The winding cobbled alleys of Souq Waqif create a labyrinthine bazaar stuffed with dozens of small stores hawking spices and perfumes, scented oils, silk scarves, shimmering crystal chandeliers and glittering jewelry. The Qatari capital’s oldest souq also features shisha lounges, antique stores, art galleries, restaurants and a stop where shoppers can have a falcon — the national bird of this small Arab country jutting out into the Persian Gulf — sit on their arm. With the city skyline in the background, a traditional dhow boat sails at the corniche in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Qatar was once a dust-blown pearling port transformed into an ultra-modern hub following its 1990s natural gas boom, when expatriates, Western consultants and engineers,...
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A hummus recipe and cashier countertop are the only surviving elements of the original 'Beirut' restaurant, which opened its doors in Qatar in 1960 and has since tracked the capital Doha's metamorphosis from dusty outpost to hosting soccer's World Cup. Jihad Shahin's uncle opened the Lebanese restaurant in the old commercial district of Msheireb but the building that housed it was razed under a development project that produced one of Doha's most modern areas, brimming with hip coffee shops and lunch spots serving high-powered executives. The 'Beirut' eatery relocated to the more affordable Ben Mahmood neighbourhood in 2010, the year that the Gulf Arab gas producer was awarded rights to host soccer's biggest global event that kicked off on Sunday. People eat at restaurant Beirut,...
Read MoreSoccer fans in Dubai were jubilant on Sunday as they watched the opening match of the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar at a fan festival in the region's commercial hub. The BudX FIFA Fan Festival in Dubai featured big screens, beer and other drinks on an artificial island off the city's buzzing Marina district, with the skyline as a backdrop. A general view at the site of BudX FIFA FAN Festival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 20, 2022. REUTERS/Abdel Hadi Ramahi "I think the fan festivals are a very nice initiative for the fans. Maybe we are not able to go to Qatar, but we really enjoy soccer and we want to support our teams," said Veronica Maldonado, an Ecuadorian resident of Dubai supporting her home country which won the opening match 2-0 against host Qatar. Spea...
Read MoreQatar is home to some 2.9 million people, but only a small fraction — around one in 10 — are Qatari citizens. They enjoy massive wealth and benefits fueled by Qatar’s shared control of one of the world’s largest reserves of natural gas. The tiny country on the eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula juts out into the Persian Gulf. There lies the North Field, the world’s largest underwater gas field, which Qatar shares with Iran. The gas field holds approximately 10% of the world’s known natural gas reserves. Oil and gas have made the 50-year-old country fantastically wealthy and influential. In a matter of decades, Qatar’s roughly 300,000 citizens have been pulled from the hard livelihood of fishing and pearl diving. FILE PHOTO: People visit the Mall of Qatar, in Doha, Qatar, on Ma...
Read MoreThe FIFA World Cup may be bringing as many as 1.2 million fans to Qatar, but the nearby flashy emirate of Dubai is also looking to cash in on the major sports tournament taking place just a short flight away. Some soccer fan clubs have already said they’ll be commuting to Qatar during the cup on 45-minute flights from Dubai, the skyscraper-studded, beachfront city-state in the United Arab Emirates. Other fans plan to sleep on cruise ships or camp out in the desert amid a feverish rush for rooms in Doha. A man passes by a Qatar FIFA World Cup merchandise display at the Al Maktoum Airport on Oct. 27, 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) Dubai’s airlines, bars, restaurants, shopping malls and other attractions now hope to benefit, further boosting their re...
Read MoreThe Qatar World Cup was always going to be unique in several ways but one aspect FIFA would not have welcomed is that fans the world over are opting not to attend a tournament one supporter group said "doesn't make fans dream". There are many factors involved, which individually might have been minor deterrents but, piled together, have made supporters who routinely follow their teams at huge expense decide to give this one a miss. The shift from its usual summer holiday slot in June/July to the northern hemisphere winter, ending only a week before Christmas, because of high temperatures in the desert state has had a significant impact. Morocco fans at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 countdown clock on the Corniche, Doha, Qatar, October 20, 2022. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed Strict ...
Read MoreSouq Waqif Boutique Hotels by Tivoli and Al Najada Doha Hotel by Tivoli set to host football enthusiasts, during the biggest football event in the world hosted in Qatar As the countdown begins to the start of the global show piece kicking off in Qatar next month, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts is all set to host football enthusiasts from across the globe at its Doha city properties. Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels by Tivoli and Al Najada Doha Hotel by Tivoli are both offering a range of special packages including stay and dine at attractive rates starting from QR 1,786 per night for Al Najada Doha Hotel by Tivoli and QR 1,768 per night for Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels by Tivoli. The proximity of these opulent properties to Stadium 974, Bidda Park Fan Zone, the fans area and the Corniche...
Read MoreFlight bookings to Qatar are booming for the soccer World Cup being held in November and December, with particularly strong demand from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as fans work round a shortage of accommodation in Doha, a study showed on Tuesday. Flight bookings to Qatar from the UAE and nine other countries have risen ten-fold compared with before the pandemic, travel analysis group Forward Keys said. From the UAE, they have rocketed 103 times compared with 2016 - the last year before the UAE joined other Arab countries in a boycott of Qatar that halted direct flights. The boycott ended in early 2021. FILE PHOTO: Passengers wearing protective face masks amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walk at the Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah ...
Read MoreA third cruise ship was hired by World Cup organizers in Qatar on Monday to operate as a soccer fan hotel docked in Doha Port to add much-needed rooms for the tournament. Geneva-based MSC Cruises announced the agreement only six weeks before the World Cup is scheduled to start on Nov. 20. The 1,075-cabin MSC Opera will be available from Nov. 19 to Dec. 19. Prices for the Opera were listed Monday on MSC’s website starting from 470 Swiss francs ($470) per person per night during the group stage, with a minimum two-night stay. Qatar does not have the hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans at the World Cup and is creating camping and cabin sites, hiring cruise ships, and encouraging fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly in for games. MSC previously ...
Read MoreAs football fans the world over are counting down to the start of FIFA World Cup in Qatar on 20 November 2022, Avani Palm View Hotel and Avani Ibn Battuta Hotel in Dubai have unveiled an action-packed programme of viewing activities and stay packages dedicated to the beautiful game. In a move that will gladden the hearts of football enthusiasts, Avani Palm View is starting the celebrations early with screenings of the Premier League matches throughout October at Seven Seeds — the property’s dedicated sports viewing venue this football season. In another winning move, the hotel has partnered with Budweiser and African & Eastern to raffle off a trip to Qatar to watch the FIFA World Cup final among guests who purchase a bucket or four pints of Budweiser. There will be other pri...
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