qatar is located in western Asia, with a tropical desert climate, a total population of 2.5 million, and Islam is the state religion. Qatar is a constitutional emirate with a territory of about 11,500 square kilometers, roughly equivalent to the area of Tianjin, my country. It is also described as a country where one foot is placed in the desert and one foot is wading in the sea.
(I) First time to Doha
I am afraid there are few Chinese people who have been to Qatar.
The 22nd World Cup Football Championship will kick off in Dohara, the capital of Qatar, on November 20, and the final will be held at Lucerne Stadium on December 18. Although the largest stadium in Qatar, which can accommodate 86,000 spectators and is built by Chinese companies, what disappoints Chinese fans is that the men's football team has no chance to enter this stadium in the final, and even the fans have no chance to enter Qatar to participate in the top 32 competition, and fans have no way to enjoy the fun brought by football and cheer on the spot.
Chinese men's football team, it's really difficult!
In October this year, magic coach Milu took a photo with some Chinese men's football team members of the 2002 Japan and South Korea World Cup
In fact, Qatar implemented a visa-free policy for citizens of 80 countries, including China. Chinese people do not need to apply for a visa in advance. They only need to hold a valid passport and buy a plane ticket to enter Qatar. Due to the impact of the epidemic today, there are very few Chinese people who can go to Qatar to watch the game.
A few years ago, I also took the Qatar Airways flight from Guangzhou and stayed in Doha for a week.
Take a bus from Doha International Airport to the city hotel, passing through the most beautiful coastal avenue in Doha along the way, with tall buildings on one side and vast sea on the other. Despite the traffic jam, there are tall date palm trees on the roadside, green grass and warm wind, so I didn’t feel bored and I was able to take pictures continuously.
Doha International Airport
Check in Sheraton Hotel , the room facing the sea. This pyramid-like first five-star hotel in Doha was built in 1982. Although it is a bit old, it is one of the landmarks that coexist with the city. The hotel area is full of flowers and greenery. It is impossible to tell that this is a hotel on the edge of the desert, and it seems to be nothing like the Shenzhen Seaview Hotel.
Looking into the distance at the Sheraton Hotel, the vast smoky Persian Gulf is endless. It was very pleasant to come to the beach to swim in the water. When I thought about it carefully, I had the experience of swimming in the Persian Gulf. I played a few more football on the beach in the hotel, which was also considered that the men's football team had played football in Doha and enjoyed it.
This hotel is still inseparable from China's economic development. On November 11, 2011, the Chinese delegation signed the Protocol to join the WTO (WTO) here. From then on, China began to enter the fast track of economic globalization, and it also marked a new stage of China's reform and opening up.
(II) Enjoy life
Doha's new day starts from the sunrise in the Persian Gulf, it is like Qatar, a rising emerging country.
Qatar is rich in oil and gas resources and is currently the world's largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas , making it one of the richest countries in the world. The strong financial resources made Qatar full of confidence and applied for and obtained the hosting rights of Football World Cup in 2022. This is also the first time that the World Cup history is held in the Middle East countries in . At the same time, in order to avoid the high temperatures of 40 or 50 degrees Celsius here in summer, it is held in winter. To this end, Qatar has made a large-scale construction project, and it is said that the expenditure budget reaches US$200 billion.
In Qatar, gasoline is cheaper than water is not a "experience". Each liter of gasoline is only about 2 to 3 yuan.Most of the water that families drink in the supermarket is bought, and the price of a bottle of mineral water is about ten times that of the domestic price. The locals are rich and rich. Luxury cars of various brands of Ferrari , Porsche , Lamborghini , Rolls-Royce , Maserati , Jaguar , etc. are not uncommon on the streets. More than that, many people sometimes fly to , Dubai or even fly to Europe to buy for high-end products.
Qatar's social welfare is very good. Citizens enjoy free medical care, housing, education, and even household electricity and water. The state also provides villas for every Qatari who applies for free, and many "poor" also have cars and nannies from other developing countries.
In Doha, there is a place called Katara Cultural Village that is very worth a visit. This is a comprehensive building complex that combines an ancient Roman-style open-air amphitheater, concert hall, specialty goods, and cultural and creative market. Most of the buildings inside the cultural village are in Islamic style. If you look at each building carefully, the colors and styles are very elegant and exquisite, which is very praiseworthy.
Doha internet celebrity check-in place - Katara Cultural Village
Night is coming, and you can watch free but very Arabic performances in the open amphitheater. The person sitting in the front row has a prominent position, perhaps a member of the royal family or some special person. A table was temporarily placed in front of the seat and various drinks were placed. The audience around the back row whispered in language from different countries, obviously from all over the world. The program performed by the artist on stage was not explained, and although he didn't know what to express, it completely overturned his previous cognition. The woman not only performed on stage, took off her usual black robe and wore brightly colored clothes, but also sang and danced on the same stage with the men. This also shows that people in the emerging country of Qatar both maintain traditions and customs, and are also inclusive and open to the world.
