Shopping Malls

The Souqs are known to be the best places for shopping in Doha. Different sections specializing in a variety of goods will fascinate you. It is a great place to buy gift items. Walk around the premises and explore the best buys of Doha.

Souq Waqif or the Old Souqs have reigned the shopping business in the city. These are great shopping arcades wherein you can spend an entire day with family.

Amongst the malls in Doha, the City Center Mall is the most widely known and respected. You will be enticed into loosening the strings of your purse. However, you will never regret splurging on shopping in Doha. The mall is magnificently built and houses hundreds of world-class brand names.

Visit the Afghani Bazaar for some amazing pottery items, daggers, jewelry, brass coffee pots, etc. The Antique City in the mall has a rare assortment of antique objects worth every penny. Some of the other big malls that are best for shopping in Doha are the Hyatt Mall and the Carrefour Mall.

These shopping centers cater to the fun quotient required by tourists. you will find lot of interesting things to do in Doha inside the premises of the malls. Try desert ice-skating, visit the amusement parks and have fun at the bowling alley. Shopping in Doha will be an unforgettable experience.

Museums and Forts

Qatar National Museum

The museum lies on the eastern part of the Corniche. It displays the geological history of Qatar as well as a collection of Islamic artifacts and relics. There is also a maritime museum in which the fish wealth of Qatar is displayed, and a small lagoon where wooden traditional boats built in Qatar are moored.
Work hours: daily from 9 am to 12 noon except Saturdays and Fridays and from 4 pm to 7 pm except Saturdays. Tuesday's afternoon period is assigned for families only.
Tel. 4442191

There are also a number of regional museums including:

Al Khor Museum

Al Khor museum lies in Al Khor town about 57 km north of Doha. It is a two-storey building. The ground floor is assigned for anthropological life, while the upper floor hall is set for the display of excavation discoveries in Al Khor area.
Tel. 4721866

Al Wakrah Museum

It lies in Al Wakrah town about 17 km from the capital and displays marine life and natural history materials.
Tel.4643201

Weaponry Museum

The museum displays rare samples of swords, daggers and miscellaneous firearms and their accessories. It lies in Al Lagta area in the suburbs of Doha.
Tel. 4867436

Ethnographic Museum

Situated on Grand Hamad Street, this building is the last remaining construction of its kind in Doha. It opens from Sunday through Tuesday from 9 am to 12 noon and from 3 to 6 pm and closes on Saturdays. On Fridays it is open from 3 to 6 only. Entrance is free of charge.

Major Forts

Al Zubara Fort

Al Zubara Fort lies 105km northwest of Doha. It is open for the public all weekdays except Saturdays and Fridays mornings. Entrance is free of charge.

Doha Fort (Al Koot)

It is one of the remaining military forts in Doha. It lies on Jassim Bin Mohammed Street and opens daily and in Saturday and Friday mornings. Entrance is free of charge.

Umm Salal Muhammad Fort

This fort lies in Umm Salal Mohammad area, 21 km from Doha. It is one of the residential forts that date back to the late 19th century.

Burzan tower

Situated in Umm Salal Mohammed, the tower dates back to the late 19th century AD

Dining and Entertainment

Qatar has an array of world-class restaurants and night-spots, with something to offer everybody Fun and food for all Hotels in Qatar serve not only their own guests but also cater for a large number of local residents. Their restaurants cover the full range, from coffee shops to fine dining and specialty outlets and the standard of service is on a par with the best in the world. The night-life is equally varied, with many bars, and discos open until the small hours.

Outside the hotels, small eating places are to be found in all parts of Doha. While restaurants located outside hotel and club premises are not permitted to serve alcohol, all are air-conditioned, clean and are often culinary adventures in their own right.

Arabian cuisine

Qatar is an excellent place to sample all types of Gulf and Middle Eastern cuisine, including Iranian and Turkish. However, Arabian food makes up a key part of most buffet services at hotels and restaurants.

Specialties include, beside various green vegetables:

Homous: a dip made from chick-peas and tahini (sesame seeds paste).

Tabbouleh: chopped parsley, mint and crushed wheat.

Motabel: Lightly cooked eggplants mixed with tahini and garlic and made into a paste.

Waraq enab: vine leaves stuffed with rice.

