Qatar — Where to Go
Top Things to See
• Be one of the first to step inside the newly completed Museum of Islamic Art, opening spring 2008; designed by the renowned architect IM Pei, the keep-like exterior, with its postmodern windows and virtual moat, is in itself worth a visit.
• Visit the Qatar National Museum (website: www.qnm.8m.com/main.htm), housed in Fariq al-Salata Palace. Although under renovation for several years, the site remains a fine example of traditional architecture.
• Before you dive into Souq Waqif, take a look at Doha Fort; built in the 19th century by the occupying Turks, it has been used as a prison and a stamp museum among other things.
• Watch the construction of two important additions to the cultural life of Doha: a photography museum with retractable roof and a national library built on two giant pillars, aimed at crowning Qatar as Capital of Arab Culture by 2010.
• Take a pair of binoculars to Al-Shahaniya , near Doha, and pick a winner at the race track; known as the ’sport of sheikhs’, camel racing continues to be an important part of Qatar’s heritage.
• Book an overnight tour to Khor al-Adaid and find your own superlatives for sunset and sunrise over Qatar’s inland sea; access to this area of salt-flats and sand dunes is by 4-wheel drive, and tour prices include barbeque and camping.
• Hire a car and see the ’other side’ of Qatar: the pleasant fishing towns of Al-Khor and Al-Zubara were once important for the pearling industry, while Umm Salal Mohammed and Umm Salal Ali hint at a more ancient past.
• If you are half-crazed for the sight of a hill, head for Bir Zekreet; the surrounding escarpment doesn’t boast much in the way of altitude but it does offer an interesting lesson in wind-blown desert formations.
Top Things to Do
• Jog along the magnificent crescent-mooned corniche to fully appreciate Doha’s gleaming modern skyscape and colorful beds of petunias; go early morning or at sunset to catch the cosmopolitan company of Doha’s inhabitants.
• Try your bartering skills on the vendors in Souq Waqif; with a nose for a bargain you can find antique plates from China, prayer beads of amber, leather-tipped camel sticks and aromatic chests of cardamom from India.
• Sip mint tea at one of the many coffeeshops around the souq and try a croak on a sheesha: don’t be fooled by the innocent-sounding flavors of apple, peach and strawberry - these splendid waterpipes have a high tobacco content.
• Sample the delicacies of the sea at one of Doha’s many fish restaurants; after ginger squid on skewers, steaks of king fish, and white-flaked hamour wrapped in bananas leaves, you’ll never look at a tin of tuna again.
• Paddle in the shallows, or lounge in a spa at one of Qatar’s growing number of resorts; for those wanting a bit of history with their sun-downer, try the pyramid-shaped Sheraton, the grande dame on Doha’s skyline.
• Cruise into the sunset on a dhow boat ride around Doha Bay; these characterful hand-made vessels creek and groan with each gentle wave but, as the traditional Arab fishing vessel, they know all about braving high waters.
• Play a round or two at the Doha Golf Club and be in the company of the greats; the Qatar Masters in March is an important event on the international circuit.
• Tackle a sand dune on sand-skis, a quad-bike or plain Shank’s pony in the dunes south of Doha, near Mesaieed - or for those with more poetry in their souls, pick a quiet ridge for a picnic.
