Last year during November I visited Qatar. My aim whilst living in the Middle East is to visit as many countries as I can as they're in the vicinity and also its cheaper than from back home.
Qatar is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Oman which isn't a bad flight at all. I stayed for the weekend which is from Thursday evening until Saturday over here.
I researched about where I wanted to visit whilst I was there. If I'm being honest there isn't much to see in terms of being a tourist. I love to explore the culture and history of a country as you can learn so much!
My main aim was to visit the National Art Gallery which I thoroughly enjoyed. I saw a really interesting exhibition on Qatari women in art. Unfortunately I couldn't visit the shop as it had closed by the time I reached it downstairs.
During the evening I walked along the Corniche which was extremely busy and I saw 'The Pearl' which was cool. Then I headed towards the Souq. I enjoyed browsing around and there were lots of handicrafts, souvenirs and food to purchase. There were lots of different parts to the souk and I visited the main part, gold souk, animals souq. I wanted to visited the eagles/falcons but I got a bit lost! So I just went back to the main part. I forgot to mention I was lucky enough to view some traditional Qatari music and dance which was amazing!
The next day I went to check out Villaggio Mall as my friend recommended it to me. It's a well designed mall that is inspired by Venice in Italy as the name suggests. There is a man made river flowing through it and visitors can ride gondolas which is an interesting idea. I wasn't really inclined to take a ride but did have a look.
The mall can't compare to the likes of Dubai Mall or The Avenues in Kuwait as they're gigantic and include more of a variety of shops but you can purchase everything you need from here. I, as always ventured to Sephora and picked up a few bits and then headed back to my hotel to get ready for the airport.
Qatar actually reminded me a lot of Kuwait. It's quiet with the city and corniche and then lots of malls and restaurants. It's a shame that their culture is not exhibited more but I enjoyed what I saw too.
There is a lot of construction going on in Qatar with the new National Museum, apartments and stadiums too. It was a nice weekend visit but I don't think I would revisit again.
I've included some photos below and I just love Middle Eastern architecture. It's so simple yet elegant.
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