Exploring Doha - Day 1 - 15 August 2024

It was India's 78th Independence Day. After a cup of coffee, I had a muesli breakfast in the room. At this age a buffet breakfast, or for that matter any buffet, is a waste of money. A few mouthfuls if porridge or cereal are enough to sate the hunger. With a view to beat the heat I decided to leave the hotel at 8 am. As I opened the hotel's lobby door to start the day's program I almost swooned in the blast of hot and humid air.

Fresh from a decent night in bed, I soldiered on. Walking down the streets, with not a single person in sight on foot and drivers of cars looking at me as if I were mad, I came to a massive building that housed the offices of certain ministers. As I was focusing to take a photo a security guard came out of his perch and shooed me away. The Flag Plaza was just a short walk from there.

The MIA Flag Plaza is a community space located near MIA Park, dedicated to celebrating unity and cultural exchange. The site houses 119 flags representing nations with diplomatic missions in Qatar, as well as the European flag, the United Nations flag and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) flag; it also plays host to festivals, celebrations and other community events.

At the plaza's entrance is Najla El Zein’s Us, Her, Him, an abstract reflection on human interaction and connection. The installation is composed of a series of benches made of hand-sculpted limestone, illustrating various modes of human interaction: acquaintance, friendship, love, introversion, confidence, familiarity, fluidity and obstruction. The benches are intended for functional use, for people to sit together and find commonality and community.

As I was beating the heat, shielding myself from the intensity of the sun a smiling Sharafuddin offered to take me around the sights of Doha at $20 an hour. I found the rate excessive, but I humoured him for a while so that I could call him in case I found the heat unbearable later. Sharafuddin hails from Kozhikode and has been in Doha for over 15 years. He disarmingly disclosed that following the bumper earnings during the 2022 World Cup, he went home for a year and returned to Doha only after the money ran out. He also told me that he lost a huge amount a few years back playing cards, wanting to get rich quick.

As I was walking through the MIA Park I was accosted by Iqbal, another driver who offered a city tour. The entire city seems to be full of Mallus offering such services. They are mostly from the northern parts of Kerala.

The MIA Park is said to be one of the best and most beautiful green spaces along the Doha waterfront. Today it was too hot to walk around and enjoy all the attractions within the Park. The Museum of Islamic Art Park is home to Richard Serra's vertical steel sculpture, known as 7. The Park is also home to cafes with some of the finest city views in Doha, including the MIA Park Cafe, as well as food trucks. When the weather is appropriate, joggers enjoy the 1km crescent pathway around the park, which also has a kids play area.

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is a museum at one end of the seven-kilometer-long (4.3 mi) Doha Corniche. The Chinese architect I. M. Pei had the museum built on an island off an artificial projecting peninsula near the traditional Doha dhow harbor. Al Wakrah was a modest fishing and pearling spot at the period, with between 250 and 300 boats moored there, between 1920 and 1925, according to various government documents. The MIA terrace affords a lovely view of the traditional harbour. 

Dhows are sailing vessels that can seen all across the Indian Ocean. Although there are variations according to the region of origin, all dhows are built of hardwood planks that are sewn together.  Dhows are traditionally three to five tons in weight and require a crew of 12 to 30 sailors. Traditional Qatari dhows are double-masted and cover the whole tonnage spectrum. Traditional Qatari dhows come in a wide range of tonnages, are double-masted, and sail with triangular sails.

A purpose-built park surrounds the edifice on the eastern and southern facades while two bridges connect the southern front facade of the property with the main peninsula that holds the park. The western and northern facades are marked by the harbor showcasing the Qatari seafaring past.

The MIA opens at 9 am and has an entrance fee of 50 QAR for foreign visitors. As an early bird, I was the first to enter the museum this day. The museum at four levels requires at least half a day to do some justice to appreciate the awesome collection of Islamic art from across the Islamic world spanning multiple centuries. The aesthetically displayed pieces with succinct description made me stay on for longer than I had intended to. Pottery, ceramic, paintings, textiles, the holy book, jewellery, carpets, sculptures, tiles, building materials, objects of warfare, gifts and many more transfixed me in those cavernous galleries.

