Day 12 (July 22, 2022): Touring in 40C is hard work!

Today being Friday, it was Jum’ah in Islam. Looking out our hotel window this morning, this bustling city of 1.2 million was eerily quiet. Everything is closed until 2PM on Fridays. Even the metro doesn’t start operating until 2PM on Fridays - difficult to imagine!

We took our time this morning, enjoying a leisurely breakfast over cappuccinos and planning out the rest of our time in Doha. The mercury got up to 41C today, so in heat like that — with 100% humidity — you cannot stand around in the blazing sun trying to decide where to go next. One needs a step-by-step cake recipe for the day ahead.

We jumped in our first of eight Uber rides today at 11:40AM and headed to Katara Cultural Village, on West Bay, north of Doha. It is a creative hub with galleries, an opera house, a Roman-style amphitheatre, etc., all of which is augmented by one of Qatar’s most opulent shopping malls, many restaurants and a few mosques . The Village covers many hectares, so after wandering around in the midday sun, we were literally soaking wet and starting to become dehydrated. We were fortunate to find a small shop that sold water, and not a minute too soon!

From Katara, we headed to the incredibly designed National Museum of Qatar, which is designed to resemble a desert rose — see the pictures below for a better idea of what that looks like. The Museum taught us a great deal about Qatar’s culture, traditional ways of life, and the country’s journey to the status of a wealthy, modern nation that leads the Arab world in many ways.

From the Museum, where we ate lunch following our visit, we headed to MIA (Museum of Islamic Art) Park, one of Doha’s most impressive parks. The MIA is a top-rated sight in Qatar, but unfortunately for us, it is closed at this time - so many places are undergoing renovations as the FIFA World Cup starts in a few months.

After a relaxing swim in the hotel’s rooftop pool, we headed to Soup Waqif for dinner at a Yemenese restaurant, which was an incredible food and cultural experience.

Our last activity of the day was a walk along the Corniche, which is a term used to describe a promenade along the water. The Doha Corniche is 7KM long and on Friday evenings, following Jum’ah, many people walk the Corniche. Along a large section of the Corniche, dhows - the traditional Qatari boat — are lined up, waiting to take tourists across the bay. It’s all very quaint, except for the incessant touts who keep bugging you to take a ride! We walked as far as the FIFA World Cup 2022 Countdown Park, where we were thrilled to see the Canadian flag among the countries who have qualified to come to Doha to play this November-December.

So a hot and humid day of sightseeing, but we were quite pleased with what we were able to accomplish. Hard to believe tomorrow is our last day in Qatar.

Car-parks here have canopies, which are as essential as block-heater electrical outlets in Alberta in January! Without a canopy, a person’s car would sizzle in the Qatari summer heat.

Katara Cultural Village:

This mall in Katara is called The Children’s Mall!

The Friday Mosque in Katara Cultural Village.

The Roman-style amphitheatre in Katara Cultural Village.

The beach at Katara is one of the best in the Doha region. This being Jum’ah, there wasn’t a soul around. We started to walk towards the water’s edge, and a security guard came running towards us, telling us it is forbidden to be on the beach during Jum’ah!

This mosque is called the Golden Mosque, as it is covered in thousands of tiny gold mirror squares. It is built in an Ottoman style.

These three large ‘heads’ in Katara are called “Gandhi’s Three Monkeys”. They address the concepts of war and peace.

The organizations shown on the Katara directional sign above are just a few of the many arts/culture-related organizations that make up Katara. I was particularly interested in this, as the concept of cultural hubs is something that Canadian Heritage (my employer) has been promoting in recent years.

A view of West Bay and its skyscrapers. West Bay is a 51,000 square meter retail and lifestyle spot.

Promotional signs are everywhere in Doha for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Along the Corniche, steel palm branches by day become street lamps at night.

We passed this Arabian oryx (a species of antelope that lives in the desert) along the Corniche today and assumed it was the mascot of FIFA World Cup 2022. but it turns out, it is not the FIFA mascot! We’re not sure what it is, but it is pretty darn cute!

This viewing stand for the top brass of Qatar is along the Corniche.

Near Souq Wadiq, there is a large group of dromedaries, which we enjoyed hanging out with!

Oh, and we enjoyed hanging out with the dromedary attendant, who loves doing “thumbs up”!

National Museum of Qatar:

This amazing structure is the National Museum of Qatar, opened in 2019 and designed by Jean Nouvel, who was inspired by the desert rose crystal (see below).

The Museum covers so much about Qatari history, culture, tradition, and development in the 20th century to the present day. Above, pearls have long played a role in the country’s economy and heritage.

This mat is covered in 1.5 million pearls!

Some of the amazing pearl jewellry of Qatar.

Pearls were used to adorn garments used for special occasions and ceremonies.

Sabres from Qatar’s military past.

By the end of the 1940s, oil had started to flow and replaced the dependence on things like pearls for economic sustenance. With it, came the modern trappings of the 1950s and onwards, which transformed Qatari life.

This 1949 car is a Delahaye 175 S produced in France.

The Museum is currently featuring an interactive exhibit by Pipilotti Rist entitled, “Your brain to me, my brain to you.” You essentially enter a dark room and walk among these strands of glass ornaments, which constantly change colour.

Built in 1906 on this very spot, now encircled by the National Museum of Qatar, is the first palace of the Emir of Qatar. (The Emir is the monarch and head of state of the country.)

MIA Park (MIA stands for Museum of Islamic Art) is adjacent to MIA and is one of Doha’s premier parks. We had the place almost to ourselves on this hote Friday afternoon. Golf carts take visitors from one end of the park to the other for free!

How considerate is that?! The city even places netting around the clusters of dates hanging from palm trees in MIA Park, so they don’t fall and bump your head.

The dhow is the traditional fishing boat of Qatar. Today, they are mainly used to give tours to visitors. These dhows were anchored just off MIA Park. The towers of West Bay are in the distance above, and the MIA is in the background below.

This steel art installation by Richard Serra is called “7”. It is Serra’s first piece of public art in the Middle East. MIA is in the background.

The rooftop pool at the Four Points Sheraton. A great way to rest up after a long, hot day of touring.

If our travels have taught us one thing, it’s that, if Lonely Planet recommends a restaurant, it is worth eating there. Yet again, Lonely Planet did not fail us! We found this Yemenese restaurant - in Souq Waqif. The place was bustling, but we were quickly seated — only to find we had to sit on the floor! The Arabic diners around us all ate with their hands, but we asked for cutlery. The chicken and beef dishes were incredible - as was the saffron rice, the soup and look at that bread!! The entire experience was amazing.