Qatar Airways

The name ‘Doha’ means ‘bay’ in Arabic, and the city, situated on a wide and beautiful semi-circular bay, developed out of two 19th century fishing and pearling settlements, expanding after oil production began in 1949. The ruler of Qatar, HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, has his residence in a palace complex at Al Wajba on the western outskirts of the city. The official language of the country is Arabic, but English is widely spoken and understood, and non-Arabic speakers will encounter no difficulties.

A host of 5-star hotels act as venues for business meetings and cultural events, and the city offers every facility for sports, from para-sailing to ice skating. Shopping in the many souqs and malls is a pleasure, and in the evenings one can go clubbing, eat out in one of the hundreds of fine restaurants, or simply relax with a traditional ‘shisha’ pipe. Doha is renowned worldwide as the home of Al Jazeera, the sometimes controversial Arabic TV news station, which launched its English channel in 2006. It is also becoming famous for Education City, a vast complex of university and school campuses to the west of the city, with spectacular buildings designed by such internationally known architects as Arata Isozaki.

Doha’s spectacular skyline is changing almost month by month as a forest of multi-storey towers soars skywards at the northern end of the bay, but traditional buildings such as the former palace which houses the National Museum, and Doha Fort in the centre of the city, are lovingly restored and preserved.

Eating

For those who want to sample the local cuisine, the Balhambar Restaurant is the only one in Doha to serve classic Qatari food. Otherwise, the Arabic food served in Doha’s restaurants tends to be Lebanese, Syrian or Egyptian.

Shopping

Doha is a shopaholic’s paradise! Besides a myriad of traditional small shops and shopping complexes, a number of huge malls have recently opened, each one bigger and more stylish than the last. Traditionally in Arabian towns, shops were grouped in different districts according to what they sold and this is still the case in Doha, where one can find whole streets of tailors or fabric shops. Souq al Waqif is the place to go for souvenirs of Arabia, with its array of handicrafts, spices, incense and perfumes. There are also a few working jewellers to be seen here. The Omani Souq near the Salwa Road sells local honey in bottles, hand-made camel equipment, pottery, incense, truffles in season, and flowers. There is a small Gold Souq in a street leading off Grand Hamad Street, where the shops glitter with 22 carat gold jewellery.

The City Center shopping mall was billed as the largest shopping complex in the Gulf region when it opened in 2000, and is still expanding. Besides a giant branch of the hypermarket Carrefour there are over 350 retail outlets. Families go not only to shop and eat, but to enjoy the facilities: a 14-screen mutliplex cinema, two skating rinks (one for women only), bowling alleys and a climbing wall.

The Landmark Mall features rather more upmarket clothing stores and boutiques than the City Center, and houses a branch of The One, selling unusual furniture, fine china and ornaments for the home.

Doha’s newest mall, Villaggio on Al Waab Street, has as its star attraction a 500-metre long Venetian canal, complete with mini-gondolas in which customers can glide from shop to shop! The stores on either side of the canal are designed in the style of pastel-coloured Italian architecture. Villaggio houses a branch of Virgin Megastore selling a vast selection of books and music, and a vast array of fashion boutiques catering mainly for the younger set.

Interesting facts

Time

Area
Doha has an area of 132 km² (51 sq mi)

Climate
Doha, Qatar enjoys sunshine just about everyday of the year. The average temperatures during the summer range from 38°C to 42°C during the day and 18°C at night, while winter temperatures are cooler during the day and fall to about 10°C at night.