Koussa mahshi: stuffed courgettes.

Ghuzi: a whole roast lamb on a bed of rice mixed with nuts.

Biriani: very sweet smelling spiced rice mixed with lamb or chicken .

Local dishes include:

Matchboos: spiced lamb or chicken with rice.

Harees: a rich delicacy of wheat and tender lamb cooked and beaten until it has the texture of a thick paste. Usually served during the month of Ramadan.

Seafood: you will enjoy fresh fish from the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — lobster, cigale, crab, hamour (grouper), shrimp, tuna, kingfish, pomfret and red snapper.

Delicious regional desserts include:

Umm Ali (literally means ‘Mother of Ali’): a type of bread pudding that is full of nuts and white raisins.

Esh asaraya (meaning ‘bread of the harem’): a sweet kind of cheesecake with a cream topping.

Mehalabiya: a pudding sprinkled with rose water and pistachios.

Traditional Snacks

A traditional and very delicious Middle Eastern snack is the showarma which is sold at many small outlets around Doha. It consists of — grilled slices of delicately spiced lamb or chicken, mixed with salad and tahini (mixed with lime juice), some pickles thrown in and rolled inside a pocket of Arabic bread then wrapped in a wafer thin paper.

Doha has also countless cheap, cheerful and clean restaurants that serve quality food. For around QR20 you can enjoy Arabian grills, local fish, local sweet desserts and coffee.

There are also numerous juice bars where visitors can buy a fresh juice cocktail or a milkshake.

International Cuisine

Standards of international cuisine in Doha are high and the choice is wide. Top class western restaurants in the city’s hotels include French, Italian, Swiss, Spanish, Greek, British and American.

Asia is equally well represented at the hotels and at numerous outlets throughout the city with many fine Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino and Korean restaurants.

International theme restaurants such as Ponderosa, Bennigan’s and Fuddruckers have all now opened in Doha.

International fast food chains are also represented by such names as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, Taco Bell, AFC, A&W, Burger King, Hardee’s, Dairy Queen and Al Tazaj Fakieh.

Night-life

Doha has many lively after-dark scenes. Hotel bars range from sophisticated cocktail lounges to typically informal Western-style bars. Most of them serve food and many feature live bands nightly.

After-dinner revelers can dance to the latest sounds in a number of hotel discos, each with their own ambience and the best of DJs around.

Doha is also increasingly attracting top names from the world of entertainment. These include popular singers and entertainers from both West and East.

Stage plays from London tour regularly, as do major dance groups from Europe and Asia.

