Supporting organization/Qatar National Tourism Board
Editor/Wang Yanling
Many people may not know much about Qatar, a country far away in the Middle East. But this is definitely a magical country that you must visit in your lifetime.
In addition to countless records about Persia in historical books, the deep connection between the ancient powers of the Far East and the pocket countries of the Middle East may begin with its accession to the WTO. At the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha in 2001, China's accession to the WTO was reviewed and approved, making China officially a member of the world's largest trade organization. In 2017, the Qatar National Tourism Authority (QTA) announced the opening of a representative office in China headquartered in Beijing, as well as offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Qatar has officially become one of the tourist destination countries (ADS) approved by the Chinese government.
In spring, we embarked on a journey to explore the Far East and explore the mysterious world of Arabia.
Qatar sits at the strategic intersection of Asia, Europe and Africa, and award-winning Qatar Airways is one of the world's best airlines. (One of the world’s elite airlines awarded Skytrax’s five-star rating) Stepping into the cabin of Qatar Airways from Terminal 3 of Beijing International Airport, you can clearly feel that this five-star airline is indeed well-deserved.
The dream city on the Persian Gulf
There is a five-hour time difference between Beijing and Qatar. When we arrived at Hamad International Airport in Doha, it was around five o'clock in the morning. A red sun rises slowly from the Persian Gulf, illuminating this distant and unfamiliar world.
Hot and rainless, arid desert, scarce green... As soon as we stepped out of the airport, the typical geographical characteristics of Qatar's desert climate seemed like a pair of giant scissors, cutting off many of our usual imaginations about the beautiful scenery of tourist destinations.
The road from the airport to the city center is an artificially reclaimed desert road. Less than half an hour's drive away, a forest of tall buildings loomed ahead, like a mirage in the desert. With all kinds of curiosity, we entered the heart of this Middle Eastern country.
The Qatar Peninsula, located on the southwest coast of the Persian Gulf, declared independence on September 1, 1971. The capital, Doha, was originally a small seaside town mainly engaged in fishing for fish, shrimp and pearls. With the discovery of oil and natural gas, it has become a rapidly prosperous modern city in the Middle East.
Qatar is a constitutional monarchy. The emir is the head of state and holds the highest power in the country. He is hereditary from the Al Thani family. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Emir's portraits can be seen everywhere in the city, which shows that he is extremely loved by the people. Once out of customs, the other person the tour guide talked to us about the most was "Princess Moza".
What should you do in the face of sudden huge wealth? Moza, who had cutting-edge ideas and great talent, saw that the country could not rely on the oil economy forever. So she exchanged oil for U.S. dollars, and then invested heavily in a variety of industries internationally, making the country's fiscal sources diverse, abundant, and stable. "A country's most precious resource is its people!" Its huge wealth has made Qatar the country with the highest per capita income in the world, and its citizens enjoy free education and free medical care for all.
Binhai Road is the most beautiful coastal landscape avenue in Doha and the Middle East, with a total length of about 7 kilometers. Lush green spaces, blooming flowers and tall date palm trees can sometimes be seen along the desert road. These seemingly ordinary landscapes to us are actually extremely luxurious man-made landscapes for the dry and rainy Bay Area. It is said that the annual maintenance fee for a tree is as high as 5,000 US dollars.
Modern buildings are erected along the road. Many government agency buildings such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior, and the Central Bank are built along the avenue. The Qatar Emir's Palace is also located on one side of the Corniche Avenue. . The most eye-catching one is the Sheraton Hotel, where the Chinese delegation signed the agreement to join the WTO.
The luxurious world under the Torch Tower
Doha is known as the sports capital of the Middle East, and the first stop of our visit was Qatar's "Asian Games Village".
If you want to smell the green grass and feel the breeze blowing on your face, Doha citizens will come to the Aspire Park under the Asian Games Village Torch Tower: let the children feed the ducks, watch the fish in the lake, and swim in the green grass. Playing on a lush playground is a super luxury for residents of desert cities that lack water and greenery.
