SALAM! A Guide to the Qatari Capital Doha.
A rich diverse city rising up from the desert sands. By Ben Philip.
Issue #1
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Front 2-3 Co 4-5 Welcome to 6-7 Sport in
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Cover ontents o Doha, Qatar Doha, Qatar
Welcome to D ECONOMY:
WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR: Kef Halek, readers?! Welcome to the first edition of 'SALAM!' your number one guide to the Gulf's best city- Doha! My name is Ben Philip and I have been a proud resident of Doha for the past 7 years. Although originally from Scotland, I have embaraced the Qatari Capital qs my home from home and would like to share with you the many wonders which it posseses. Enjoy!
However, the Qatari nationals themselves are only a minority, only making up just under 300,000 of the total population. The l ocal language of Qatar is Arabic, however English is widely spoken. The predominant religion is Muslim. BACKGROUND: Qatar has a moderate desert climate Qatar is a small Middlewith long hot summers Eastern country on the and short mild winters Arabian Peninsula and little rain. The bordering the Persian official currency is the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Qatari Riyal (QR). The population of Qatar has been ruled Qatar is 1,5 million as an absolute and inhabitants (according hereditary emirate by to the initial results of the Al Thani family the second stage of the since the mid-19th 2009 population census). century. Formerly a 83% of inhabitants British protectorate reside in it's Capital noted mainly for pearl Doha and its main diving, it became suburb Al-Rayyan. independent in 1971.
Qatar has the world's highest GDP per capita and proven reserves of oil and natural gas. Qatar tops the list of the world's richest countries by Forbes. In 2010 the economy grew by 19%, the fastest in the world. The main drivers for this rapid growth are attributed to ongoing increases in production and exports of liquefied natural gas, oil, petrochemicals, and related industries.
Evidence of Doha's immense wealth can be seen through the
numerous modern, highrise buildings emerging in the West-Bay Business District.
Doha, Qatar! NATIONAL DAY:
Qatar National Day on 18th December is the day Qataris celebrate their national identity and history. Expressions of affection and gratitude are conveyed to Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed al-Thani the founder of the State of Qatar. People take to the streets and participate in activites such as the military parade and fireworks display. National Day in 2010 was an extra special celebration as 2 weeks before Qatar was chosen as the host nation for the 202 2 FIFA World Cup. The city was decorated with flags and banners- people even painted their cars in the national colours and showed pictures of the Royal Family. It is intended to maintain a knowledge and appreciation of Qatar's heritage, and to encourage pride in Qatar.
YHE MEANING OF THE FLAG: (seen in the background) A- The white colour reflects the internationally recognized symbol of peace. B- The maroon colour symbolizes the bloodshed during the several wars Qatar had undergone, particularly in the second half of the 19th century. C- The nine-point serrated line indicates that Qatar is the 9th member of the "reconciled Emirates" of the Arabian Gulf in the wake of concluding the Qatari-British treaty in 1916. SOUQ WAQIF: Souq Waqif is considered one of the top tourist destinations in Doha. Translated to the 'standing market' this shopping destination is renowned for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to dozens of restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world, as well as Shisha lounges.
Although this market dates back at least a hundred years, it has been recently restored back to its original glory.
The Pearl: The Pearl Qatar is a man-made island reclaimed from the sea. It is the first land available in the country for freehold ownership by foreigners. This prime real-estate will be home to 45,000 people by 2015. Residential development on the island is intended to incorporate various national and international themes including aspects of Arabic, Mediterranean and European culture. For example a replica residential area of Veinice has been built. It is a great place to shop, eat and socialise.
Sport in D Qatar is currently playing an increasingly prominent and effective role in the field of sport. Qatar is using sport as a reason to forge friendship and to enhance the relations with nations worldwide.
"Qatar
has expressed the wish to be active around the world as an outward looking state dedicated to the improvement of relations between nations through sport."
2004- Gulf Cup 2004- World Table Tennis Championships 2005- World Weightlifting Championships 2006- Asian Games 2010- IAAF World Indoor Championships 2011- Asian Cup
To host... 2016- UCI Road Cycling World Championships 202 2- FIFA World Cup. Qatar also bidded to secure the Olympic Games for 2016 and 2020 but unforunately failed on both.
The league currently features 12 clubs. The Qatari league system provides 4 domestic cups that these clubs are able to participate in: the Emir of Qatar Cup, the Qatar Crown Prince Cup, the Sheikh Jassem Cup, and the Qatari Stars Cup. The league title has been won by 12 different clubs since its inception in 1972.
FOOTBALL:
The Qatari national football team's greatest footballing achievement was when they won the Gulf Cup Football is the most popular sport in twice, first in 1992, Qatar. Other popular and again in 2004. sports include basketAl Sadd are the most ball, handball, volleyball, successful sports camel racing, horse club in the country, racing, and cricket. with dozens of titles won across all major MAJOR SPORTING sports. EVENTS: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) is the Qatar has hosted many highest professional sporting events over the footballing league in years. Here are some the country. recent examples:
QATAR 202 2l Qatar is to host the 202 2 FIFA World Cup. It is the first time the event has been held in the Middle-East. Qatar is the smallest nation, both by relative population and by area, ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup. The stadiums will employ cooling technology capable of reducing temperatures within the stadiums to escape the desert Summer heat.
Doha, Qatar. The Qatar Open has been the site of the ceremonial opening of the ATP World Tour season since 2009.
(Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, his wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned and FIFA President Sepp Blatter on anouncement Qatar would host the 202 2 event.) The upper tiers of the stadiums built will be disassembled after the World Cup and donated to countries with less developed sports infrastructure. There are to be 13 stadiums used in total. 5 are to be built from scratch and the remaining are going to be from improvements to existing stadia. Qatar currently only has one stadium capable of hosting a World Cup match- Khalifa International Stadium which has a capacity of 50,000.
(Khalifa Stadium: 2011 Asian Cup Final- Japan v Australia.)
ANNUAL SPORTING EVENTS IN QATARl - ATP Tennis (since 1993) - Qatar PGA Golf Masters (since 1998) - Moto Racing World Champs (since 2004) - WTA Tennis (since 2008) ATP TENNIS: The Qatar Exxonmobil Tennis Open is held annualy in January at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex. Roger Federer has won the tournament 3 times (2005, 2006, 2011). Andy Murray has won it twice but has been in 3 finals (2007, 2008, 2009). The prize money is set at $1,054,720.
(The Khalifa International Tennis complex- centre court 2009 final Murray v Roddik)
QATAR MASTERS: The Commercialbank Qatar Masters is a golf tournament held at the Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar every Febrruary. It is one of three European Tour golf tournaments which are staged in the countries of the Persian Gulf. In 2011, the prize fund was US$2.5M. Aberdonian golfer Paul Lawrie won the tournament in 2012 for a second time after previouslty winning in 1999.