Restaurants
Restaurant Name	Note	Location	Telephone
Al Bandar	Seafood/International	Doha Corniche	4311818
Albatros	Continental	Al-Bustan Hotel	4398888
Al-Borj	Steaks/snacks	The Diplomatic Club	4839000
Al Dar	Arabic/Asian	Doha Club	4418822
Al Hamra	Syrian/Lebanese	Rayyan Road	4433297
Al Hubara	Theme/International	Sheraton Doha Hotel	4854444
Al Majlis	Lebanese/Arabic	Al Sadd Street	4447417
Al Mina	Sports Bar & Snacks	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Al Safeer	Fine Dining	The Diplomatic Club	4839000
AI-Shaheen	Fine Dining	Sheraton Doha Hotel	4854444
Amwaj	International Buffet	Hotel Inter-Continental	4844444
Asia Live!	Far Eastern	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Bangkok Thai	Thai/Chinese	Suhaim Bin Hamad Street	4365423
Beijing	Chinese	Salwa Road	4358688
Bennigans	Irish American	Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex	4838400
Bukhara	Tandoori	Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex	4833345
Caravan	Indian/Chinese/Continental	Ramada Junction	4320320
Chingari	Tandoori	Ramada Hotel	4417417
Cielo	Italian	Hotel Inter-Continental	4844444
Corniche	Mediterranean	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Fuddruckers	American Steaks/Salads	Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex	4833983
Fisherman's Cove	Friday Brunch	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Hong Kong	Seafood	Al Dana Club	4834700
Hyde Park	International	Ramada Hotel	4417417
II Mediterraneo	Mediterranean	Doha Golf Club	4832338
Kebab King	Kebabs, Seafood & Tandoori	Ras Abu Aboud	4410400
La Brasserie	Continental	Sofitel Hotel	4435222
La Mer	Fine dining	Ritz-Carlton	4848000
La Taverna	Italian Bistro	Oasis Hotel & Beach Club	4424424
La Veranda	Italian Bistro	Sheraton Doha Hotel	4854444
La Villa	Mediterranean	Sofitel Hotel	4435222
Mandarin	Chinese	Oasis Hotel & Beach Club	4424424
Maxim	Fine Dining	Ramada Hotel	4417417
Palms	International Fine Dining	Doha Club	4418822
Paloma	Tex-Mex	Hotel Inter-Continental	4844444
Pearl Restaurant	Int'I/Oriental	Sealine Beach Resort	4772722
Pirates Cove	BBQ/Thai	Sheraton Doha Hotel	4854444
Pizzeria	Fresh Pizza/Pastas	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Ponderosa	American Steaks/Salads	Ramada Junction	4655880
Porcine	Italian	Ritz-Carlton	4848000
Salsa	Tex-Mex	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Shebestan	Persian	Al Sadd Street	4321555
Star of India	Indian/Asian/Continental	Al Markhiya	4864440
Star of India	Indian/Asian/Continental	Al Bidda	4426128
Sultan Ibrahim	Seafood-Arabic/Far Eastern	Hotel Inter-Continental	4844444
Taj Rasoi	Indian Cuisine	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Thai Noodles	Authentic Thai & Asian Food	Opposite Souq Asiery	4434220
The Admiral's Club	Seafood	Ritz-Carlton	4848000
The Italian Job	Italian	Ramada Hotel	4417417
The Old Manor	Steak-house	Sofitel Hotel	4435222
The Place	French Cuisine	Doha Club	4418822
The Lagoon	International	Ritz-Carlton	4848000
The Tea Garden	Tea/Coffee/Light Meals	Hotel Inter-Continental	4844444
Under the Stars	Oriental, BBQ Grill	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
FAST FOOD OUTLETS
Arby's	Roast Beef/Burgers	Ramada Junction	4657333
American Fried Chicken	Chicken/Burgers	Ramada Junction	4650022
Burger King	Burgers (Chicken, Beef, Fish)	Suhaim Bin Hamad Street	4431391
Dairy Queen	Burgers/Grills	Ramada Junction	4320982
Pizza Hut	American Pizza	Ramada Junction	4657744
AlTazaj Fakieh	B-B-Q Chicken	Ramada Junction	4657657
Taco Bell	Mexican	Ramada Junction	4657800
Macburger	Burgers/Grills	Ramada Junction	4650022
MacDonald	Burgers	Suhaim Bin Hamad	4355401
Nandos	Flame Grilled Chicken Rest.	Salwa Road	4356756
ICE CREAM PALOURS
Baskin Robbins	Dairy Ice Cream	The Centre	4440202
Dairy Queen	Ice Cream/Sundaes	Ramada Junction	4320982
TCBY	Frozen Yoghurt	Ramada Junction	4321122
COFFEE, PASTRY SHOPS
Al Hubara	Coffee/Pastries/Meals	Sheraton Doha Hotel	4854444
Cafe Batteel	Coffee/Pastries/Meals	Salwa Road	4441414
Cafe Trottoir	Coffee Shop & Takeaway	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Coffee Shop	Coffee/Pastries/Meals	Doha Club	4418822
Drive-in Pastry	Coffee/Pastries	Hotel Sofitel	4435222
Espresso	Hot and Cold Beverages	Doha Marriott Gulf Hotel	4432432
Eli France	Coffee/Pastries	Salwa Road	4357111
Internet Cafe	Coffee/Snacks	AlKhaleej (Gulf) Street	4350070
La Dolce Vita	Pastries/Teas & Coffees	Ritz-Carlton	4848000
Opera Cafe	Coffee/Pastries/Meals	The Mall	4678885
Palm Garden	Coffee/Pastries	Ramada Hotel	4417417
Sandwich Cellar	Coffee/Snacks/Meals	Ras Abu Abboud Street	4357559
Starbucks	Coffee/Snacks	Landmark Shopping Mall	4880565

RECREATIONAL CLUBS

Recreational clubs offer their members a wide variety of sports and recreational facilities commensurate with the resources and equipment available in each individual club. Most major clubs are concentrated in Doha, the capital, and other cities such as Mesaieed and Dukhan.

