Inland sea, Qatar
Asia,  Qatar

More Notes From Doha: Oil, Riches And Fun On The Desert Sands

“I will say, you two don’t look English, you look German”.

Well, Mohammed, I’m not sure whether we should be complimented by that or not, so we’ll give a little laugh and move on. Mohammed laughs too, points the Landcruiser out of the city and drives out towards the desert. Every highway is pristine, flyovers wind around each other like giant bowls of spaghetti, the carriageway is wide and lined for miles and miles with colourful flowering shrubs. Qatar simply shouts of riches, of money, of investment. 

Our route to the desert passes evidence not just of how the riches are spent, but also from where those riches emanate. Giant oil refineries dot the flat desert landscapes, and, as we bypass the city of Mesaieed, Mohammed tells us that the entire city was built to house refinery workers and their families – it’s a big city, yet is only one of several constructed across the country for the same singular reason. Oil production constitutes 65% of Qatar’s GDP and 85% of its exports. 

“The Government here is rich, we can afford to build this”, he says, as we pass another sprawling township, this one constructed entirely to house spectators at the 2022 World Cup. “Families live here now”, he says, “but the town is probably half empty”. We also pass two of the magnificent stadia built for the same tournament – six of the host stadia were sited within the Doha metropolis.

Inland sea in Qatar
Inland sea

Maybe 40-50 minutes out of Doha, Mohammed points out large tented villages some distance from the highway, out on the desert sand. These are not, as you might fear, signs of poverty – in fact they are quite the opposite. Mohammed explains that these are weekend destinations for wealthy families, places to take their kids to teach them of how life used to be “before the oil came and we all got rich” is how he puts it. We note the word “all”….and reflect on the fact that throughout our time in Doha we haven’t seen a single homeless person or, indeed, been approached by a beggar for money, at any time. “All”, indeed.

Primarily though we are in Mohammed’s company for a few hours of adventure, first taking a couple of quad bikes for speedy rides around courses in the desert sand – great fun, though the “briefing” is interesting. “Listen”, says the guy handing out helmets, “we don’t have any insurance and your travel insurance won’t cover you, so you must be careful”. Quad biking on desert sands is a lot more fun than on the roads, we discover.

Dune bashing in the Qatari desert
Enjoying dune bashing

From quad bikes to camel rides and then on to the bit which Mohammed clearly enjoys most – the thing that they refer to here as “dune bashing”. We strap up our seatbelts, Mohammed lets air from the tyres, grips the steering wheel and suddenly adopts the look of a bird of prey rather than a calm Arab. What follows is a frenetic rally style drive over dunes, sideways down steep slopes of sand, through ruts and valleys and over peaks, putting the 4×4 through its every pace. It’s almost as much fun as the next bit – which is a pause in the dune bashing during which we both have a hilarious go at sand boarding, where we shoot down the sand dune in the way we used to as kids sledging in the snow. More fun. More laughter. 

Mohammed has given us a fun few hours, now it’s onwards across the drained bed of the “inland sea”, effectively a seasonal lagoon which fills in winter and slowly drains until completely empty in summer, and back towards the city. He looks happy to have had another dune bashing session – boys and their toys huh?!


All done and back in Doha, the souk is still busy, with brisk business being done everywhere, and particularly in the “bird souk” where doting parents buy caged birds for the children from a place which may easily be breaking the world record for the number of birds rammed into a tiny cage. It’s not a very edifying sight to see these beautiful creatures trapped like sardines, but…..well, it’s what they do here.

Bird Souq in Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar
Bird souq

The King’s camels aren’t much better off, nobbled and tethered in an open paddock, but the King’s horses seem privileged by comparison – well groomed and clearly cared for by their posse of stable hands. They don’t look unhappy at all. Falcons too are much respected in Qatar, where falconry remains a popular pastime. In a square just behind the stables, where if you are so minded you can pay to be photographed with a falcon on your arm, there are a number of offbeat – to us anyway – shops selling every bit of kit the aspiring falconer could want, including the bird itself.

