"DOHA - Is it Boring to be there ?" Top 5 Page for this destination Qatar by Pakistaniguy

On a Beach Resort in Qatar.

16 April 2003:

Today i woke up very early in the morning. Said my morning prayer. I was staying at my relatives place in Karachi. They were very kind and helpful. Their driver left me on the airport for my Qatar Airways flight to Doha at 09.00 a.m. Sun was rising and the streets of Karachi were getting cleaned by sweepers. Driver dropped me at the airport around 7.00 a.m. I had less baggage so i quickly checked - In. I saw the Free Internet sign and two PC's so i couldn't stop myself and i logged on to VT :-) to check my VT emails and to see who is online from my friends list. I made some photos and after all the procedures i came to the departure lounge and started waiting for my flight to be announced. As soon as my flight was announced i was the first one to show my boarding card and to get into the plane ;-) I was impressed by the lovely smile of the airhostess of Qatar airways who welcome me on-board ! ;-) The ticket of Qatar Airways was a couple of hundred Euros cheaper than Emirates and i was expecting that the Quality of plane would also be lesser than Emirates. Yes ! It was ! BUT .... we should keep in mind that Emirates is too Luxurious and provide a lot of facilities which are extra to the Economy passengers as well. Qatar Airways was 'Just-the-Right-Combination' of facilities. Not too much and not too less. I liked it. Soon the time spent so quickly and i landed in Qatar ! I thanked Allah for the safe trip. I was very happy to put my foot on ground because it was the 18th country which i visited MashAllah ! After all the usual procedures i came out of the Doha airport and Qatar airways assistant lady and my cousin were waiting to receive me. We three went together to Marriots Hotel which was provided to my by Qatar Airways because i was a transit passenger and i had to catch my next flight to Frankfurt Am Main - Germany, next morning. I was really happy by the service of the airline and importance they give to their passengers. So, after taking the room i went to all the nice places in Doha with my cousin and her husband. I dedicate this page to them for showing me around Qatar !

Flag of QATAR

Location: A mostly barren peninsula in the Persian Gulf, bordering Saudi Arabia.

Capital: Doha (pop. 217,294, 1986)

Population: 769,152. Only 20% of the population are Qatari citizens. The rest of the population consists of resident workers from other Middle Eastern and Asian nations.

Language: Arabic, although English is widely used. The literacy rate is 80%.

History: Qatar became an ?Independent protectorate? of Britain in 1916 after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. Qatar achieved full independence as a modern nation-state for the first time when Britain withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971.

Religion: 90% Muslim. Most native Qataris belong to the stringently orthodox Wahabbi sect of Islam. Qatar and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong ties because both are Wahabbist states.

Economy: Oil accounts for more than 30% of Qatar?s $9.2 billion GDP, 80% of export earnings, and 66% of government revenues.

Politics: Qatar is a traditional monarchy (emirate), ruled since the early nineteenth century by the Al Thani family. The current emir (and prime minister) is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. Executive power rests with a Council of Ministers, the members of which are appointed by the emir. The emir decrees laws on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers and after consultation with a 35-seat Advisory Council. The constitution calls for direct elections to the Advisory Council, but none have been held. Twenty of the Advisory Council members are selected by the emir among nominees voted from each of 10 electoral districts; 15 members are appointed directly by the emir. Laws cannot be enacted without the consent of the emir. As of January 1994, 10 of 18 members of the Council of Ministers belonged to the Al Thani family. Universal suffrage officially exists for all Qatari citizens but Qatar had no direct elections of any sort until 1999, when a new 29-member Central Municipal Council, which has a consultative role aimed at improving the provision of municipal services, was elected.

Public dissent generally is not tolerated in Qatar, although the emir recently made an exception by allowing protest at a meeting of the World Trade Organization held in Doha in November 2001. Unlike some Middle Eastern countries, Qatar has no official censorship, but media outlets consistently refrain from disseminating material critical of the ruling family, the government, or Islam. There are no political parties or advocacy groups, and no political leaders other than the emir. According to Freedom House, Qatar rates a 6 (with 7 being the worst) on a scale measuring both civil liberties and political rights, designating it as Not Free.

• Pros:Food is good, A lovely place for Shopping of all kinds
• Cons:Not at all any impressive history.
• In a nutshell:Not at all a Must See but nice place for a short stay