Escape to Skyscraping Qatar

Qatar is one of the many countries of our world which is underrated. You may have heard its name because it is hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is an Arab country, small in size, located in the Middle East. To give you an idea  of Qatar, it is near United Arab Emirates (UAE), which means that it is what many scholars will call a future country. It is a highly developed country, being hugely backed by immense oil and natural gas reserves which transform it into a high-income nation, similar to its neighbours. In fact, it has the highest per capita income in the world. This means that it has the highest numbers in regard to the average income earned per person in a given area in a specified year. A notable piece of information about Qatar is also that more than three quarters of the population is made out of expatriates. It is no wonder, hence, why I visited Qatar during my October school half-term break.

The capital of Qatar is Doha, which is where I spent the last week of October while all of my friends celebrated Halloween together. To begin with, I was astonished at how similar Doha was to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, yet it is important to differentiate them correctly. I like to think of Dubai as London, and Doha as Bristol (considering I live in the United Kingdom). Thus, Doha is smaller, smaller, smaller version of Dubai.

As you can see, there are portions of skyscrapers, and although they are stunning to look at from all angles, this wasn’t yet the only amazing part of Qatar that I was able to witness. One of my favourite views was one from inside my car actually (which sounds kind of lame). Driving down the Corniche, which is a long road with palm trees on both sides and the sea on the right, leads you into a huge section of Doha with skyscrapers.

The weather was pretty much unbearable. However, coming from the United Kingdom into such high temperatures was not such a bad thing. I enjoyed it a lot even though my tan isn’t quite that visible.

An interesting hobby among expatriates in Doha is to go to hotel swimming pools during hours where they are off work. I ended  up doing just that, spending two days at two different hotels. That was how I started off the week in Qatar, and it was lovely to just relax by a pool, have small meals, and sunbathe. It was also where I took out my camera and got some nice shots. Keep reading to see what they all combine to create in the end!

Besides the Corniche waterfront, I also really enjoyed the cultural, historical centre of Doha which is called Souq Waqif. There, I was able to buy some souvenirs and also to see a lot of the locals in their religious dressing. I went to this city centre at night and it was still very crowded.

Unfortunately, I did not have time to go to the desert, yet, I am not that upset about it because I did so many things in the time that I could have done that. Surely, I’m leaving the desert day tour for my next holiday to Qatar (which will hopefully be soon!). I went out for extravagant meals at least 5 times a day (no lie). I experienced the culture and tried different cuisines. I also listened to Arab tunes while I drove to different areas of Doha and even witnessed camels in the middle of town! That was something I wasn’t used to seeing every day. It was moreover interesting to be reminded of how different the Middle East is to the United Kingdom. For instance, walking is a major locomotion method in the United Kingdom, whereas to do that in Qatar is impossible. Driving is what is used 100% of the time in Doha.

Another place in Doha I saw was the outdoor area surrounding the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) which, at night, enabled me to view some skyscrapers from across the bay. It was an almost unbelievable sight and it was gorgeous to see flickering lights in the backdrop of the ocean and lit up boats.

On one day, we drove to the Pearl, which is an artificial land area in Doha which expands on a length of approximately four million square metres. It is the resident headquarters of over 12,000 people, having become the first land in Qatar to allow freehold ownership by foreign nationals. It did look quite different from the rest of Doha, in regard to the buildings and houses.

Nevertheless, I did make a video on Doha, Qatar, because I felt like it deserved one. Not many people know enough about Qatar to be able to discuss it appropriately, and not many videographers have captured its beauty either. Hence, you can view my video here or by clicking on the image below. It would be great to hear what you think about it and, furthermore, if you can comment what you think of Doha and whether you’ve ever been there yourself. 

I definitely can’t wait to go there again, and I am hoping that that will be in the near future. I really loved it and it was the perfect escape vacation from a gloomy, cold England.

Article by Bianca Lazar