Dhow Cruise and More

By the time I had returned to my hotel after my morning walking tour, I was ready for lunch. I decided to stop in at Tea Time, a Qatari fast-food chain that I had read about online. Expats in Qatar had mentioned Tea Time's shish tawook in online forums, so I decided to give it a try.

lunch at Tea Time

Shish tawook is a dish of marinated and grilled chicken. Here, it was served with a garlic sauce in a pita bread wrap along with a side of fries and a bottle of milk tea.

shish tawook

After lunch, I decided to spend some time at the National Museum of Qatar.

Unveiled in 2019, the National Museum was designed to draw inspiration from the desert rose, a selenite crystal formation found throughout Qatar’s arid landscapes. 

I remember my parents having some of these at our house when I was growing up.

Desert Rose via Wikimedia

The result is an intricate composition of interlocking discs that create a modern yet traditional structure with a distinctly alien look.

golden jewelry

The huge museum was undergoing some renovations, so only the main gallery was open. That was ok, though, because due to this, the ticket price was discounted, and the main gallery, featuring Qatari culture and artifacts, is what I was most interested in seeing anyway.

an exhibit about traditional clothing

As night fell, I prepared for my evening adventure out on the Doha Bay. I had booked a nighttime Dhow boat cruise, and a driver picked me up at my hotel around 7, when it was starting to get dark.

Night falls fast in the desert, as do the temperatures. With the sun down, the air was cool and very pleasant. It's no surprise that most people stay home all day and go out to socialize at night.

A dhow is a traditional boat used throughout the ancient world from India to Western Africa and dating back to at least 600 AD. Historically these sailing boats were used by fishermen and traders, and in Qatar especially they were used by pearl divers.

The boat that I was on was not a sailboat, of course, but otherwise the layout of the two-decked boat was similar to traditional dhows.

As we left the harbor, we cruised past the glowing cubic form of the Museum of Islamic Art, something that I was really remiss to have missed this time. I hope that I'll be able to check it out next time I fly through Qatar.

We leisurely cruised across the bay. It was such a nice way to enjoy an evening.

It was so cool to see the city from the water. Every building, which had looked relatively plain by day, came alive in bright colors at night.

Doha is a fascinating city and one where, despite its small size, I'd love to spend more time in the future. I actually think that I prefer it to Dubai, even though the latter has far more to do. Somehow, Doha feels more authentic and genuine.

After two days in Qatar, my stay in the small Arabian emirate was coming to an end. It was time to go home.