The lighting ceremony of horses and princes has once amazed the attention of sports lovers all over the world. After the prosperity came to an end, after the 2006 Asian Games was held in Doha, in order to continue to use the facilities of the Games, the 317-meter-high Asian Games main torch tower, which looks like the famous local antelope horns, was transformed into a high-end five-star hotel with 167 rooms. The sign in front of the door is a must-take photo for every tourist. This design was completed by SomeOne, a well-known British brand company. The designer's treatment of the torch echoes the characteristics of the original building, which is simple and impressive.
There is a 360-degree revolving restaurant at a height of 300 meters in the Torch Hotel. With the slow rotation, we can enjoy a panoramic view of Doha while quietly enjoying local food.
Unbelievably, the protruding part outside the tower is actually a whimsical aerial swimming pool. According to reports, the swimming pool was originally designed to be transparent. Later, considering that swimming suspended at a height of more than 200 meters would make some guests timid, it was changed to the current opaque shell shape. Every night, the entire torch tower transforms into a huge luminous object. This beautiful torch landmark lights up Doha's proud starry sky every night.
Echoing the landmark Torch Tower is the Khalifa Stadium, which was built in 1976 and hosted the opening ceremony of the 2006 Doha Asian Games. It is reported that after two renovations, this huge space that can accommodate 40,000 people will also become the first stadium to host the 2022 World Cup.
Not far from the Torch Tower is the Doha Villagio Shopping Center, known as one of the top ten shopping malls in the world.
It has been said that the best shopping mall experience depends not only on facilities and space, but also on the unique experience provided to shoppers. There is an artificial river with rippling blue waves along the street. There is a bridge on the river and a boat in the water. A country that even needs to import water for planting trees has built a real freshwater river in a shopping mall. This kind of skill is amazing.
The fully enclosed dome canopy is painted with blue sky and white clouds and Arabic-style decorative paintings. The huge indoor shopping mall actually has several commercial streets. Rows of townhouses with balconies and bright flowers and trees line the banks of the canal. World-famous luxury stores and top clubs such as Prada, LV, Gucci, and D&G are gathered here. In addition to shopping malls and supermarkets, shopping malls also have restaurants, cinemas, skating rinks, etc. No matter how high the temperature outside is, shopping here is like entering the realm of Eastern mythology, as if you are on a different planet from the hot time and space outside.
Old Souq Waqif and Katara Cultural Village
While rapidly promoting internationalization and modernization, we must carefully protect our own cultural identity and protect traditional cultural heritage - this is our commitment to Deep feelings about Qatar.
Old Market Waqif is one of the most famous markets in Qatar. This huge market is located in the most prosperous area of ??Doha. It was originally an open-air market where Bedouins traded livestock and aquatic products. It has a history of hundreds of years. Most of the buildings in the old market are two-story, mostly civil structures, and they are as old as ever. The mud walls and exposed wooden beams show the original style of ancient Arabia. There are more than 1,500 shops in the old market***. The criss-crossing and narrow alleys make the market like a maze. Saffron, Arabic-style clothing, handicrafts, etc. are all available in pedestrian street shops and open-air stalls. What is rare is that the old tradition of wheelbarrow delivery is still preserved in the market, as if time has been taken back to the "One Thousand and One Nights" era.
When visiting Old Souq Waqif, be sure to visit the most unique falconry store and falconry hospital, racecourse, camel farm, etc. There are Arabian purebred horses here. These world-famous BMWs have unimaginable benefits in the hot Qatar. The stables are air-conditioned and equipped with a special swimming pool to exercise the horses' muscles and breathing functions. Near the horse farm is a large-scale camel farm, where the high-quality camels enclosed by wooden fences are produced in the remote Sudan region of North Africa.
There are many horse and camel races held every year in Qatar. On the yellow sand, the dust is flying, it must be an exciting and violent movement.
While embracing globalization and building an open society, we do not sacrifice the unique personality of the country and pay attention to protecting the tradition.
Katara Cultural Village is an art sanctuary with a strong Arabic traditional flavor. A large number of traditional Muslim elements make art as sacred as religion. Katara Cultural Village was invested and built by the old King Hamad of Qatar during his reign. It aims to retain the traditional cultural aesthetics and social functions of Qatar and the Arab world to the greatest extent, so that the two cultures of the East and the West can collide and integrate here. Treat any kind of art category and cultural habits without prejudice.