It’s not considered that I have visited Duoha before visiting the Waqifu Night Market. Here you can truly appreciate the atmosphere and charm of folk customs and traditions. Turn into the alleys crisscrossing like a maze, which are filled with various Islamic merchandise stores, including silverware, spices, ceramics, jewelry, clothing, and food. The smoke of roasted lamb was intertwined with the vague dance music ; under the slightly dark moonlight and street lights, I sometimes saw a woman wearing a black robe and a veiled Arab knight in a white robe, as if I were in the scene of a thousand and one night...
(III) The beautiful palace
The vast desert and vast sea inevitably make people feel stagnant and monotonous for Qatar. However, when I entered the Qatar Museum of Islamic Art, I refreshed my understanding: Doha is still an art center that brings together the extremely splendor and rich cultural essence of Islam.
Exterior location of the famous Islamic Art Museum
The museum was originally conceived by King Kada and his daughter, Princess Sheikha al Mayassa. The museum was built not only for collection and exhibition, but also for reshaping people's understanding of the Muslim world and becoming a stage to show the opening and rise of Qatar to the world.
The designer of the Islamic Art Museum of Qatar is I.M. Pei , a 20th century architectural design master, designed famous buildings such as the Louvre Glass Pyramid, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and the Bank of China Building in Hong Kong. He himself claimed that the Islamic Art Museum was the last large-scale work he designed. In order to fully demonstrate the characteristics of Islamic architecture, I.M. Pei visited and searched in several Arab countries for several months to inspire design inspiration. He also devoted himself to studying Mohammed and Islamic teachings. Because he was worried that the museum would be submerged in other surrounding environments, he actually persuaded the Qatar royal family to reclaim the land to build the museum on an independent island, which was unique.
Outside the museum, the white marble and simple geometric superimposed appearance of the building is worth taking pictures. If you look closely, its appearance looks like a Muslim woman wearing a veil with only her eyes exposed. Through the arched exterior wall, you can clearly see the azure sea and the graceful outlines of Doha's modern buildings.
Inside the museum, in contrast to the simple and modern design of the building's exterior, the interior decoration is full of rich Islamic elements. The huge silver dome design in the center and the main body decoration are magnificent. The huge dome, glass curtain wall, arched windows and circular staircase all reflect the characteristics of Islamic architecture.
The museum collection collects and preserves colorful Islamic artworks from all over the world, including Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt, Spain and other places, and even cultural relics from China. The collection spans more than a thousand years from the 7th century to the 19th century. Museum managers said that the collection here presents the magnificent history of the Islamic world and displays its rich cultural heritage.
Islamic Art Museum exhibits
The author has visited the Louvre in France and the British Museum in the United Kingdom. Although the collection in the Islamic Art Museum in Qatar is far less than that, the quality and exquisiteness of its collection are not inferior at all, and it can be called a top collection.
(4) Eye-opening
The art treasures in the exhibition hall of Qatar Islamic Art Museum are all beautiful, exquisite and amazing.
The rare collection includes: Quran, carpets, coins, metal products, pottery, tiles, jewelry, wood carvings, textiles, ivory products, Islamic manuscripts, weapons, armor, as well as thousands of physical objects such as Islamic calligraphy, classical books, and oil paintings and portraits.
The collection of cultural relics in the metal crafts exhibition area of the museum left a deep impression on people. Mainly include mortar , incense burner, large water bottle, mirror, door knocker . Among them, the 10th-century ewe-shaped bronze fountain head and the 14th-century candlestick decorated with weird constellations and planetary symbols are of considerable research value; the Ottoman metal crafts from the 16th to the 19th century include silver medals, brass medals, gem-decorated copper-zinc alloy medals, perfume bottles, and even laundry tubs.
The metal cast astrolabe was probably made between 984 and 986 AD and is very precious. As a calculation tool, it can observe astronomy, stars and geography, and can also help believers determine the direction of the holy city of Mecca.
There is also a very rare 14th or 15th century red silk carpet in the museum, with delicate and bright patterns that are very eye-catching. The palace jade amulet of the Mughal Dynasty in India is also extremely rare, with a warm and elegant color that makes people stop.
The museum also takes visitors into the history of the Islamic world, from the Mediterranean in the west to the Indian Ocean in the east and other regions. The content covers the multi-dimensional development of politics, economy, culture, art and other areas over the past millennium, including the Ottoman Empire, which ruled today's Turkey and most of the Arab lands, the Safavid Empire in Iran, and the Mughal Dynasty that ruled India in South Asia. The cultural background and customs of the residents of this area still have a huge impact on the historical tracing and recognition of their identity.
The country’s system, the formation of religion, and economic development are in line with history, culture, customs, and geographical location. Today, with the blending of Eastern and Western civilizations, rapid changes in the times, and intensified geopolitical conflicts, it is even more necessary for people to cherish and protect mankind's common historical and cultural heritage. Only through the interdependence between modern and ancient times, the respect of nationalities and beliefs, and the tolerance of the East and the West can the world become harmonious, peaceful, and colorful.
Qatar, a country full of legends and inherited history.I wish the Qatar World Cup a complete success and all participating teams respect each other and compete fairly!
Author丨Tang Jisong, Vice President of the Chinese Society of Social Insurance
Editing丨Yang Ying, Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News Editor
Typesetting丨Ye Junyan
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