Royal Camels in Doha, Qatar
With one of the King’s camels
Royal Arab horses in Doha, Qatar
And the King’s horses
Royal Arab horses in Doha, Qatar
At the royal stables

It’s fascinating to note how traditions are interwoven into the ultra modern city of Doha. The souks and the dhows are just two of many features of a bygone way of life, recall of which is clearly a source of national pride. There seems to be a determination to educate the younger population in respect of their heritage, something that surely every proud nation should be seeking to do.

Falcon souq

Falcon market in Doha, Qatar
Inside a falconry store

The Katara Heritage Village, close to the skyscrapers of West Bay, is a centre dedicated to this very project, including a fascinating dhow museum charting the history of boatbuilding, pearl diving and the seismically changed economy of Qatar since those days. Katara is also home to a brand new opulent mosque with ceiling decorations of real gold, an amphitheatre for the modern day, and, amusingly, a trio of so called “pigeon towers” created solely in order to give the local bird population somewhere to call home.

Katara Heritage Village

Doha has been a stimulating place to spend a few days, with so many thrills – we seem to have packed a lot in to our three days here, it’s that kind of place. One of our lasting impressions of Qatar will be the many ways in which the traditional ways of life are part of the contemporary story, how both the visiting world and the local youth are being educated in how longstanding principles and customs have come to make the country what it is today.

Fifa world cup countdown clock, Doha, Qatar
On the Corniche

Museum of Islamic Art

A sign in the entrance hall at the dhow museum carries a sentence which resonated with both of us. Unfortunately our photo of it somehow vanished, but the sentiment was along the lines that only by learning and appreciating our heritage can we understand ourselves: heritage will bring pride and compassion and is in itself the very core of community. We will leave readers to decide if their own country holds these principles dear. Sadly, I know mine doesn’t.

And so we bid a fond farewell to Doha and Qatar. We have to be up before dawn tomorrow. Manila awaits….

37 Comments

  • Lynette d'Arty-Cross

    A very interesting post, Phil. It seems that you had a lot of fun, too. At the moment my country is very upset and angry at Donald Trump’s threats, so heritage (along with everything else that makes us) has definitely been thrust forward.

  • Toonsarah

    It all looks fascinating and a lot of it great fun! I loved dune bashing in Oman so would definitely be up for more but I’m not sure I fancy sand-boarding. But I know I would enjoy exploring and photographing the city 🙂 Meanwhile I’m very much looking forward to seeing Manila through your eyes ahead of our own visit!

  • Jenny Woolf

    I think there are LOADS of great things about the Gulf states, definitely including Qatar, but the Qatar government (among many others in the region) hasn’t chosen to spend its wealth on tackling the miserable conditions of migrant workers – who in Qatar are a massive majority of the population of the country. (Less than 20% of people living in Qatar are native Qataris, which is interesting. Probably because the desert couldn’t support many people there till recently). The workers are mainly from the Indian subcontinent, so are far from their own heritage and culture, and are very disadvantaged legally so are often maltreated or exploited. The birds crammed in cages , the abused animals, and the lack of any regulation to prevent locals selling uninsurable trips to foreign tourists, makes me personally feel quite glad I live in a country where such stuff is against the law. I know nowhere is perfect and Qatar really is amazing, and also I know you’re there on holiday, but I’m commenting here because you usually travel with sensitivity, so I wondered if you knew the situation.

    • Phil & Michaela

      Hi Jenny, and thank you. We do absolutely travel with sensitivity, and I’m pleased you said that because it means, hopefully, that it comes over in our blog posts. It’s always our policy to respect the local way of life, beliefs and custom, even though on occasion we may not agree with it or subscribe. No doubt you will also have noticed that our blog site is a travelogue of personal experiences, and as such we have made a definite decision not to be judgmental about different cultures, and definitely not be political. I am educated by and interested to read other posts which take such stances, but ours is not that kind of platform and therefore we don’t assume to make any political statements. We do though comment on such matters where there is crossover between them and our personal experience, which didn’t happen on this occasion. (Ironically, the contact we did have with an Indian settler was a guy from Kerala who is doing rather well in Qatar!). We were definitely aware of the treatment of migrant workers during construction of the World Cup stadia and share your disapproval (bit of a weak word). But, in keeping with our policy of logging personal experiences and not considering ourselves worthy of political comment and of avoiding being too judgmental, it wasn’t appropriate to include any reference. This doesn’t hopefully imply tacit condonement. We do think of ourselves as sensitive and respectful travellers and I hope this gives the answer that your thoughtful comment merited.

