash is no item for Qatari royals) and insisted that it be constructed on an island to defend it from encroachment within the rapidly growing city.
The museum also has an incredible view of the Doha skyline. Don’t miss it.
NATIONAL MUSEUM
A more recent or even extra uncommon-looking building, built out of discs to emulate the wasteland rose, a type of crystal that forms in the desert.
The reveals observe a chronological order, starting with the natural history of the Arabian Gulf.
It’s thrilling to see how Qatar grew from a humble state of pearl divers to the richest global economy in line per capita.
Likewise, the museum is online of the Old Amiri Palace, which served as the residence of a Qatari emir in the early 20th century.
In a country highly without ancient buildings and relics (most conventional Qatari dwellings have no longer survived), it is thrilling to stroll around the palace walls to peer at how Qatar’s royalty lived.
