‘Live your life by a compass, not a clock.’
Once little more than a minuscule pearl fishing village, Doha, Qatar’s capital and largest city, has turned up to become one of the pearls of the Middle East. It is one of the most rapidly developing cities, akin to the development seen in nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and is aiming to become a center of international trade and travel. It’s rare to see a great city in the making these days, but here’s your chance. Whether it’s the stunning and constantly changing skyline or the massive investments Qatari authorities are making in landmark cultural icons, Doha is a city oozing confidence and style, and it’s as much ease with its modern shopping malls as it is with its heritage and traditional souqs.
Doha was founded in the 1820s as an outcome of Al Bidda. It is considered as a world city by the Globalisation and World Cities Research Network. Doha is growing globally by accommodating Education City, literally an area devoted to research and education; city hosted the first ministerial-level meeting of the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organisation negotiations. The city hosted a number of sports events in the past such as the Asian Games in 2006, the Pan Arab Games in 2011, and the most of the games at the AFC Asian Cup in 2011. In the near future, Doha is to host many more global events, major one is the FIFA World Cup in 2022. In May 2015, Doha was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with Vigan, La Paz, Durban, Havana, Beirut, and Kuala Lumpur.
Doha is a city with hot desert climate and long summers, from May to September. Rainfall is scarce falling on isolated days mostly between October to March. Although winters in Doha are cool. The majority of the religion followed in the city is Islamic. Though Islamic is not the only religion in Doha, Catholic is also a major religion of the people in the city. Catholic Churches came to existence in March of 2008, with the first one named, Our Lady of the Rosary, followed by many more in the later years. A majority of mosques are either Muwahhid or Sunni-oriented.
The shining jewel of Qatar, Doha is a multicultural city, home to most of the country’s population as well as expatriate communities from a range of origins. Shopping abounds in the city’s plentiful malls, while the Corniche impresses visitors with picturesque architecture and dazzling views of the harbor. Doha boasts myriad cultural facilities, including the futuristic Education City and the National Museum. Wander the fabulously atmospheric Souq Waqif, wonder at the sheer beauty of the world-class Museum of Islamic Art and its exhibits or head out to Katara to explore Doha’s art culture. Wherever you look, Doha is threatening to eclipse Dubai as the Gulf’s most dynamic city.
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