Doha Rental Car Coupons

Doha Attractions and Things to See

Doha mean "the big tree" or "the sticky tree", and is the capital of Qatar, a country located on the Persian Gulf, and the nation's biggest city housing over 80% of the country's population. It is the seat of the government that is ruled by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and home to Education City, a district dedicated to education and research. The city hosted the 2006 Asian Games that had been the biggest ever, and will host quite a few venues for the FIFA World Cup in 2012. Much of their economy exists in oil, producing 800,000 barrels of oil each day, after having existing on an economy that depended on fishing and pearling, with some 350 pearling boats; but when the Japanese introduced cultured pearls in the 1930s, the entire region, including the city of Doha, would suffer a major depression, and plunged into poverty. Then, just a few years later, oil would be discovered, but its production and exportation would be forced to stop because of WWII, and today, it is completely turned around, with future stocks of natural gas still to be exploited.

In 1969, the Government House opened, and today, it is the country's most prominent landmark. Buildings during that period would just simple one or two room dwellings that were constructed of coral, stone or mud, but when the Amirs of Qatar gained unimaginable riches, they would begin a development that would raze the old and replace them with more modern structures, rushing to meet the new century and riches, forgetting about their heritage and now only one wind tower remains. The incredible development and changing shape of the bay can be viewed at the National Museum, and although its port had some local importance, it wouldn't be until it was dredged and made deeper that also included some land reclamation. In 1973, the University of Qatar would be opened, and the National Museum would open in 1975 that had originally been the ruler's palace in 1912. Many believe the city has become the most magnificent city in the country, and by 2010, it housed over 1.5 million people; that made it the fastest growing countries in the world. Like many of the other cities in the region, their economy is moving away from natural gas and oil, but its main focus is still not tourism, but construction and real estate, with the prices soaring wildly even in this economy. The city has more than 50 towers under construction, the biggest being the Dubai Towers, along with 39 hotels that will join the nation's growing tourist market. Other significant projects in the city include; the Commericalbank Plaza, Aspire Tower, Dubai Towers- Doha, Education City, Al Waab City, Museum of Islamic Art, Lusail and The Pearl.

The city has become a center of construction and modernization, with a new airport under construction, more new highways and a planned metro system, which has occurred in a relatively short amount of time, that has led to congestion on its roads. There are numerous highways, a couple of expressways, a large bus system, the enlargement of the port, and the international airport. Modern schools have risen, as well as many sports venues, that include sports stadiums, and the new ASPIRE Academy that opened in 2004 and is a sports academy that is determined to create and train world class athletes. They also have a motorcycling grand prix that is held each year at the Losail International Circuit, just a bit north of the city.

The city of Doha has many excellent international restaurants that serve, Mexican, Russian, Turkish, American-continental, Asian, Brazilian, Barbeque, Grilled, Southern, South American, Chinese, Cuban, Korean, Japanese, Eastern European, Irish, Greek, Thai, French and Spanish cuisine, making it one of the most international city for cuisine in the world, with many small local cafes serving the local foods popular with the inhabitants.