In Qatar

Quality Time

Perfect for a short stopover or a long stay: Qatar and its capital Doha entice visitors with traditional Arabian markets, award-winning architecture and excursions into a spectacular hinterland.

On a planet that shines so wonderfully blue when viewed from above, it happens from time to time that seas flow into each other. Sand seas are usually excluded from this. The yellow waves of high dunes and the salt water waves usually remain cleanly separated. However, those who set off from Doha in the early morning to roll down the coast in a southerly direction will see things a little differently at sunrise. Khor Al Adaid is the name of the breathtaking lagoon landscape that spreads out before you in the stillness of the early morning. Manatees live here.

The endangered oryx antelopes are to be reintroduced. And the magically shimmering Inland Sea is already a popular nesting site for cormorants, flamingos and wading birds. UNESCO has recognized the Inland Sea as a nature reserve with its own ecosystem: It is one of those rare places where the sea penetrates deep into the desert. Somehow unique. Unexpectedly different. Touching where you would hardly expect it. This spontaneous observation keeps coming to mind in little Qatar, which always seems a bit like a rock-solid company with a triple-A rating. If you drive the few kilometers from Doha's airport towards the city center, everything is quite simple: neatly lined up date palms add up to the seven-kilometer-long Corniche. Historic wooden dhows invite you to cruise along. If you are out and about in the early evening, the glitter of the city rising from the ground looks particularly enticing. Iconic buildings such as the waisted Aspire Tower or Jean Nouvel's Doha Tower, designed in the style of ancient Arabian towers, bear witness to the builders' awakened self-confidence.

The slender spiral of the Spiral Mosque of the same name points the way behind swaying dhows to the central Souq Waqif, for many the most traditional bazaar in the entire Gulf region. The old Bedouin market was completely renovated in 2004. Historical building materials were used, and now these facets of the old Orient overlap with shisha time - and both with the timeless scent of spices. The labyrinthine market rows are in the best of neighborhoods anyway. There is the million-dollar glow of the gold souk. Stylistically appropriate, intimate restaurants, with the saffron and nutmeg gene firmly inscribed in them, reside here alongside small art galleries. Finally, on the edge of the bazaar, the falcon souq - actually a kind of living folklore museum of Arabian falconry, which also has its own falconry hospital - will surprise you. Time travel in any direction, free entry - a city like Doha invites you to do this in many ways. For example, there are the Barzan Towers, which are a good hundred years old and are reminiscent of sun-baked XXL versions of the sandcastles that relaxed fathers like to build for their children on the beach.



Or take the nearby Msheireb museum complex, which celebrates the historical and cultural development of Qatar, and whose four historic buildings are now symbolic of the regeneration of the old city center. The completely new Katara Cultural Village, on the other hand, explores the theme of heritage in a completely different way: an amphitheater, pigeon towers, modern recycled sculptures, street art and a glamorous golden mosque invite you to take a leisurely stroll - and an impressive Galeries Lafayette store invites you to store. The message is clear: Doha sees itself as an invitation to a Middle East in which cultural experience and high-caliber consumption are finely balanced.

Out of the city, into adventure

And what does it look like beyond the urban grid of the capital, where more than 90 percent of all Qataris live? We've already talked about dhow romance, which is often offered as part of half-day cruises with a BBQ and a stop on sandy Al Safliya Island. But not yet about the man-made islands and yacht clubs that drift between an azure blue sky and a petrol green sea - and at the same time between "man-made" and "real" nature. The two horseshoe-shaped islands of The Pearl are one such case. Perfect for stand-up paddlers: the Banana Island Resort, part of the Anantara Group. Brand new at the southernmost point of the Lusail urbanization project: the two curved towers of the Katara Towers, which suggest a crescent moon and two swords at the same time, and which will soon be home to a five-star and a six-star hotel.



The high-caliber buildings of Education City, built on the north-western outskirts of the city according to plans by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, take a slightly different approach - and promise a superlative architectural feast for the eyes. These include a mosque that looks a little like a stranded whale from a distant galaxy and a public library by Rotterdam architects OMA that is reminiscent of a wide-open book flooded with light. International universities also enliven the open quarter. In front of the modern hospital, large-scale sculptures by world-famous British sculptor Tony Cragg depict the embryonic cycle - even if religious hardliners take offense. Another eye-catcher: Jeans Nouvel's National Museum of Qatar with a filigree sand rose as a distinguishing feature. Walking through the richly illuminated interior, oryxes, whales and desert grasses enliven the gentle curves and cave-like zones of the poetic design, while poison green painted pipeline valves and pipes tell of recent history painted in oil. Because only the best is good enough for Qatar, the museum restaurant also has a resounding name: Jiwan by Alain Ducasseis part of the legendary star chef's emporium.

You almost get the feeling that Qatar is drifting through time in an exciting way and constantly reinventing itself. The most recent "proof" of this thesis is that the country is currently trying to establish itself as a world-renowned sports destination. In addition to the Football World Cup, an ATP Tennis Open and a desert marathon, Formula 1 races are also to be held in Qatar next year. It would certainly fit in well with the speed of the country ...