> What to See

What to See

Be one of the first to step inside the newly completed Museum of Islamic Art, opening spring 2008; designed by the renowned architect IM Pei, the keep-like exterior, with its postmodern windows and virtual moat, is in itself worth a visit.

Visit the Qatar National Museum (website: www.qnm.8m.com/main.htm), housed in Fariq al-Salata Palace. Although under renovation for several years, the site remains a fine example of traditional architecture.

Before you dive into Souq Waqif, take a look at Doha Fort; built in the 19th century by the occupying Turks, it has been used as a prison and a stamp museum among other things.

Watch the construction of two important additions to the cultural life of Doha: a photography museum with retractable roof and a national library built on two giant pillars, aimed at crowning Qatar as Capital of Arab Culture by 2010.

Take a pair of binoculars to Al-Shahaniya , near Doha, and pick a winner at the race track; known as the ’sport of sheikhs’, camel racing continues to be an important part of Qatar’s heritage.

Book an overnight tour to Khor al-Adaid and find your own superlatives for sunset and sunrise over Qatar’s inland sea; access to this area of salt-flats and sand dunes is by 4-wheel drive, and tour prices include barbeque and camping.

Hire a car and see the ’other side’ of Qatar: the pleasant fishing towns of Al-Khor and Al-Zubara were once important for the pearling industry, while Umm Salal Mohammed and Umm Salal Ali hint at a more ancient past.

If you are half-crazed for the sight of a hill, head for Bir Zekreet; the surrounding escarpment doesn’t boast much in the way of altitude but it does offer an interesting lesson in wind-blown desert formations.

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What to See

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