"Qatara" is the earliest known name for Qatar. "It's like you're entering another place. Katara is completely different from everything else." The Cultural Village is located on the Doha waterfront, on the shores of the golden sands of Pearl Harbor, across the sea from Dubai.
Although Katara Cultural Village is home to many international art and cultural institutions, the entire complex looks like a traditional market. It integrates an opera house, a concert hall, a museum, a gallery, an ancient Roman amphitheater, a cinema, an art school, and a cultural and creative market. It is also the residence of the National Arts Association, the National Photographers Association, the Arab Theater Alliance, the Qatar Conservatory of Music, and the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Blue Mosque in the Cultural Village is one of the most beautiful mosques in the Middle East. It was designed by the famous Turkish architect Zainab Fadil Oglu. Inlaid with turquoise and purple tiles. The outer hall of the mosque displays traditional Arabic art and handicrafts, becoming the most important cultural and spiritual link connecting the community and citizens in the art park.
Not far from the mosque, there are two conical hollow tawny pigeon towers about 15 meters high. These are traditional Islamic buildings that are said to date back thousands of years. This tower-shaped building with a strong sense of contemporary installation art is an artificial residence for urban pigeons and birds. It is also a device for collecting bird droppings for use as fertilizer. It is full of ancient compassion and wisdom.
The international cultural market here is full of the charm of the ancient Arabian market; the open amphitheater carved with traditional Muslim lines has the natural sound field of the ancient Greek amphitheater, and can perform well without the need for electric sound. There are sculptures by Indian artist Subodh Gupta in the Katara Art Gallery, and the "Force of Nature" sculpture in front of the amphitheater was created by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quin.
The Pearl Island where Katara Cultural Village is located covers an area of ??about 400 hectares. It is a luxury community and famous luxury shopping area in Doha. It is said that the fine sand on the beach is also imported from Saudi Arabia. Pearl Island is built based on the construction model of Dubai's Palm Island. It is full of high-end residences, hotels, luxury shopping malls, beautiful beaches and private yacht parking lots.
The Middle East Cultural Center in the Desert
In 1995, Qatar established the Education, Science and Community Development Foundation to build a country based on science and education, and strive to promote the country from an oil economy to a knowledge economy. Get rid of dependence on the oil economy and achieve sustainable development of the country.
Built on an artificial island and covering an area of ??45,000 square meters, the Islamic Art Museum is Qatar's most popular art center and tourist attraction. Louis Monreal, one of the members of the Aga Khan Award jury in 1997, persuaded the Emir of Qatar to hire I.M. Pei, who did not participate in the competition, to design the Museum of Islamic Art. He hoped that through this innovative design building, Qatar would become the cultural center of the Middle East. .
"This is one of the most difficult jobs I have ever had. I have to grasp the essence of Islamic architecture." In order to express the essence of Islamic architecture, I.M. Pei visited the Middle East for several months. Study Muhammad's theories and personally travel to Egypt, Tunisia and other places to collect insights. The simple geometric structure of the art museum made of stacked white limestone is reflected on the blue sea. Under the huge silver dome of the museum atrium, 150-foot-high glass curtain walls decorate the four walls, through which people can see the blue sea and wilderness. The most amazing thing is that no matter where you look at the museum, you can see the mysterious face of a typical Islamic woman wrapped in a headscarf. Abstraction and figuration, tradition and contemporary are integrated and thought-provoking.
"They gave me many locations to choose from along Doha's Corniche, but I'm worried that when many large buildings are built in the future, they will obscure the light of the museum." Because I am worried that the museum will be blocked by the surrounding environment Submerged, I.M. Pei asked the royal family to build an independent island for him in the sea. The current location of the museum is an artificial island specially built by the Qatar government at the request of I.M. Pei. From this story, we can easily see the country’s respect for designers and its own artistic taste and consciousness.
"The collection here may not be as large as the Louvre in France or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, but the quality of its collection is surprising, and it can be called a top collection anywhere." The museum. There are more than 4,500 collections spanning the 7th to 19th centuries. The collections in the museum are not limited to the Islamic world, but also come from different cultural systems from three continents, including India and Spain, which were influenced by Islamic art.
