HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
JANUARY 2013
83
DOHA
||
THREE PERFECT DAYS
DAY ONE
| The morning sun wakes you
earlier than expected, amplified as it is by
the wall-to-wall shininess of your suite.
Al Jasra Boutique Hotel
,
a neo-traditional
property in Doha’s Souq Waqif market,
is luxurious even by the Gulf’s “seven
star” standards, an opulence literally
reflected in the mirror finish applied to
every surface.
Having located and donned your sun-
glasses, you indulge in a bedside treat of
espresso and chocolate-dipped straw-
berries, then amble down to the hotel
restaurant for breakfast: a hearty bowl of
foul
(
cooked beans served with piquant
condiments) and more strong coffee.
Souq Waqif is still sleeping, so you
catch a cab to the
Museum of Islamic Art
,
which rises like a cubist sculpture from
the uncannily turquoise waters of the
Persian Gulf. Set on a small artificial
island, the I.M. Pei–designed building pays
homage to timeless Islamic architecture,
but with a modernist twist. You pause to
watchdhows, traditionalwoodensailboats,
bobbing between the museum and the
glistening skyline, then head inside.
It’s easy to lose yourself among the
museum’s cultural riches: ancient, finely
cra ed rugs, artworks and sundry imple-
ments, many of which date back to the
time when the Islamic world led the way
DOHA BY THE NUMBERS
POPULATION
796,947
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE
OF POPULATION MADE UP
OF EXPATRIATES
85
AREA, IN SQUARE MILES
51
NATURAL GAS RESERVES IN QATAR,
IN CUBIC FEET (NO. 3 IN THE WORLD)
896
TRILLION
PER-CAPITA GDP
(
NO. 1 IN THE WORLD)
$104,300
VALUE OF WORLD’S
MOST EXPENSIVE ARTWORK
(
CEZANNE’S
THE CARD PLAYERS
,
BOUGHT BY QATAR’S ROYAL FAMILY)
$250MILLION
NUMBER OF STADIUMS TO BE BUILT
FOR THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP
9
NUMBER OF NEWHOTEL ROOMS
NEEDED TO HANDLE
THE WORLD CUP INFLUX
10,000
+
LENGTH, IN MILES, OF PROPOSED
WORLD’S-LONGEST BRIDGE
BETWEEN QATAR AND BAHRAIN
24.85
