Arabian Lights of Qatar

Just across the Persian Gulf from the famously ritzy city of Dubai, Doha is the new megalopolis of the Middle East.  Through the vision of Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani, the Arab state of Qatar has built Doha’s cityscape and scene, which emerges to rival the standby destinations of the world’s most affluent.  The city’s mystery is still relatively untapped, though there is no shortage of amenities here.  Puff shisha at the Bedouin-inspired Souq Waqif marketplace or cruise on a yacht around Doha Bay.  In the southern dunes of the desert, dune-bashing in a 4×4 Hummer is an adventurous escape from opulence.  Ineffably wealthy from its natural gas resources, Doha is juxtaposed against the burnt-red landscape of the Arabian Desert, like a diamond in the rough.  A very, very shiny one.

Photography by:  Joe Chua Agdeppa