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Qatari residents shop in Souq Waqif; A vintage motor sits pride of place in the pedestrainised streets LEFT
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this juxtaposition that really makes Doha’s efforts seem genuine. There’s been no bulldozing the past and erasing all humble beginnings to make way for glamorous international brands, Doha has managed to incorporate its new aspirations more gently. Museum geeks will find plenty to keep them happy at the Museum of Islamic Art from the permanent exhibitions that encompass the entire Arabian peninsula’s creative output to travelling exhibitions that are often international in focus. 2013 will see a number of tie ups with the UK, including a visit from the Royal Shakespeare company and a Damien Hirst retrospective towards the end of the year – the first time his work has been shown in the Middle East. (Free; mia.org.qa). It’s not all about the art…there’s music too. Jazz at Lincoln Centre is unlike anything seen so far in the GCC. An upmarket supper club with a small stage, booths and tables remain in shadow as an orange glow bounces off the trumpets, trombones, cymbals and grins of the musicians. Flown over every two weeks from the original Lincoln Centre in New York, the city’s premier music venue for jazz, the quintets, quartets and artists perform every night for free, bringing the residents of Doha nearly private concerts from some of the best jazz performers in the world. Ok, so jazz isn’t the first musical genre you would connect to a country whose total inhabitants number less than a million but when St Regis Doha debuted its Jazz at Lincoln Centre concept last year, and where in Dubai it might be met with derision or cynicism, in Qatar it’s been 68
Dates for your diary 4 10-17 March Tasmeem Film Festival See page 22 for more on this. 4 April Al Jazeera International Documentary film festival The best short and feature docs get an airing. 4 November Doha Tribeca Film Festival The most extensive film festival in the GCC. 4 18 December National Day
embraced by people who previously had little concept of this interpretative, intuitive and impressionistic art form. It’s this openness and willingness to experiment with art forms that’s seen Doha overtake Abu Dhabi as the cultural hotspot to watch in the GCC. (Free, jalcdoha.com). For a less high brow but no means less enjoyable distraction, head to Souq Waqif. Tucked into the middle of the city, ten minutes by cab behind the Corniche, the name means ‘standing market’. No longer a market, and more a intricate network of shops, passageways, cafes and restaurants, the area was recently restored to offer residents a ‘traditional’ experience with a few mod-cons (like A/C in the restaurants). What Doha has ended up with is a charming, pretty area that shows off the best of the Middle East. Down sparsely lit passageways, tiny shops sell pearls and locally made jewellery, while others are filled with old men sitting crossed legged smoking shisha and drinking Arabic coffee. Outside a handmade pottery store two local
Lonely Planet Traveller Middle East February 2013
guys are engrossed in a game of backgammon. What makes Souq Waqif so enjoyable is it’s not a put on for tourists. Doha’s locals interact with the souq the way they always have done – using it as a social community, to do business, enjoy company and share food, despite the rather tacky Qatari football scarves hanging from a street corner or obligatory camel shaped mugs on sale. (Open 10am-12pm, 4pm-10pm; Near Abdullah bin Jassim Street). Doha’s food scene is also exploding. With chefs like Gordon Ramsey returning to the region at the St Regis Doha and a local appetite that is expanding, fine dining is becoming big business. None lights the way more than IDAM, Alain Ducasse’s French meets Arabic restaurant high up at the top of the MIA. Opened without fanfare in December 2012, the intimate setting was designed by Philip Starck and manages to feel secretive, like you’ve discovered a private club by accidentally using the wrong lift, but at the same time, the staff (who trained for six months before opening) will make even a single diner feel comfortable. Magical concoctions of local ingredients grace the heavy white linen covered tables and while IDAM is dry, the food, service and atmosphere will numb any desire for a drink. Make sure you leave room though for the handmade traditional sweets like nougat and marshmallows! (Open Sun-Weds dinner only; mia.org.qa). So Doha. It’s time to reassess those preconceptions as this tiny city reinvents itself as the Middle East’s newest and most interesting cultural hotspot. The slow and sleepy Qatari caterpillar might just become a fascinating butterfly after all.