As our plane approaches the desert oasis that is Doha a look out the window shows sunlight burning through the desert dust onto the sleek alien looking skyline below.
I’ll be honest, Doha wasn’t on my list of places to go or sites to see but me being me I’m stressed to only have a 20 hour layover to see this architectural masterpiece of a city. With time on my mind I rush the wife to drop off our bags off at our hotel l, slip in a quick meal and head out into the lively night market of Souq Waqif.
Souq Waqif is a market built on the site of an old market(also called Souq Waqif). This old market was founded in the early 1900s. But during the 1990s and early 2000s history was set aside in the rush to modernize. The market fell into disrepair, and eventually burned to the ground. However, it’s fate didn’t end here. As history became more important the market was rebuilt in a modernized image of itself.
The Souq Waqif is an amazing place to find just about anything. Main walkways are lined by tens of sisha bars (alcohol is pretty much illegal here) while smaller walkways contain specialized sections. Down one walkway you’ll find a bird market filled with anything from sparrows to parrots, another contains a spice street with Middle Eastern spices touching your noise as you drift by.
And yet another street will reveal tens of falcon shops filled with falconers longing for the days of old.
As the night deepens though the market slowly dies. Seeing life slow we listfully wander the market walkways searching for WiFi but it seems none exists. It looks like we’ll be cabbing it back to the hotel but first one last view.
To visit Doha without taking in the beautiful modern skyline would be a ghastly error, but one we would not make. Unfortunately, with that view my time exploring Doha is up. We grab a cab back to the hotel, prep for the morning’s flight and drift off to a well deserved slumber.
As my flight leaves Doha I steal one last glance out the window. Man made islands dance in the water below, while behemoth skyscrapers pop from the dusty planes. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be back to this city but I sure am glad I at least managed to visit once in my life.