DOHA

Dana Club

Dana Club is situated inside Khalifa Complex for Tennis and Squash. It offers its members many sports and recreational facilities such as open and indoor tennis grounds, which are housed in a spacious area featuring the inveterate traditional architectural heritage.
Tel. 4834700

Doha Club

Doha Club lies in Ras Abu Aboud area overlooking the Gulf waterfront. It offers its members spectacular facilities, foremost a fine beach and a vast swimming pool equipped with water conditioning system. The club also has 7 floodlit tennis courts, 2 indoor squash courts and a private marina in addition to first class service.
Tel. 4418822

The Diplomatic Club

This prestigious club lies in the West Bay area and offers its members luxurious facilities such as a gymnasium for various sports activities, businessmen meeting hall and an all-purpose hall that can accommodate up to 400 people. There are also tennis and squash courts, a library, a beauty center and restaurants.
Tel. +974 4847444 , Web site : http://www.thediplomaticclub.com

Equestrian Club

The club has a grass track and a sand track as well as courts for camel and horse beauty contests and local championships. The club organizes the Emiri Sword event and Qatar International Desert Marathon.
Tel. 4805901

Doha Golf Club

Due to its good location and spectacular services, Doha Golf Club boasts one of the finest golf grounds in the Middle East. This made it the focus of international attention and a suitable venue for Qatar Masters Golf Tournament, with entries from Japan, America and Europe.
Tel. 4832338

Falcon Club

This club offers Qatar Petroleum senior staff members a wide variety of recreational and sports facilities including a bowling center, 3 tennis courts and 2 squash courts. The club is open 7 days a week from 9 am to 11 pm. On Thursdays it closes well after midnight.
Tel. 4443701

Al Ghazal Club

This club dedicates its services for Qatar Petroleum junior staff members. It has among its many facilities a swimming pool, a tennis court, a basketball ground, a football ground and a garden for children. It is open 7 days a week from 8 am to 10 pm. On weekends it closes at 11 pm.
Tel. 4433030

DUKHAN

Dukhan Recreational Center (for senior staff)

The club has 2 swimming pools, one for grown ups and one for children, 2 tennis courts, multi-purpose outdoor play grounds, an outdoor multi-purpose area, a gymnasium and other facilities. The Center is open 7 days a week from 7 am to 10 pm.
Tel. 4717072

Al Hubara Recreational Center (for junior staff)

It has an outdoor multi-purpose play ground, a tennis court, a billiards room, a common lounge, a video games room, a TV hall, a wing for ladies, an indoors gym, a library, 2 swimming pools one for children and one for adults, a garden for children and an Internet Cafe. The Center opens 7 days a week from 3 pm to 11 pm. On Thursdays and Fridays it opens from 9 am to 11 pm.
Tel. 4716125

Dukhan Squash and Play Grounds

Al Hubara Club supervises this facility. It is open 7 days a week from 3 pm to 10 pm for all Qatar Petroleum staff who reside in Dukhan.
Tel 4712414

Dukhan Cinema and Theater

This house has 600 seats and it opens for 4 days a week for Qatar Petroleum Dukhan staff.

MESAIEED

Mesaieed Golf Club( for senior staff)

It has an 18-hole golf ground, a tennis court, a garden for children, a common hall and a billiards room. It opens 6 days a week from 6: 30 am to 6: 30 pm and closes on Saturday for maintenance.
Tel.4771740

Al Shaheen Recreational Center (for junior staff)

This Center has a swimming pool, a tennis court, an outdoors multi- purpose playground, a gym and a garden for children. It opens 7 days a week from 4 pm to 10 pm on weekdays. On Thursday and Friday it opens from 10 am to 10 pm.
Tel. 4770848

Major Cities and Places to see

Doha

Doha is the capital city and seat of Government. It includes the country’s main sea port and international airport. It is Qatar’s cultural, commercial and financial centre, with a population of 338,760 in 2004.