"Art changes Qatar!" This is the strongest feeling we have while traveling in Qatar.
In order to transform the country in the future, the concept of cultural nation-building has begun to become the strategic direction of national development. Princess Mayasha, the "post-80s art queen" of Qatar, has taken over the important task of "cultural nation-building" from her predecessors since 2006. She spends huge sums of money every year to purchase art works and donate them to the Qatar Museum of Contemporary Art.
Located in the university town on the western outskirts of Doha, it aims to cultivate "talents with critical thinking, problem-solving skills, teamwork spirit, and the ability to cooperate with people from different cultural backgrounds." The Qatar Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Library, the National Convention Center and other buildings located in the university town are all designed by architectural design masters from various countries, and they are all refreshing. In order to make Qatar a bridge between Eastern and Western culture and art, the country has also built nearly 20 museums including the Olympic Museum for the 2022 World Cup. One of the largest projects is the National Museum of Qatar, which is shaped like a desert rose.
Luxury in the wilderness and blue waves
It is hard to believe that Qatar, which has rapidly modernized in just a few decades, still retains thousands of years of tradition.
The Bedouins, who came from the desert, lived in pursuit of water and grass. After settling in the Qatar Peninsula, they still did not lose the wild nature in the blood of the nomads. Every weekend, many people drive off-road vehicles to the depths of the desert to wash in the sand, fly falcons, and ride camels...
The falcon is a totem-like bird for the Qataris, and it is the symbol of the desert. The friendship between nomadic people and birds has been passed down for thousands of years. The Qatari royal family searches for top-quality falcon species in famous producing areas around the world. Falcons in Qatar are like China’s giant pandas. Falconry is a national sport in Qatar. Hunters need to invest a lot of time and energy in training young eagles and establishing a close relationship with their beloved falcons. In the falcon specialty store in the Old Bazaar of Waqif, you can see fathers and children coming to choose falcons at any time. The little Arab boy, with his clear eyes flashing, interacts with each falcon like a treasure. Find your most compatible flying partner.
The ancient sport of falconry is very popular among the Qataris. During the winter hunting season, the Qataris will take their falcons into the depths of the desert to look for the houbara bustards that migrate south for the winter, staging a modern version of Arabia’s falconry. Nomadic life.
Although cars have now replaced camels as the means of transportation in the desert, in order to inherit this traditional nomadic culture, Qatar also retains the experience of riding camels at the entrance of the desert. Visitors can ride camels and experience a variety of Wandering in the same desert, the wild and primitive feeling is unforgettable.
Qatar is more than just a desolate and monotonous desert. Looking towards the bay from Doha, Banana Island vaguely appears in the depths of the blue waves. There is currently the only luxury hotel in Qatar with overwater villas.
Anantara Banana Island Resort is located on an independent island 11 kilometers off the east coast of the Doha Peninsula and covering an area of ??13 hectares. Take the hotel's exclusive luxury ferry and it only takes more than 20 minutes to sail by sea.
The crescent-shaped island has an 800-meter natural coastal beach, emerald-colored sea water, paradise-like natural scenery, and private coastline, making it an ideal place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, regain physical and mental well-being, and explore A perfect place for a natural secret.
Arabian style is integrated with Anantara brand genes. Among the 141 rooms, there are deluxe sea view rooms and dozens of Anantara water villas equipped with exclusive swimming pools and poolside pavilions.
With more than 30 exclusive yacht docks, interesting sea fishing, romantic sunset cruises, etc., the resort's water sports are rich and colorful. The diving center here has a separate practice pool and a dual-lane professional surfing practice pool.
Inseparable from the emerald clear waters of the Persian Gulf, the "Tian Ping Wellness Center" set up on the island is unique among resort hotels in the Middle East. The Anantara Spa floating on the water provides Turkish baths, Jacuzzi, as well as therapeutic treatments based on Doha’s ancient tribal traditions and rich in Qatari culture.
On the island, you can always have a date with food by chance. Al Nahham restaurant uses seafood as ingredients and integrates Arabian cuisine. Delicious food with Mediterranean characteristics. After sunset, enjoy the caress of the sea breeze and gaze at the magnificent night view of the Doha coast, which is nothing like this in heaven and earth.