About Qatar
The capital of Qatar is Doha, and is the business and administrative capital, the latest estimated figures show a population of more than 1.5 million. Qatar is a peninsula of 11,437 sq.km. and has a moderate desert climate with hot summers and mild winters, rainfall is scarce.
The ruling family in Qatar are the Al Thani family, headed by His Highness Sheikh
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. The name Al Thani is derived from the family’s ancestor
Thani Bin Mohamad Bin Thani, who was the first Sheikh to rule modern Qatar.
Qatar is well served by Doha International airport and is in the process of building a new airport which is located 5kms east of the current airport. It is expected to be the first airport in the world to fully handle Airbus A380, the world's biggest commercial aircraft. The airport will be built over 22 square kilometres which half is on reclaimed land. The old airport witnessed a high growth in passenger and cargo levels in recent years, the old terminal suffered from overcapacity, this rapid growth was mainly brought by the fast expansion of Qatar's state airline Qatar Airways.
Shopping centers and Mall’s
Souq Waqif
Is an important Souq in Doha. Literally translated to "the standing market," this
shopping destination is renowned for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts,
and souvenirs. It is also home to restaurants serving cuisines from all over the
world, as well as Shisha lounges. Although this market dates back at least a hundred
years, it has been recently restored back to its original glory. It is now considered
one of the top tourist destinations within Doha. Thousands of people from across
the region frequent this market to purchase traditional goods such as wool, traditional
thobes, jewellery, and perfumes. Lately Souq Wakif became a hotspot for art galleries
and workshops, hosting several events. It also hosts local concerts during the holiday
seasons. There are lots of restaurants and cafes where you can relax and enjoy the
ambiance of this wonderful Souq. There are so many different restaurants serving
food from around the World including, China, India, Iran, Arabia, Italy, Malaysia,
Morocco and if it is just a coffee and a snack you prefer then there is The Coffee
Beanery, Barzan Cafe, Haagen-Dazs, Baskin-Robbins and many more to choose from.
The Centre
Tel: +974 44440202
All Malls, with the exception of Centrepoint, Emporium and Royal Plaza, have a supermarket
as an anchor tenant. The Centre on Salwa Road is a perfect example having Megamart
as a supermarket, where you can buy European foods, US products and also many other
foods from around the World. They also have an in-house bakery, butcher and fish
monger, plus a very large range of fruit and vegetables to choose from. You will
also find Gulf Greetings, a range of Mens and Womens wear plus many Jewellery outlets.
Time for a coffee, Costa Coffee and Cafe Plus can be found selling fresh sandwiches
and salads throughout the day.
The Mall
The Mall, situated on the D Ring Road in Doha, was Doha’s first major Mall to be
opened. Outlets include Next, Dune, Bombay, Monsoon, Mothercare to name but a few.
Spinneys is the anchor supermarket, also with an in-house bakery, fish monger and
butchers department. There are many coffee shops and restaurants to choose from
including Chilli’s, Biella (Italian cuisine) and Starbucks. If you need to entertain
the children, The Mall hosts a Ceramique outlet where the children can go and make
their own pottery and also paint their creation, lots of fun for the children while
Parents can have some time to have a look around the Mall!!
City Center Shopping Mall
Tel: +974 44839990
Doha’s largest Mall. The much anticipated Doha City Center was opened on 15th April
2001 land marking the Qatar retail sector by becoming the leading retail and leisure
destination located in the heart of Doha City. With over 370 retail shops City Center
Doha provides a wide variety of famous international, regional and local retail
brands and services, spread across five floors Doha City Center land marks Doha
shopping scene, being the leading retail and leisure destination in Qatar. Anchor
stores include Carrefour hypermarket, Home Center, Debenhams, Next, Strand Bags,
Patchi, KA International, Villeroy & Boch, Tavola, Aldo, Mango, Bottega and many
more. Moreover, City Center Doha features a range of family entertainment venues;
14 screen Cinema complex, Ice Rink, Ten Pin Bowling
You can certainly find your expensive jewellery, brand-named clothes, exquisite perfumes and deliciously fragrant bath oils, but at the same time there’s things for people on the tightest of budgets. There’s a range of electronic items, and a fantastic (and large!) amusement area for children with bouncy castles, computer games – it even has a go-kart racing track! Essentially this is a mall with everything, and you can do your banking at one of its banks, pay your telephone bills at Q-tel, check your email at an internet cafe, have lunch in a restaurant and then go ice-skating without leaving the building.
Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall
Tel: +974 44694848
Hyatt Plaza is a themed shopping center in one of fastest growing aresa in Doh .