Al Rayyan

Al Rayyan is located 10 kilometers north of Doha. It is the largest residential area outside of Doha, with an estimated population of 272,583 in 2004. It is the home of the Qatar Equestrian Federation which organizes numerous races and an annual Arabian horse show.

Al Wakrah

Is a small town situated halfway between Doha and Mesaieed. It is the center for a booming commercial fishing industry and has an old fishing port, which is still in use to date. The town is famous for its fine mosques and many houses reflecting the old Islamic architecture style. There is also a museum displaying among other things traditional Arabic style doors.

Alkhor

Al Khor is a coastal city 57 kilometers north of Doha with a port for small ships and fishing boats.
The Al Khor Municipality includes the emergent Ras Laffan Industrial City and the 2004 census puts the total population at 31,611. Al Khor has been developing rapidly over the past few years and the trend is likely to continue with the onslaught of various industrial projects, mainly gas based

Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC)

Strategically located on the north shore of the Qatari Peninsula and at the centre of the Arabian Gulf, Ras Laffan Industrial City represents one of the world’s most significant and accessible emergent industrial export locations.
The ambitious vision of the State to exploit its vast natural gas resource led to the initiation of LNG projects: Qatargas and RasGas. Expansion of LNG facilities at Ras Laffan has been proceeding rapidly and is expected to reach 20.2 million tons per annum (mtpa) by year-end 2004. Further natural gas utilization plans led to the Dolphin project and to various Gas to Liquids (GTL) projects, which are currently under-way.

Mesaieed
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Mesaieed is a major industrial city in Qatar, located 45 kilometers south of Doha. The city’s industrial area houses basic industries and it has a large sea port as well as the principal terminal for the export of oil. Major industrial projects such QAFCO, QAPCO, QAFAC, QVC, QPR, Q-Chem etc. are located in Mesaieed, along with upcoming projects such as Q-Chem II, Qatofin, and LAB among others. The beaches and sand dunes at Mesaieed with their fine sand are major tourist attractions in the State of Qatar and is also the location of the Movenpick Sealine Beach Resort.

Madinat Al-Shamal

Is a modern town functioning as an administrative center for a number of coastal villages north of the country.

Dukhan

Dukhan is Qatar’s main onshore oil production centre and is situated halfway along the western coastline of the Qatari Peninsula. It has developed as the oil nerve center since the exploitation of the country’s oil reserves commenced in 1949.

Shahaniya

Is situated 60km west of Doha and has a purpose-built camel racetrack. It is famous for camel races.

Sealine Beach Resort

Situated 55 km from the capital, the resort offers a large variety of rooms, villas and chalets, all with a sea view. The resort also has many sports and recreational activities and a number of restaurants, alongside with meeting and conference facilities.

The Palm Tree Island

The Palm Tree Island is 10- minute boat ride off Doha Corniche. The Island has children and family amenities, a restaurant offering seafood and barbecue meals and a cafe serving snacks and refreshments. There is also a jetty for traditional Dhow boats close to Doha Sheraton Hotel on the Corniche waterfront.

Entertainment City (the Kingdom of Aladdin)

The Kingdom of Aladdin lies in the West Bay area. It has more than 18 game features to suit all age groups. It also has a rest house, an artificial lagoon, a theater and a cafeteria

The Zoo

The zoo lies 20 km from Doha on Salwa Road. It has a varied collection of animals, reptiles and birds as well as a small amusement park for children.

Al Bida Park

This park lies on Doha Corniche. It has grass areas, children rides, a popular market and restaurants. It opens around the clock and entrance is free of charge.

There are other parks on different locations in the capital, besides Al Wakrah and Al Khor parks. Entrance is either free of charge or at nominal rates.

Khor Al Udaid Beach

This beach lies on the southeastern most part of the country, 78 km from Doha. This beautiful beach is distinguished by its fine sand dunes that can be as high as 40 meters in some locations. Other fine beaches include Fuwairit, Dukhan and others.

Al Jassasiya

Al Jassasiya are a range of rocky hills overlooking the northeastern coast of the country between the two villages of Al Huwailah and Fuwairit. They are famous for their numerous stone carvings and engravings, some of which date back to prehistoric times.

Almaha Sanctuary

Almaha (oryx) farm has been established to protect this species of endangered desert deer. Almaha is the national symbol of the State of Qatar.