Akanksha Dean

 

The beginning – At Hamad International Airport, I am ushered by an Al Maha Services hostess to the arrival lounge where all necessary procedures take place and just like that, I have cleared immigration without any fuss or standing in any long and inconvenient queue. 
Thereafter, I head to the Mandarin Oriental Doha, which is going to be my home for the next four days. With its widespread deserts, glitzy hotels, revolutionary architecture and an inspiring past, Qatar is quite akin to an Arabian marvel. When I embarked on this sojourn to the affluent Arab nation, little did I foresee the deliciously cool and sometimes, downright refreshing weather that I would encounter there.

FOREVER DYNAMIC

One of the initial things that you observe about this wealthy country, is the harmonious blend of new and old that has been carefully created. While most of Doha is brand new construction, the old quarters, evocative of the traditional Arabian way of life, take you back in time. This striking contrast is most visible as I stand at the Doha Corniche, a 7km waterfront promenade along the Doha Bay, with the remarkable spectacle of the skyscrapers of West Bay on one side and old Doha on the other side. An other worldy feeling will come over you as you view this spectacle and you cant help but marvel at it. 

What is particularly noteworthy, is how Qatar has spun to the core of all international modernist architecture in the world over the past few years. In complete synchronicity with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and with a goal to transform Doha into a city that’s forever dynamic; the blueprints were sketched up for a creation bombardment way back in Twenty Ten when it won the bid to host the coveted Football World Cup! Underlining Qatar’s skilled propensity for merging modern designs with classically artistic, the theatrical fresh spaces echo this collaboration.

TWIN KATARA TOWERS

This glittering new addition to the Doha skyline and one of the architectural anchors of Lusail, Qatar’s second-largest metropolis, set alongside the aquamarine waters of the Persian Gulf is shared amid two hotel brands, The Raffles & The Fairmont. Each inhabits one half of the 300,000 square meter building and looks like a duo of Qatari crossed scimitars. The gleaming, cutting edge, 40-storey buildings are emblematically interwoven with both Qatar’s culture and revolutionary dream. 

Fascinatingly the Qatari double-sword design is dotted all across the Middle Eastern country, from jewellery to coffee mugs; however, this is the first time that the shape has been transformed into the form of a building. For those who may have missed it, the area is home to Lusail Stadium, which was a key location for the Football World Cup last as the setting for the battle royale between France and victor Argentina – as well as the Formula One racetrack that hosted the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix event.

MUSEUMS GALORE

Doha’s various new museums are also a key illustration of the FIFA-inspired explosion. French Pritzker Triumphant architect Jean Nouvel has vividly permeated the country’s wandering Bedouin past with the extant and impending infrastructure to craft a splendid structure like the desert rose crystal. . Analogous to massive LEGO blocks, Stadium 974 is a provisional structure made of repurposed shipping containers. Intriguingly, the demolition of this stadium is now proceeding. Its containers are now being shipped to provide housing in infantile countries and its blank trail is likely to be renewed into a verdant beachfront park. Sustainability Ahoy!

The impression one is left with after visiting this majestic nation is that if there is any new rising star on the global horizon, it is the ever Dynamic Doha. With the amount of thought and consideration being given to the future of the country as well as sustainability goals, it is sure to serve as a beacon of light!      

 (Akanksha Dean  is an independent chef as well as a food & travel writer. She is the first Indian to have trained at Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy, rated as the world’s best restaurant in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, in 2016 and 2018 and currently in the Best of The Best Category.)