Highlights of Qatar Doha - A modern city of dynamic shapes From a distance Doha’s buildings look like a futuristic playset of metal and glass, all soaring lines and rippling, flowing shapes. They’re impressive from any angle, but the scale and ambition of this city’s buildings are best appreciated up close. Taking inspiration from the desert rose, a cluster formed out of gypsum or baryte and sand grains, the National Museum of Qatar is a striking example of cutting-edge architecture. Glamping at a Bedouin camp in the desert Get a comfortable taste of the original bedouin culture with a stay in a luxury camp with Arabian-style tents, where you can explore the dunes on a camel ride, tuck into local foods and relax by a campfire under the stars. The setting is traditional, but the facilities are reassuringly modern, with full bathrooms and running water, and a host of adventure activities on offer, from quad-biking to sandboarding and even desert paragliding. Traditional Dhow Cruise Before Qatar grew rich from oil and natural gas, one of its main industries was pearl fishing. Fishermen would set out in their wooden dhow sailboats, weigh themselves down and descend for up to two minutes at a time to prise pearl-bearing oysters from the rocky sea bed. The pearl fishermen may be long gone, but their traditional boats still dot the waterways of the Qatari coast, not least at the aptly named Dhow Harbour in Doha. Climb aboard a dhow for a cruise over the calm waters of the Gulf, with the dazzling modern skyline in the distance. 48 The eyes of the world will be drawn to Qatar at the end of 2022 when the city hosts the football World Cup, and no doubt the destination will receive huge recognition, but the attractions of this year round sunshine destination speak for itself. Discover the Inland Sea In Qatar’s southeast is Khor AlAdaid, often referred to as the Inland Sea. In fact it’s a tidal river flowing in and out from the Arabian Gulf via a narrow channel, providing a unique lagoon system and vast oasis where tranquil blue waters meet pristine white-gold dunes. The Unesco-protected natural reserve is a nesting spot for flamingoes, terns and ospreys.
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