Exploring Doha - Day 3 - 17 August 2014

I was not sure when the Katara Cultural Village would be open to public on a holiday morning, Saturday being a closed holiday for offices. Moreover, when open, I anticipated that the place would be overrun with visitors, it being a holiday. Getting to the Katara Cultural Village was easy as a breeze.

I took the now familiar walk from the hotel to the Souq Waqif metro station. It is about 800 metres but feels more due to the heat. Fortunately, like yesterday, the humidity was bearable. I changed from the Gold Line to the Red Line at Msheireb and travelled northward and alighted at the Katara metro station.

The metro station is linked to the Katara complex. At that hour, the complex was deserted; it was just getting to be 8.30 am. Cleaning was in progress and not one of the shops in the Katara Plaza was open. But the open air-conditioning made it tolerable to walk around the Plaza, admiring the architecture and the scale of the complex.

Shortly I reached an archway that in some way defined a different section of the complex. A couple of golf carts were parked under the arch and I made my way to one of them and asked for directions to explore the Village Complex. To my surprise, the driver, David, asked me to get on to the cart. He said he would drive me around and show me the features of the Village.

What a heaven sent; it was getting hotter by the minute. He turned out to be an exceptional guide, patient and understanding. He explained that the cultural village, Catara, which was among the first habitations in Qatar, is divided into three segments - the commercial area (Katara Plaza), the main village and the beach.

The main village complex comprises of an open Amphitheatre, Arab postal stamp museum, an opera house, a multi-purpose cinema, a multi-purpose conference hall, a planetarium, exhibition halls, the Golden Mosque, the Blue Mosque, the Doha film institute, Katara Art Centre, Katara art studio, Katara Music Academy, fine dining restaurants, cafes, the Katara Club, the Katara traditional dhow museum and a souq. These lie between the North and South hills that were artificially created from the debris removed while constructing the World Cup stadiums and facilities.

The Katara Amphitheatre is one of the gems of the cultural village, with a seating capacity of 5000. The Amphitheatre has leveraged a balance between the classical Greek theatre concept and traditional Islamic features. It bathes under clear blue skies overlooking a calm blue sea, the Katara Beach. The 3,275 sqm Amphitheatre was officially opened in December 2011.

The Golden Mosque is a spectacular architectural wonder, reflecting Ottoman traditions, providing tranquility and beauty to the village. Studded with golden chips and a visually pleasing design, the mosque shimmers under the golden sun. The Sri Lankan religio greeted me and took me through a six-minute video presentation on Islam. I left after taking in the marvelous beauty of the mosque.

The Blue Mosque or the Katara Masjid is one of the most beautiful Masjids in Qatar. It was designed by the Turkish mosque designer, Zainab Fadil Oglu. Decorated by specialists who restored the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, the mosque is garnished by turquoise and purple mosaic on the outside and exquisite interior design heavily influenced by Turkish art.

It is said that the interior and exterior architectural designs, together with the minaret, the dome, and the prayer niche (mihrab) are all inspired by several famous mosques found in various cities and capitals of the Muslim world. In addition to these notable aspects, the masjid abounds with artistic handicrafts, such as ornaments, inscriptions, and mosaic tiles.

David told me that the Doha Film Institute will lend you a camera or a drone to indulge your talents for still, video and arial photography. Once done they will transfer the digital creations to a device of your choice. It is their contribution to fostering talent and developing creativity.

The Katara traditional dhow museum showcases the ships used by ancestors in Qatar and the Gulf region for fishing and pearl diving, transport of goods, trade and travel, in addition to the diving tools, boats and the means used by sailors and fishing folks. The method of dhow making is elaborately described and so are the skill sets of people who accompanied sailors on the dhows, such as musicians.

The exhibition of 51 photos of the celebrated photographer, Isa Ebrahim, captivated me. What masterpieces of human emotions and life! His travels around the world gave him the opportunity to translate emotions and daily life to eternity.

The Katara Beach is a natural 1.5 km sandy private beach which is divided into section for the sake of privacy such as children's beach, family beach, dating couples' beach and solo beach. No mixing is permitted, and the individual sections have different facilities too. The beach is ringed by massive hotels like St. Regis. Authentic Lebanese and American restaurant as well as the most talked about Arabian restaurant are all within reach of the beach. David told me that during the peak season queues will form near the restaurants and even in the many attractions.