Hyatt Plaza features Giant Stores, Jungle Zone, Homes R Us, Milano, Nine West, Aldo,
Bossini, Highland, Bossini to name but a few. There is a food court containing outlets
such as Burger King, KFC, Orient Express, Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, Starbucks, Nandos.
Landmark Shopping Mall
Tel: +974 44875222
Landmark Mall is situated on the North Road out of Doha and has been extensively
extended over the past few years, to incorporate a Carrefour outlet and many other
outlets too. Including Marks & Spencer, BHS, Pull & Bear, Zara, Mango to name but
a few. There is an extensive food court and also a 3 Screen Cinema.
Villaggio Mall
Tel: +974 44135222
Villaggio Mall is the newest of Doha’s shopping malls, located in the Aspire Zone,
or west end of Doha. The mall is located on Al Waab Street between the Hyatt Plaza
and Sport City and has many shops, including many famous brands from the US, UK,
Italian and German markets.
This Italian themed shopping mall has artificial blue skies, Gondola rides on a canal the mall is yet to be completed. Once it is completed, there will be a total of 220 stores spread over 130,000 square metres of retail space. There are a large selection of shops which have been completed, such as H& M, River Island, Zara, Zara Home, Massimo Dutti, Carrefour, Virgin Megastore, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Dior, Tiffany & Co. and Cartier, Marks & Spencer, to name but a few of the extensive outlets to be found.
There is now a new IMAX 3D theatre also in Villaggio Mall, plus an Ice Skating Rink and lots of Restaurants and Fast Food chains to be found.
Royal Plaza Shopping Mall
Tel: +974 44130000
Royal Plaza is a stylish shopping mall located in Doha. Shopping with style, Royal
Plaza’s catch phrase offers 105 boutiques on three retail levels.
The design and development of the mall was created using essential ingredients that would shape a facility with a sense of elegance and comfort. The practical floor layouts permit visitors to walk about each level with ease. Royal Plaza was designed to present two distinct moods. The day experience permits visitors to enjoy the sun which shimmers through a main central skylight and eight secondary skylights. During the twilight hours, the artificial illumination produces another experience that is warm and tranquil.
Royal Plaza also offers two basement parking levels to make certain that visitor’s vehicles are kept cool during their visit to Royal Plaza. In addition, the remaining two levels out of seven are home to office suites which are occupied by professional firms.
There are a vast number of outlets to choose from including Paris Hilton accessories, Bodyshop, etc.
Centre Point
Tel: +974 44289141 / Fax: +974 44131925
Centre Point has a wide variety of shops to choose from including Emax for all your
electronic needs, Home Centre, City Lifestyle, BabyShop, Splash and fast food outlets
including McDonalds, Sbarro Pizzas, Baskin Robbins, Costa Coffee and KFC.
Lulu Centre
There are two Lulu Hypermarkets to be found, one located on the D Ring Road and
the second one is located at Al Gharaffa near to Landmark Mall. The Malls cater
for all the family clothing, electrical goods, toys, supermarkets selling various
items from around the World. As with all large Hypermarkets in Doha, there is an
in-house bakery, fish monger and butchery department.
The Museum of the Islamic arts
Tel: +974 44224444
The Museum of the Islamic Arts, Qatar, is an imposing building set on an artificial
building ofn Doha's Corniche. The building, which opened to the public in December
2008, showcases a selection of Islamic artefacts, many of which are both ancient
and historically significant.
Although the museum features Islamic Art, and is built using Islamic design, the building was actually designed by Chinese American architect Leoh Min Pei (more commonly known as I. M. Pei,) designer of the Louvre in Pyramid and one of the most celebrated architects in the world today.
Pei, who at 90 years old had to be lured out of retirement to undertake the work, then travelled across much of the Islamic world studying its architecture, and in designing the Museum I. M. Pei drew inspiration from Islamic buildings such as Ibn Tulun's mosque in Egypt (the inspiration for the actual architecture came from the 13th century sabil (ablutions fountain) of the mosque) and the Al Hambra Palace in Spain.
The Museum showcases artifacts that the Qatari Royal Family has been collecting for many years. The collection of artifacts for the Museum has stepped up in recent years, with vast sums being spent on Islamic Art, although more recently the buying has been hit by scandal over the vast sums spent. The collection includes several pages of ancient Qurans, one of which is thought to have been compiled just a few years after Mohammed's death.
Opening times:
- Sunday: 10.30 - 17.30
- Monday: 10.30 - 17.30
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: 10.30 - 17.30
- Thursday: 10.30 - 17.30
- Friday: 14:00 - 20:00
- Saturday: 10:30 - 17:30
Khalifa Stadium
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style
sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006.
Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia (following
Tehran in 1974) to host the games. The opening ceremony was viewed by 50,000 spectators
in the Khalifa International Stadium, and famous guests such as the International
Olympic Committee's Jacques Rogge, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Palestinian
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Syrian President Bashar Assad. The opening ceremony
was directed by David Atkins, who conducted the 2000 Summer Olympics opener.
The Aspire Tower is a 300 meter (984 ft) structure located in the Doha Sports City complex in Doha, Qatar. Designed by architect Hadi Simaan and AREP and engineer Ove Arup and Partners, Aspire Tower served as the focal point for the 15th Asian Games hosted by Qatar in December 2006. The Aspire Tower is currently the tallest structure in Doha, but it is expected to be surpassed by the Dubai Towers and the Barwa Tower. The tower has also been known as Khalifa Sports Tower or Doha Olympic Tower. The designer, Simaan, has described the structure as "a celebration of earth and sky" adding that, "the structural steel struts that brace the structure back to the core also act as visual forces which create energy radiating from the center in a centrifugal rise. The building was fully completed in November 2007 at a final cost of €133,395,000 (173,500,510 USD).The Aspire Tower includes a five-star hotel with ballroom/banqueting suite, conference/business center, a lower-level restaurant, gymnasium, franchise spaces, salons, a sports museum, a four-story Presidential suite, and at the buildings' top, a restaurant, bar and observation deck providing panoramic views of Doha. It also features a swimming pool cantilevered 80 meters above ground.
Aspire
Aspire can be found next to Villaggio Mall and the opening was marked with the Middle
East's biggest-ever celebration of sporting achievement, attended by legendary sports
stars such as Pelé and Diego Maradona, Olympic delegations from over 80 countries,
representatives from other major sports federations such as the International Association
of Athletics Federations, and a number of local dignitaries.
The Dome is a landmark development for Qatar and the region. Covering an astounding 290,000 square meters of ground space and standing at an impressive 46 meters high, it seats 15,000 spectators.
Designed by Roger Taillibert - the architect behind the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada - the Dome was constructed over two years, from conception through to its grand opening.
The state-of-the-art steel structure houses an Olympic-sized swimming pool and diving area, a 200-meter athletics track, a gymnastics hall, a games hall, a full-sized football field and a five-a-side pitch, 11 tennis courts, 13 table tennis courts, eight fencing strips, two squash courts and a wood-floored judo and karate studio.
Under the Dome's distinctive sloping roof and the mesmerizing Academy, there are also lecture halls, classrooms, science laboratories, dormitories, a library, an ampitheater and a medical center.
For more information about Aspire, Call +974 4413 6000 or visit www.aspire.qa
Doha Golf Club
Doha Golf Club boasts an 18 hole Championship Course, a 9 hole Academy Course, an
enormous driving range and putting green, 8 artificial lakes, graceful landscaping
and a beautiful clubhouse designed in old traditional Arabic style. The Championship
Course is a tough course from the back tees and offers many strategic and heroic
holes where the scratch golfer can test his skills. The course has been designed
with two starting and finishing holes which maximises playing flexibility and the
number of daily rounds. The unusual 150 hectare site has been enhanced by emphasizing
the natural attributes and features. Lakes have been created which will double as
obstacles and aesthetic features. We have planted about 5000 shrubs, 6000 trees,
10000 cacti imported from Arizona which will emphasize the nature of the rugged
surroundings. The Academy Course is less demanding and can be played by beginners,
ladies and those who want to play a quick nine holes.
The Pearl-Qatar
The Pearl Qatar is a phased mixed-use development comprising 10 distinct, themed
districts that include beachfront villas, elegant town homes, luxury apartments,
exclusive penthouses, five-star hotels, marinas, and upscale retail and restaurants
all situated on a multibillion dollar (USD) man-made island encompassing 985 acres
(400 hectares) of reclaimed land just off the shore of the Arabian Peninsula in
the state of Qatar. It is Qatar’s first international luxury residential development
that offers international investors freehold title ownership. The Pearl-Qatar is
a destination in its own right - a lavish, secure and exclusive island retreat with
a Riviera-style community. Both the island's name and location, on the site of a
former pearl diving site, reflect the country's strong cultural ties with the sea.
This is an island rediscovered. The name pays homage to the previous mainstay of
the economy - pearl fishing. Although pearling is no longer a key economic driver,
it has left a legacy of skills, stories, music, art and poetry that is a source
of identity and pride for Qatari's today.