After spending a few hours in the MIA I walked in searing heat to the desert rose shaped National Museum of Qatar. I felt as if my legs would give way. Sheer determination kept me on my feet. My t-shirt was drenched in sweat and I was drinking water by the gallons.

The current building of the National Museum was opened to the public on 28 March 2019, replacing the previous building that had stood there from 1975. The architect of the building was inspired by the desert rose crystal, which is found in Qatar. The museum site includes Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani's Palace, which is the heart of the Qatari national identity.

The National Museum, which has an entrance fee of 50 QAR for foreign visitors, is an immersive expert for children and adults alike. Amazing displays of Qatar's past, the flora and fauna, the unforgiving desert and its habitants, the gradual development of the country over the past century, its pearl diving past and much, much more can be experienced here.

Kids can have a wonderful time, playing and learning. How I wished that my grandchildren were with me! All in all, it is a massive experience of knowledge enhancement.

When I exited the National Museum the hot blast nearly floored me. I somehow dragged myself back to the hotel room. The t-shirt was dripping with sweat and my legs had gone numb. After sitting in the room to recover from the onslaught of the heat and humidity I had a couple of burger buns with the mortadella with olives. Food never tasted better. I also had some of the grapes I had bought last night.

After a short nap and change of clothes I set off for the afternoon program. First, I went to the Islamic Exchange and got some US dollar change stop the Qatari Riyal. The exchange rate was certainly way better than what was offered at the airport last night. With that done I walked to the majestic Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre, a popular landmark of the city.

As I entered the building, I was greeted by a Keralite who showed me inside a hall that explained Islam and its development in simple terms on posters stuck to the wall. I took my time going through the entire script. It was the first time I understood the connection between Christianity and Islam so well. As I was studying the posters I was served Islamic coffee and water. A gentleman introduced himself to me as one who works there and asked me to enjoy the visit.

As I was leaving, he gave me a gift of a book that contained all the writings on the walls in the hall, a cap and a scarf. He also asked if I would like to experience a VR show of the Kaaba. I wouldn't miss that for anything. He took me to another part of the centre, where he showed me a copy of the original Quran; the original is in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.

A portion of the curtain on the Kaaba that is 48 years old is on display in this section of the centre. The seven-minute VR film was awesome. It looked so real that I can claim to have seen what most Muslims may also not have seen, the inside of the Kaaba.

A short walk from the Islamic Cultural Centre is the celebrated Souq Waqif. The foreground of the Souq has benches to sit and relax, Turkish ice cream or steamed corn cobs to savour, a camel ride for the adventurous and even a stagecoach ride for the romantic. Souq Waqif means standing market. It is a marketplace that sells traditional garments, birds, spices, sweats, handicrafts, souvenirs in its labyrinthine corridors. The origin of the Souq goes back a couple of centuries. The Souq was renovated in 2006. I picked up a fridge magnet and some traditional Qatari halwa.

Exiting the Souq I went around the many cafes, restaurants and chai shops that surround the Souq. They were slowly coming to life as, with the heat relenting a bit, there were more people to be seen around. Even the locals were finding the heat and humidity intolerable.

The Al Koot Fort, or the Doha Fort, is a short distance from the Souq and is a historical military fortress, built in 1927. The fort is now a museum. It was closed at the time of my visit. I decided to head back to the hotel. My route lay through a lane that was lined by eateries. I spied one that sold traditional Qatari foods.

I took a seat at one of them and ordered a Maqboos, a kind of biriyani. The generous helping of masala rice and two big pieces of chicken arrived on the table quickly. As I was savoring the rather bland 'biriyani' a waiter brought me a bottle of spicy pepper sauce. I didn't dare to try that and went through the bland dish leisurely, talking to the waiters, all of whom belonged to Kerala. They told me that the oppressive weather would last a few more weeks.

Once the meal was done, I wished them and took the 1.3 km walk back to the hotel slowly. The humidity was killing. The air-conditioned lobby of the hotel, when I got there, felt like Paradise. I have quite a lot on my plate tomorrow and I need to regain strength in my legs. An early hop into bed is warranted.