I wanna give you information about Souq Waqif
Souq means in Arabic market place
A place where traditional clothes, spices, handicrafts, souvenirs are sold
it is also a bazaar that hosts dozens of restaurants
hookah lounges, restaurants as you can see on both sides of the road
there are places especially for tourists
the history of this place goes back 100 years
In old times here is a market place,where..
trade a variety of goods, primarily livestock goods.
it turns completely ash in a fire that broke out in 2003
eventually the importance of this place is decreasing with enrichment and increase of oil income.
traditional trade methods changed, so this traditional marketsplace's importance disappear.
but after the fire in 2003
In 2006, this place is subject to the restoration process with funds provided by the Emir of Qatar and his wife.
and is being restored
Buildings built after 1950 are demolished,
so they are not restorated again
but the older buildings are being restored to remain true to its origin
at the same time i am taking a tour
I really impressed against the view
so pleasent place
we will dive into the side streets anyway
let's have a look
as I said this is actually a bazaar made up of non-geometric labyrinths
there are buildings unique to classical Qatari architecture here
especially single-storey buildings
like this
ıt is a sample of classical Qatari architecture
all of the buildings in this bazaar are rough plastered buildings
now we ll slowly look at the streets.
there is a classic courtyard and shops facing each other
With the renovation works, a parking with a capacity of 3000 vehicles was also built here.
as you can see almost all of the colors of life in here
restaurants, hookah lounges, barbers
I don't know if you have an addiction as collecting magnets from the cities that you visited. But i have...
so i ll pick up a magnet from here
It is 10 qatar riyals around 2.5-3 dollars
ıt is hard to pick up because it is a little bit dark.
i ll pick up one and buy it.
yes i've choosed this magnet
now , we are going on our tour.
here is a mosque
this is a point where there are handmade stores
We have just seen people who work like in the workshop
handicraft as you can see
they knit straw here
all stores are both a sales shop and a production workshop, handicraft..
there are nice pleasant stores
yes here is so nice
so authentic
yes we came for a restaurant for dinner
Now i ll order something.
here is Lebanese restaurant
actually there are flavors that we know
as muhammara, baba ghanoush, hummus
on the main course i don't wanna fish
there are soups
kebab helabi,shish kebab, grilled baby chicken, kebab kheskah and mixed grill
shish chicken etc etc.
these are also the tastes we are very familiar with
after all, turkish cuisine is formed by synthesizing many cuisines.
because the Ottoman empire spread over a very large area
so there are inspirations from many cuisines
so they are familiar tastes
If you are eating with the idea of ​​halal food, we are already in a Muslim country.
so there is no problem in here
now let's order something.
I ordered a hummus halebi
there are small pitas served with it
It is not too different then Turkish cuisine
If you come, you don't feel alien here about the foods.
let's look at the taste
very good
there are beans, carrots and greens inside
and our main course also in here
we ordered kebab
In here kebab means meat balls
there is a side dish and fries
and then we ordered kunafah, i ll show it too
now i am going on my dinner then see again
and i said let's hit the calories and ordered a kunafah
i need some energy
we will walk too much , will be too tired and tell many stories
I ll check the taste and make comment
it is very successful
This is very syrupy sweet in Turkey
i like this one too much. Not very syrupy
you can feel so clearly the taste of shredded wheat and cheese.
when you came here you can try kunafah
the building across the road lighting in yellow is Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center
also known previously as Fanar or Qatar Islamic Culture Center and Spiral Mosque
It is a cultural organization in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
It is located oppossite of Souq waqif and close to Doha Corniche .
The center's most distinguished feature is its mosque which has a unique minaret design
Prior to 2009, Fanar's mosque was the largest in the country.
It has since been over taken in this category by Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque.
however, it remains the tallest mosque in Qatar
Al-Fanar Islamic Cultural Center is one of the most widely known architectural landmarks in Doha.
non-Muslim visitors are offered courses on the Islamic faith
such as exhibitions, tours to the cultural center, visits to to mosque is possible.
also in here Arabic language courses are available
at the same time opportunity to attend the khutbah (Friday sermon) in English.
and if you wanna learn more about islam, this is a very intresting location.
ı guess if you visit Doha you ll come here
we are now in front of the islamic museum, one of doha's most iconic buildings
the building takes place behind me
it is built on a small islet
indipendent from the land
or rather built on a ledge
the architect of this place, actually is also architect of one of the most important architectural sample the world Louvre pyramids, is Leoh Ming Pei
Leoh Ming Pei gets a very attractive offer to make this place after his retirement.
he was very old when he built this , he is about over his 90's
he decided to create this building in his 90's but before creating this place
he takes a tour in islamic countries during 6 months
and he examines the islamic architecture
and the he started the build this place
he inspired by the light fountain in 9th century Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.
Of course i came here at night time and unfortunately there is no chance to visit museum.
maybe i have to come here once more for visiting here
because as i mentioned before i am a transit passenger in here
and i stay just one night
but i say you should definetely visit this location.
there is a gorgeous view around
and now i ll show it to you too.
