Doha, Qatar

 After a short flight from Muscat,Oman we landed in Doha, Qatar…

We were only here for a couple of days due to a flight change so we took a half day city tour and did a bit of exploring on our own.

Our first impression was how different it was from Muscat in that it has many impressive skyscrapers everywhere. We stayed in a hotel in West Bay that was surrounded by tall buildings and enjoyed the views from the swimming pool.

Some more of the impressive buildings…

And at night they were even more impressive as many of them light up…

Here is a longer view…

However it was just as clean and felt just as safe as Muscat everywhere that we went.

Doha is the capital city of the country of Qatar…

It is connected to Saudi Arabia on one side and surrounded by the Persian Gulf. Geographically it is a small county with a population of 3.1 million with most of them living in Doha. 85 - 90% of them are foreigners who support the local economy and are primarily from South Asia and the Phillipines.

Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world because of large reserves of oil and natural gas which makes up around 70% of its’ economy. The residents pay no taxes and live very well.

As can been seen as we toured Doha the country has invested much to make the city a very pleasant one. There is a 7 km walkway around the ocean called Al Corniche which is quite lovely…

Here we are on Al Corniche…

Here is the skyline that can be seen across the bay…

Along the walk there are lots of sculptures with this one being quite famous…it is The Pearl which commemorates the pearl diving industry that made Qatar quite famous in the early days…

The city has many interesting buildings such as the National Museum which is shaped like a desert rose with many interesting exhibits showing the history of the country…

Then there is the Museum of Islamic Arts which is at one end of Al Corniche…

 

Next to it is the Dhow Boat village where you can get a ride at sunset. These wooden boats are the traditional boats of Qatar. We had one booked but again a mixup with pickup had us miss the ride. Sometimes when we travel things don’t always go as planned! 

As we drove by the Royal Place the Camel Guards were riding by…

Near the Royal Palace is the old souq which was very interesting….

They had a bird market full of colorful birds the Qataris keep for pets…

Then there were the falcons which are pets owned by the rich Qataris, many of them cost many thousands of dollars…

This one costs 42,000USD.

There is also a falcon hospital nearby…

The market was quiet colorful…

Another sculpture called The Thumb, didn’t quite get the meaning…

Doha has some very lovely areas including The Pearl which is a manmade island with a lovely marina, beautiful houses and views…

We spent one evening at the marina again with a long walkway with families out enjoying the evening, joggers and so on. Don also found a beer since we didn’t see either one in Oman. The evening was lovely and warm…

And again lights everywhere…

There is a section of houses that are built along the canals…

This unique building is a hotel, many 5 star hotels in Doha.

A very fancy shopping street…

A unique tiled mosque designed by a woman which is rare…

And you know you are rich when you have air conditioning vents on the streets! 

This is just a glimpse of Doha with so much more to see and do. Our impression is that it would be a pleasant city to live in especially if you have money as it wasn’t a budget stay. Plenty of lovely places to walk, places to eat and many cultural events, a mix of old and new.