Places of Interest - Qatar Attractions

This beautiful landscaped area on the corniche between the Ministry of Interior and the National Theatre. It has an art gallery, open air theatre, water features, shops and a cafeteria as well as children’s rides and attractions which include boats, a ferris wheel, miniature train and skateboarding half-pipe. The park is very busy in the evenings and at weekends when it is popular with picnickers.

This small town lies north of Doha, a former center for pearl fishing attracts weekend picnickers to the shaded and sheltered corniche and beach. Plenty of photo opportunities with the old fishing harbour, a regional museum, and nearby mangroves are popular with ornithologists.

A Moorish-style fort in the center of Doha heavily decorated with gypsum carving, it houses small exhibits of weaving, woodcarving, painting and other local crafts. It is located at the corner of Jassim Bin Mohammed and Al Qalaa streets, adjacent to the souq waqf car park. Timings: Sunday to Thursday 7 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 7 pm, and on Fridays 4 pm to 6.30pm, Tel: 44412742.

There are pure-bred Arab show and racing horses at this stud farm, owned by HH the Emir, as well as a riding school. Visits can be arranged through one of the tour companies.

Site of successive communities through history, partial excavations at Al Zubara on the north west coast have revealed the foundations of city walls and dwellings at several different levels. The fort, which now houses a regional museum, was built in 1938 during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim Al Thani and was used by the military until the mid 1980s.

Popular with walkers, joggers, roller-bladers and picnickers, Doha’s 7 km landscaped corniche is a beautiful place to relax. Recent work has extended the paved and parking areas still further, and it is now possible to walk along the shoreline almost the whole way from the Ras Abu Aboud flyover to the pyramid-shaped Sheraton hotel. Palm Tree Island can be reached by dhow from the jetty on the corniche near the Sheraton.

Located on the outskirts of Doha near to Salwa Industrial Area, Doha Zoo is in an attractive landscaped setting and offers a good opportunity to see some of the region’s desert creatures as well as the more traditional zoo animals. There is a children’s play area as well as a cafeteria. Winter timings are 8 am to 11.30am Sunday to Thursday and 2.30pm to 7 pm daily (except Saturdays). School groups are welcomed in the mornings. Tuesday afternoons are for ladies and children only (boys must be under 9); Monday and Wednesday afternoons are for families only; on other afternoons the zoo is open to the general public. Timing may vary; check by calling: 44682610

The Island Sea in the south east of the peninsula is surrounded by spectacular crescent-shaped sand dunes. An area of outstanding beauty, photographers appreciate the changing light and colours at different times of day, you need a four-wheel drive to access the area, and to be in the company of someone who knows the route. Since you will be using unmarked tracks through soft sand, it is also advisable for several vehicles to travel in convoy with experienced drivers. Vehicles need to be checked thoroughly, and to carry additional water and supplies. Tour operators organize both day trips and overnight camps, providing picnics and barbecues, folkloric entertainment and sometimes the opportunity to ride camels or go sand-skiing.

Once threatened by extinction, the graceful Arabian Oryx now live and breed as protected herds in Qatar. The landscaped oryx park at Al Shahaniyah provides the opportunity to watch the animals – thought to have given rise to the legend of the unicorn – at close quarters. Permits to visit are available from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture but most people find it easier to go with a tour operator.

The Qatar Museum of Islamic art, under the umbrella of QMA is the flagship project of His Highness, the Emir of Qatar. Situated on a man-made island on the corniche, it was designed by I.M.Pei - world renowned architect and designer of Louvre Pyramid in Paris. The Museum of Islamic Art is dedicated to being the foremost museum of Islamic art in the world, and as well a centre of education and information in the field of the arts of the Islamic world. Timings: Sun, Mon, Wed, Thurs -10.30am to 5.30 pm, Fridays -2.00 pm to 8.00 pm and Tuesdays are closed. Tel.: 44224444