QAT: Doha Corniche

Doha, Qatar

Doha Corniche is a scenic waterfront promenade in the capital city of Qatar with a total length of 7 km. Having evolved from an empty stretch of walkway with Sheraton Hotel as the only interesting view, the promenade now offers the panorama of the city skyline, thanks to the rapid development in the 21st century.

From Katara Cultural Village, my BFF and I took a 15-minute Uber ride to a shopping mall called City Centre Doha in the Diplomatic Area, which cost us QAR 13.50 (~S$5.05). From there, we walked to the beginning of the promenade.

Msheireb Enrichment Centre is a museum highlighting Qatar's past, present and ambitious future plans.

That dazzling building belongs to Qatar Petroleum.

The Diplomatic Area certainly isn't short of buildings with unique shapes.

We took less than 20 minutes to reach the 1,000 m mark.

The easternmost building is Sheraton Hotel.

Qatar hosted the final tournament of the 24th Men's Handball World Championship in 2015.

The main reason for us to walk along the promenade was to see Orry the Oryx, the mascot for the 2006 Asian Games, in the form of a 30-foot statue. Nearby is a high-end restaurant called Al Mourjan.

I guess I was pretty tired after clocking close to 30,000 steps by then.

I heard that it used to be a working countdown clock. Why mice though?

The 2,000 m mark looks relatively new compared to others.

Can you tell where Museum of Islamic of Art is? Hint: it's the one bathed in floodlight.

It's an intricate caliigraphy sculpture by Sabah Arbilli.

After passing the 3,000 m mark, the one interesting thing I saw was a building known as Amiri Diwan, which is the official workplace of the Emir of Qatar.

The 4,000m is near Dhow Harbour, where many traditional wooden boats dock at. 

The Pearl Monument marks the entrance to the Dhow Harbour.

We actually missed the 5,000 m mark at first, so we had to do a bit of backtracking.

We paused to adore the stunning architecture of the Museum of Islamic Art against the night sky.

We stopped at the 5,100 m, which is next to the entrance gate of the impressive museum. From there, we walked back to The Royal Riviera Hotel and finally called it a day. 

There's a small fountain featuring eight jars in front of the museum.

Below are some photos taken along the promenade during the day.

From the information I gathered, a 30-minute boat ride costs at least QAR 25.00 (~S$5.05) per person.

The Pearl Monument looks nicer during the day, I feel.

Whenever visiting a Middle Eastern country, I always look forward to walking along its corniche.