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Day 3 in Doha, Qatar,
We left the hotel this morning for a day of sightseeing of attractions in Doha, Qatar. Our first stop was a point on the waterfront where tourists could take photos of the “new city” of Doha. The skyline was as full as many larger cities in the United States. Everyone got off of the buses to take advantage of the beautiful view of the Doha Skyline.
The skyline we saw is referred to as the new city, where every skyscraper was erected since the year 2000. At the end of the construction project in 2018, over 200 skyscrapers will make up the Doha skyline. Each building is unique and designed by a different world-famous architect.
After the waterfront, we travelled the Qatar Horse-riding and Equestrian Club. This was the site of the 2006 Asian Olympics. The facility was enormous, with stables, event courses, offices and equestrian arenas. Our next stop was the Museum of Islamic Art, the largest collection of Islamic Art in the Middle East. The museum boasts a large collection of Islamic Art from Islamic nations around the world, including Saudi Arabia, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman and Qatar. The architecture of the museum was perhaps the most interesting part of the visit for most.
We then rode to the Qatar Cultural Village for lunch. This cultural village is land that was reclaimed (it was land that was under water originally, but built back up to be above sea-level and suitable for construction). It is now where new hotels, restaurants and performing Arts spaces are built and will be built. Our group had the choice of several different types of cuisine for our lunch including Italian, French, Egyptian, or Italian.
A common theme today in Doha was new building and construction. Everywhere one looks, one sees new construction. Future plans include a brand new above and below ground metro system that is already under construction with plans to be complete in 2018. It will have with bridges to connect Old Doha to New Doha and connect to the Pearl of Qatar Island. A new airport will be constructed to support this new infrastructure.
After our tour of Doha we visited the shopping district of Old Doha called the Old Souq os Souq Waqif. At 7:00 PM we ate dinner in the district at a very fine hotel called Al Rasha Boutique. On the way home, we stopped again to look at the skyline a night. Quite a sight!
Upon return to the hotel, we met up with the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club that arrived this morning, staying in our hotel. They were also touring the Middle East. We briefly exchanged a song or two, but Morgan had to get to our rooms for a 5:00 AM departure.
Another full day in Qatar, but very rewarding.
