(I walked roughly from the dhow harbor (bottom arrow) along the corniche - with a few detours - to the Sheraton hotel (upper arrow))
From our hotel it was a short walk to the beginning of the corniche. On the way I passed this reminder of the Asian Games 2006 that Doha hosted (there are a few more in other colors spread throughout the city):
(From the 2006 Asian Games in Doha)
Of course one should never try and compare two countries but I tend to do it because I am trying to understand more of the Gulf region and how Kuwait fits into that picture - i.e. how it is similar and different to other countries in the Gulf. I already wrote about how the Qatari seem to dress more conservatively/traditionally (How To Spend A Week-end In Firenze, Italy (Mall-O-Mania Qatar Style) but another thing that I noticed was that it seems the population of Doha is more mixed than that of Kuwait in terms of nationalities represented. I saw a lot of African people (and later a Kenyan lady I know in Kuwait told me that there is indeed a large Kenyan community in Qatar) and what appeared to be a more mixed Arab population as well. I couldn't really find any comparable statistics to support this, so it's just an observation. Like in Kuwait, the Qatari are a minority in their own country (about 3/4 of the population is expatriate with temporary residence permit).
(A shop selling Sudanese requirements (whatever that includes))
Down by the corniche is the impressive Museum of Islamic Arts. I went to see it and it was absolutely amazing - so much so that I will do a separate post on it later.
(Museum of Islamic Arts, Doha corniche)
From the museum it is also clear how green Doha is in some places - I suppose the humid climate helps but they still must be using an enormous amount of water to keep it this green and beautiful (I realize that to many of you this looks like nothing extraordinary but once you live in a desert country you really come to appreciate seeing green grass):
(Green Doha - a small park/patch of green grass by the corniche)
Right next to the museum is a small harbor that serves as the hub for many of the local fishing boats:
(Local fishing boats, Doha corniche)
...And there was even some wildlife to be spotted:
(Birds - one looks like a type of heron? - in front of local fishing boats - and with a hazy Doha city skyline in the background)
(A heron (?), a sea gull and another little bird hanging out by the water, Doha corniche)
(Another tourist taking a photo of a roundabout close to the corniche - often the roundabouts are nicely decorated - in this case with clay pots and water coming out of some of them)
It seems that Qatar is trying to enforce the traffic regulations - I saw quite a few signs reminding drivers to take care of the pedestrians and people working roadside. This one is also quite nice:
(A lifted finger to remind of the traffic regulations, under a stop sign in Arabic)
From the corniche walk, this impressive building is very visible. It is the Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre - also known as Fanar:
(Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre, Doha)
It also looks really nice at night when it is all lit up:
(Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre by night)
Actually the big Souq Waqif is located in this area as well but I will write a separate post about the souq as I spent quite a lot of time there.
Another Doha landmark is the Pearl monument. Something the Gulf countries share is a pre-oil past of pearl diving (I wrote about this in a Dubai post as well - Soaking Up Culture In Dubai). While it is oil and gas that has paid for much of the modern developments, pearl diving was the main economic activity in many of the Gulf countries until it collapsed in the 1930s.
(The Pearl with local fishing boats and Doha city skyline in the background)
(Close-up of the Pearl)
(The Pearl about to eat the Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre - Pacman style)
Close by the corniche walk is the Diwan Amiri - the residence of the Emir of Qatar (on the right hand side covered as it is undergoing renovation) along with the Grand Mosque and a pink clock tower:
(Diwan Amiri, the impressive green mosque and a pink clock tower)
Further along the corniche, the skyline of Doha city becomes clearer. In this particular part of the corniche walk are large yellow letters forming some words including 'Realize' and 'Think'.