The Katara Plaza, now called fashionably as 21 High Street, is a 3.8-hectare air-conditioned shopping mall with the latest in style and fashion. The Snan food centre is one of the most unique shopping places I have ever been to. The children's play store is designed like a gift wrapped present. Thus, the buildings and facilities in the Katara Cultural Village are designed to reflect the country's cultural and architectural heritage.

I took leave of David and made my way to the Katara metro station to take a sneak peak of The Pearl. The Pearl Island is a reclaimed area of 4 sq km of upscale residences and shopping experiences with a vibrant marina. It is the first area where freehold was permitted for foreign nationals. I took the metro from Katara to Legtaifiya and from there a circular bus that would take me around the Pearl Island. I got down at Tower 30 and took a walk around to appreciate the magnificence of the island, the facilities there in and the opulence that the property exuded.

After that whirlwind tour I returned to Legtaifiya metro station and boarded a tram for Tarfat South. I expected it to be a normal kind of tram. This turned out to be a high speed underground piloted by a driver. The Tarfat South tram station is a couple of steps from the entrance to Place Vendome.

One of the newest additions to the country’s long list of malls is Place Vendôme in Lusail city, which is the second largest city in Qatar after Doha. This mall exudes grandeur with its palatial setting, exquisite interiors and extravagant architecture.

The 1,150,000 sqm development has two five-star luxury hotels, Le Royal Méridien and Palais Vendôme, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Le Royal Méridien Residences, a mall featuring 560 different retail outlets with an exclusively luxurious wing dedicated to top designer labels, and a central entertainment component showcasing constant attractions. The humongous mall needs sturdy legs to navigate. As I was a bit out of steam, I took the elevator to the third floor and partook of a KFC epic meal for a discount if 10 QAR.

After a brief rest in the afternoon in the hotel room I was ready for a leisurely stroll to the Souq Waqif to have some traditional food and enjoy the sea breeze by the Corniche. Out of sheer impulse I checked out the means to get to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, which was the only pending items on my itinerary. I read that the church has a service that evening at 7.

Google maps gave me the option if walking to a bus stop not far away and then take a long ride to near the Church complex. When I reached what looked like the bus stop, I double checked with a shopkeeper nearby. He confirmed that to be the bus stop but also added he had not seen a bus stopping there in a while.

As luck would have it, bus number L532 come around and I confidently strode in and flashed my travel card at the machine. There was no indication that the card had worked, and I asked the driver why it was so. He told me that the Travel Card does not work on Karwa bus service, which it was. I told him that I am on my way to Church. He told me to sit down and that he would drop me at the appropriate place. I expected him to drop me somewhere from where I could take another bus to the Church.

For a long time, I was the only passenger on board the bus. The driver dropped me at the last stop of his bus, the Workers' Health Centre. The ride had lasted nearly 40 minutes and Stephen, my guardian angel, had given me a free hitch to my intended place of worship. He gave me elaborate directions to get to the church. He also told me to take the free shuttle service outside the church to the Free Zone Metro to get back to the hotel.

Stephen took the risk of accommodating a passenger without a proper travel card. He could have been penalized by his Company for the transgression; he still dared. Miracles never cease and they happen every day in our lives. We should be humble and grateful to acknowledge it. I had nothing that I could give him in return for his kindness and hospitality, except the prayers I would say for him and his family in Church. It is people like Stephen who make your life and the country what it is. 

The Catholic Church was in the Religious Complex which had also the Greek Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church. The huge complex had an elaborate security system and it was heightened due to the ongoing issues in the Middle East. The large Catholic Church was full, mostly Filipinos and Indians. The service was well conducted, and the choir was excellent. The church interior had superb mosaic works at the altar.

For the ride back home, I got to the metro bus stand. There were three others, including two women, at the stand. As we were waiting for the bus to arrive a couple came up and offered a ride to the metro station. They said they could only take three people. I dropped out and soon the free shuttle came by. 

I befriended Jerome in the bus, who was also going home after the church service. He narrated his work and living experiences in Saudi Arabia as well as different stints in Qatar. Jerome hailed from Sri Lanka and we were together till we parted ways at the Msheireb metro station. I changed to the Gold Line and walked to the hotel from the Souq Waqif metro station. The day's star was most definitely Stephen, but David and Jerome embellished the day's experiences in no small measure. The ways of the Lord are many and splendid.