Hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022 put the little-but-loaded Gulf state of Qatar on the map for many people, and a decade ago I had the chance to see the capital city Doha for a short time on a layover on the way back to see my family at Christmas. Travelling to Qatar took me out of my way a fair bit and only saved a tiny amount of cash compared to a direct flight but I was keen to return to that part of the world whilst I had the chance. I had 12 hours in Doha to see and do as much as I could but was it enough time and was it all worth it?

Having arrived at Doha International Airport at 4:30 am, I paid QAR100 ($28) for a visa, waited around for the sun to rise a couple of hours later and then took a taxi to the Al-Ahli Stadium, formerly known as Hamad Bin Khlifa Stadium. This was where Japan dramatically failed to qualify for their first World Cup which has since become known as the “Agony of Doha” (Dōha no higeki). Since that match in 1993, bus loads of Japanese tourists doing layovers in Qatar’s capital have been transported around the main sights of Doha with part of the itinerary always including this crumbling old stadium.

Beforehand my expectations were fairly low as I knew it was an old, decaying ground far removed from the state-of-the-art stadiums which would be seen in the 2022 World Cup. Based on what I saw from the taxi passenger seat, vast parts of the city were building sites but none of that quite prepared me for the welcome I’d receive on my arrival at this once famous stadium. The place really was a shadow of its former self and just about standing with the aid of scaffolding all over the place.

As the taxi metre was still running, I didn’t have too much time to waste so darted straight into the ground and asked one of the many men hanging about if I could see the pitch. A guy led me through a tangled tapestry of cables, wires, hard hats, rubble and general emptiness before I was eventually left to my own devices and allowed to walk out the tunnel. In 1993, the stadium which holds 12,000, had around 4000 fans waiting to greet the sides. For me, it was a handful of mystified builders! A few months after this trip, my trip report featured in J-Soccer Magazine; the world’s number one Japanese football magazine in English!

The taxi driver then dropped me off at the Museum of Islamic Arts and I wandered up Al-Corniche; the very pleasant crescent which winds around the bay for 8 kilometres. I only followed this promenade under the palms for a fraction of its total length stopping along the way to admire the Pearl Monument.

As for the views across the bay of this oil rich state, they were lovely with the high-rise buildings stood across the Dhow Harbour with the architecturally wonderful museum and hundreds of ships in the foreground.

A little further along Al-Corniche I crossed the road which was a mission in itself as many of the main roads in Doha are so wide, and with the traffic constant, it took a while to get across as the lights don’t seem to stop too often. Once on the other side I could see Diwan Emiri; the government building that houses a lot of the highest level decision makers in Qatar.

The lush green turf surrounding the building as well as the clock tower and the Grand Mosque had some mounted police on Arabian horses trotting up and down which would become quite a common sight throughout my short stay in the city.

Lying across from that area were the horse stables and just beyond that was Souq Waqif; the most important historic market in Doha and a window to the beautiful past and authentic history and culture for the community. It was pretty dead when I entered as it was still very early on in the day which in some ways was quite nice as I had the Falcon Souq all to myself!

Thereafter the sandy coloured buildings were far more prominent as I wandered deeper into the souq amidst a plethora of alleys, pathways, mosques, hotel apartments, markets, outdoor cafes, souvenir shops and so on.

Lunch was at a Lebanese place specialising in manakeesh (a pizza-like flatbread topped with thyme, cheese or ground meat) where I ate the traditional form of zaatar (dried thyme mixed with oil and sesame), batata (sweet potato fries) and mini fattoush which is basically a salad containing cucumbers, mint, parsley, tomatoes, lettuce, green pepper, cheese and oven-baked squares.

Satisfied with my lunch, I left and walked round the souq for a little bit more which was a far busier and atmospheric place by then. After a while I realised I was not going to get anything more out of my souq experience so headed back to Al-Corniche to go inside the Museum of Islamic Arts which was free and enjoyable enough but more for the architecture and the views from the museum rather than the exhibits.

I called it a day after that and caught a taxi back to the airport. I paid for a visa but if you arrive at the right time I think there are free bus tours of the city for transit passengers including all the official documentation or some kind of waiver. Of course, it would have been better to have a bit more time in Qatar, and maybe spend the night there but I was very satisfied with what I  managed to see and do when I was there. The only downside was that I had to do a (far, far shorter) transit in Doha on the return leg when I’d rather have just flown directly between London and Tokyo without such a detour!

Click here to read ‘Tokyo Fox’s World Cup 2022 Overview’

Click here to read ‘Tragedy Of Doha Article Featured In Latest J-Soccer Magazine’

Click here to read ‘Qatar 2014 Pt I: The “Agony Of Doha” Revisited’

Click here to read ‘Qatar 2014 Pt II: A Day In Doha’