Doha City Tour

Today was an off day here at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the Local Organising Committee organised a Doha city tour for interested media. And sport journalists will tell you that we cover events in different parts of the world, but often we only get to see the airports, hotels and stadiums/sporting venues. So it was a welcome change to get a chance to see some of Doha and what it has to offer.

On a sunny and warm Doha morning around 40 journalists from around the world met early at the tournaments Main Media Centre. Surprisingly the interest wasn't too big, so we were split into three busses to be driven around Doha along with guides. The tour would be around four hours, so we could get an impression of local life and culture.

The first stop was the local Doha camel meat market. Sounds awkward to some, but the camel is not only a transport vehicle but also a source of food in this part of the world. So we all were very curious to see if it was any different from a livestock market elsewhere in the world. On the way we were told that a whole camel would cost anything between 2,000 to 4,000 USD depending on its breed, colour and age. We walked through the market and tons of photos were taken with the animals, who don't know what faith awaits them.

Thereafter it was to the Souq Waqif, the few hundred years' old market in down town Doha. Literally translated it would mean 'the standing market' and it was rebuilt a few years ago to its old charm. The market has its Arabian flair with small alleys and bigger roads going through it and the smell of spices like in a typical bazaar.

Next stop the Museum of Islamic Art. Build by Chinese architect I.M. Pei the museum had opened only two years ago and has the most complete collection of Islamic art. It was really impressive to see artefacts from far west as Spain and east as India, but with limited time we rather rushed through the museum.

The last and final stop on our Doha tour was the Cultural City, where amongst other things the Doha Film Festival is held. It is directly along the coast and it being built as a place for art, film and theatre. But like most of Doha it is under construction and one would have to come and see the finished product and events taking place there.