I particularly liked this one as it must really have taken a lot of effort and vision to realize this impressive skyline in what was a traditional desert country:
('Realize' in front of the Doha city skyline)
The 'Think' is in front of the Palm Tree Island. However, I am quite convinced that it is not actually a palm tree but a sidra/cedar tree - a tree important to Qatar and the region and the logo of the influential Qatar Foundation. Considering the Qatar Foundation's heavy involvement in education, I suppose it is a very fitting word to have 'think' in front of that island with the tree:
('Think' in front of Palm Tree Island)
(Getter closer to Doha city skyline)
At one point along the corniche walk there was a long wall with colorful mosaics depicting Qatar's development (there were many more mosaics but I chose just 4 sections to show here):
(From a Bedouin past of roaming the desert with camels...)
(...to trading and selling products...)
(...to diving for precious and at that time (before cultured pearls) expensive pearls...)
(...up until a modern Qatar with oil, gas and the pleasures of modern life and leisure activities set against the Doha skyline)
Qatar has the 4th largest gas reserve in the world and the largest GDP per capita.
(Birds promenading along the corniche)
I also spotted this nice bird - it looks like a blue heron of some kind:
(Blue heron (?), Doha corniche)
(Blue heron (?), ready for take-off)
Speaking of animals, this one - which is an oryx and is also the logo of the national carrier Qatar Airways - is, I believe, the mascot from the 2006 Asian Games. The Asian Games logo has been scratched off its shirt and the count-down display in the background is now used for advertising other sports events. At least they found a way to recycle it:
(Asian Games 2006 mascot with Doha city skyline in the background)
(Another yellow word - 'Achieve')
As I got closer to the skyline, I realized the blue bird had accompanied me (it's at the bottom of the picture):
(Doha city skyline and the blue heron(?))
I got another good shot of it...
...Before it flew off for good:
By then I had gotten into the Doha city centre:
(High rises in Doha city centre)
(Close-up of twisted high rise)
This one appears as nothing special from a distance:
...but as you get closer it becomes clear that it is actually an intricate mesh of Arabic patterns:
(Bird along the corniche)
As I touched upon, Qatar is heavily investing in the education of its population - through the Qatar foundation and other means. I did not go and see it but they have built an entire Education City that has become home to a number of prestigious American university branch campuses and other educational institutions.
Along the corniche there is the newly opened Knowledge Enrichment Centre - another testament to the value placed upon education and knowledge:
(The Knowledge Enrichment Centre - closed when I was there so on the to-do list for next visit)
Here is another thing I did not expect to see in this region. I don't know if anybody actually uses them but the idea is great (the display was all black so I'm not sure the machine is working). If it wasn't for the heat I would have loved to do a bike ride along the corniche:
(Bikes for hire along the end of the corniche)
The trip ended at the Sheraton park - next to the landmark Sheraton hotel (to the right outside of this picture). It was truly a wonderful little park with blossoming trees, lots of green grass, a nice little playground and of course wireless internet throughout the area:
(Beautiful tree with deep orange flowers in Sheraton park)
(Beautiful trees in Sheraton park, downtown Doha)
My trip ended here (I took a taxi back to my hotel) and although it was not much longer than 4 km (without the detours) it felt more like I had walked 25 km. The humidity in Qatar is quite intense and I am still learning how my body reacts to the high temperatures and how little physical effort I am able to make in this climate. It is quite strange as I can only walk about half a kilometer before I need to drink water and gain my breath - and after a trip like this (which is something I would usually do in an hour or two) I went straight back to the hotel and slept for an hour before I felt normal again. I am glad I experienced it though - if we will do more traveling this summer I know not to plan too much in a day.
On a last note, I thought about how the place we grow up shapes our perception of things and in particular how we get used to certain pictograms as generally valid and applicable. To me for example, the symbol for a pedestrian is quite simply a man (walking or standing - depending on whether it is related to a green or red light at a pedestrian crossing) looking something like this:
(What I perceive as a pedestrian pictogram)
I never really thought much about how in other cultures this would look different - here's the pictogram for a pedestrian in Qatar (where both men and women wear clothes that have this silhouette):
I will be posting some more about the Museum of Islamic Arts as well as the Souq Waqif and some of the yummy food we had, so stay tuned...