  • Monkey's Tale

    I’m not sure you’ve sold me on Doha. Between the caged and chained animals and the dune bashing, it’s not really sounding like my kind of place. On to Philippines! Maggie

    • Phil & Michaela

      Possibly not….though the ultra modern architecture is quite breathtaking. We don’t really consider ourselves fans of the ultra modern destination, yet Doha has whetted our appetite for Dubai. And we loved Singapore too. The caged birds are an unpleasant sight but of course thus is not by a long stretch the only place we’ve seen that particular scene.

  • restlessjo

    Jenny’s words are interesting, and sound like she knows what she’s talking about? Migrant workers get a rough deal in a lot of places, including here. It does all look beautiful from a tourist point of view, Phil. I know you stayed for free, but what was pricing like generally? Expensive restaurants? I did wonder what the story is behind the caged birds. Why??? Look forward to your comments.

  • Suzanne@PictureRetirement

    Malcolm and I were passengers in a Dune Buggy, (with an experienced driver) at the sand dunes outside Portland, OR. I was sure I would lose a vital organ before the ride ended, but it was thrilling and I would do it again.

    As far as celebrating heritage, I fear many citizens have forgotten how or why America was formed. We have moved far from our guiding principles. While there is a presence of pride, compassion has ceased to exist across party lines and polarization is at its worst. Sad reality with no end in sight.

    • Phil & Michaela

      Ah yes, we did dune buggy (self drive, following a lead buggy) in the Moroccan Sahara in 2023 – enormous fun! The polarisation in the US is extremely worrying as is steps towards autocracy that appear to be being made in countries which were bastions of democracy. I live in hope that things will turn full circle. They sometimes do.

  • ehacarr

    Cannot get the old saying ‘All the King’s horses and all the King’s men’ out of my silly mind for some reason . . . Oh, a huge ‘thank you’ for the very informative post – you are well better than some travel book! Loved seeing the landscapes and touristy activities outside Doha – you took some priceless pictures 🙂 ! Then, sobered up reading Jenny Woolf’s comments. Had read a fair amount of the facts about migrant workers myself . . . as she states Qatar is not the only country where the needy foreign workers get a rough deal trying to support their far-away loved ones. Should one boycott such places . . .I don’t know . . .

    • Phil & Michaela

      I sang that very song while looking at Michaela’s choice of photographs! Regarding Jenny’s very worthy comments, I’ve done a full reply which I hope is appropriate. Thank you for your lovely compliments.

  • Annie Berger

    We also found Doha exhilarating with the same fun desert opportunities you experienced. Talking of the immigrant workers, we were struck by everyone seeming to be from Kerala – that was one of the biggest reasons we chose to visit Kerala on our shortened early 2020 trip. I loved the dazzling architecture, the picturesque dhows, and the wide variety of souks. The falcon souk appealed to us because we hadn’t experienced one anywhere else before.

    Appreciated your thoughtful and detailed response to Jenny’s comments. No blog can be all things.

    • Phil & Michaela

      Well, by coincidence, the guy we met showed us a Kerala promotional video on his phone, prompting us to say “we must go!”. Thank you for your last comment too. Yep, we’ll remember Doha with affection.

  • grandmisadventures

    What an incredible way to spend a stopover of a few days! I really the admonishment to be careful because of the lack of travel insurance. But what a thrill to play so much in the sand. I like how they have not forgotten their roots in their wealth and that they have created such a beautiful place

  • leightontravels

    It’s amazing how Qatar maintains pride in its heritage while embracing innovation. The balance between wealth and the nation’s past is so striking, from the ultra-modern infrastructure to the cultural heritage preserved in places like Katara. You have certainly shown me a very different Doha to the one I lived and worked in over twenty years ago. Almost unrecognisable.

  • Lookoom

    Everything you show of your time in Doha is interesting. Of course, this raises a few questions about priorities, which can differ from one culture to another. After all, the more we visit each other, the more we end up copying each other.

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