Sight Seeing (Selected Highlights)
Newly discovered by world travellers as a top tourist destination, Qatar offers a rich and well-preserved Arabic culture combined with distinguished modernist expressions.
Museum of Islamic Art
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It is located on the south side of the ledge, on an island “manufactured” at 60 m from shore. The museum was created by one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century, Mr. Leoh Ming Pei and it contains a collection from 3 continents ranging from Cordoba in the west to Samarkand in the east, with objects from Spain, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, India and Central Asia, and covers 14 centuries of a legacy illustrating the wealth and imagination of Muslim culture. www.mia.org.qa
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The National Museum
Built in 1912 as a palace for the Governor of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Bin Qassim Al Thani it has been renovated and converted into a museum in 1975. The museum displays many Qatari traditions such as the art of falconry, marriage, coins and medals, jewelry, costumes, handicrafts, traditional medicines, perfumes, medals.www.qma.com.qa
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The Museum of Modern Art, Mathaf
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Mathaf contains some of the private collection of contemporary art of calligraphy, including Sheikh Hassan’s ancient weapons, and orientalist paintings. Located in a former school near Doha’s Education City, the building has been re-designed by the French architect Jean-François Bodin. www.qma.com.qa
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Souk Waqif
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It is called the old souk although it was recently “restored”. You will find merchants with hawks, souvenir shops, spices, honey, fabrics, perfumes and incense, Bedouin tents, tools, crockery, cobblers stalls. You can go to do some shopping, have a meal, or smoke a shisha (water pipe) in a café with terrace in the middle of the souk. www.hotelsouqwaqif.com.qa
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The Pearl
The Pearl-Qatar, a riviera-style man-made island developed in an exclusive environment in Doha, and the Middle East’s most glamorous address, covers 400 hectares of reclaimed land. Here one can enjoy shopping in the many high-end retail shops and go and walk along the beautiful boardwalk overlooking the marina filled with a variety of international cafes and restaurants. www.thepearlqatar.com
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Katara
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Doha’s new cultural village built in the West Bay area is located right along the sea coast with a long white sandy beach and a wide boardwalk that hosts several different seafood and oriental cuisine. Katara also contains a large open air amphitheater built in ancient roman style overlooking the sea, as well as a beautiful mosque and a photography gallery. www.katara.net
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The Desert
A trip to the sand dunes is always a fun way to spend the day enjoying the country’s beautiful desert.
For more info visit: www.qatartourism.gov.qa