Soaring above the azure Arabian sky bound for Doha, the capital of Qatar, we relaxed in style on board our Qatar Airways flight and gazed in wonder at the sight of the city, spread out below and crammed with ultra chic sky scrapers with each one demanding our undivided attention.
Qatar, located on the Arabian Gulf shoreline, features pristine beaches, mighty dunes and arid desert and Doha offers visitors an intriguing insight into a fascinating culture with the warmth of Qatari hospitality at its heart, and a tantalising glimpse of a rich and colourful history.
Leading up to the demise of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916 and Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani was duly recognised as the ruler. In 1939 oil reserves were discovered approximately 60 kilometres outside Doha but due to the outbreak of WWII, exploration was postponed. In the 1950?s oil revenue soon surpassed the returns from fishing and pearling and Qatar?s economy flourished.
Independence was declared in 1971 and following the accession of Qatar?s Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in 1995, Qatar continues to thrive. This small peninsular covers only 11,500 sq kilometres, has a population of 2.55 million, and now holds the world?s third largest natural gas and oil reserves, often ranking as the world?s wealthiest nation in terms of GDP per capita. Rapid development abounds ahead of the emir?s successful application to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Qatar is preparin...