Levant Lure Journey. Day 10: Doha, Qatar

September 14, 2025

On our previous visits to national museums, most of which feature large spaces, we spent several hours exploring the collections and artifacts on display. In Doha, there are two must-visit museums, namely the National Museum of Qatar (NMOQ) and the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). We have booked a two-hour evening cruise on an Arabic cruise in the late afternoon. So we decided to take the Gold Line Metro to visit the NMOQ early in the morning.

After passing through the NMOQ Park from the National Museum Station, we were impressed by the NMOQ architecture, which was designed by architect Jean Nouvel. The building symbolized the iconic structure inspired by desert rose crystal formations. I was given a free entrance ticket; however, when we were about to leave the ticketing office, the officer ran to us and returned our money. She said neither of us has to pay! Yeayyy...

Picture on left: Me in front of the NMOQ.

We were greeted with a giant projection hall telling the stories of Qatari and Bedouin lives, the oil industry, and other transformations in Qatar through decades. The transition from a life of slavery to an oil-rich country began in the late 1930s at Dukhan. Now, Qatar, specifically Doha, has become one of the most developed cities in the Middle East. Just beside the NMOQ, we visited Sheikh Abdulla Jassim Al-Thani's Palace, the ruler of the peninsular tightly coupled with the Ottoman Empire.

cuci mata.

jom ke muzium!

National Museum of Qatar

Sempat beraktiviti

Salasilah keluarga Thani

Keratan sejarah lama Doha

Heloo... Nu'man kat mana tuh?

Gambar-gambar di-sekitar kawasan lama pelabuhan Doha

Istana Lama Sheikh Abdullah Jassim terletak bersebelahan dengan NMOQ.

Menghayati suasana kota lama

Pintu masuk yang agak kecil

Perkarangan Istana Lama yang dikelilingi bangunan-bangunan moden

A brief visit to the vintage car museum in the same building as the NMOQ.

Kereta idaman.

One of the snacks that we were looking for was the kunafa pistachio chocolate, the viral Dubai version, while we were in the Middle East. We went to the nearest Lulu Center hoping it would have the variety we wanted. It was false hope. We did buy some of the local light snacks for our on-the-go munchies. It was midday and scorching hot. We took the metro back to Souq Waqif, a marketplace built with traditional Qatari architecture. We wandered through its winding alleys, lined with spice stalls, handcrafted goods, and local art.

Misi mencari coklat kunafa, tidak berjaya :P

Saya suka suasana pasar ni

Tempat melepak di waktu malam

Pemandangan dari bilik hotel.

After having a brief nap, we went to the Old Doha Port. The timing for the 2-hour "Discover Dhow Sunset Cruise" was at 5 p.m. during the summer season. We had reached the Box Park in Marina Gate 3, the meeting point, 30 minutes earlier. However, Qatar's Ministry of Transport instructed us to cancel the cruise. In the Legtaifiya neighborhood, Israeli terrorists carried out air strikes. Yes! That was the area we visited yesterday, 5 kilometers from the Katara Cultural Village, to be exact.

We wandered around the old port and little did I know there were several captivating places like the Old Doha Miniature and the MIA park. We managed to get a bus only after waiting for almost half an hour to get to the nearest metro station.

Meriah dengan warna-warni kontena di kawasan dermaga.

Kensel le pulak.

Kami berjalan menyusuri dermaga pelabuhan lama Doha.

Lama betul menunggu bas.

Disembarking from the train at the Al-Aziziyah station, we walked to the Villagio Mall. An Italianate-theme mall with a long canal inside the building. We chanced to ride the gondolas; we felt like we were in Venice. Qanat Quartier is another place where you can experience a canal boat ride since it is also known as the 'Venice of Doha.'