The amphitheatre
Marble seating for five thousand facing the sea, used for concerts.
Davide Mauro — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chainwit. — CC BY-SA 4.0 · P. Hughes — CC BY 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY 4.0
A whole cultural district on the coast between West Bay and The Pearl, built to house Doha's events, exhibitions and concerts — the name Katara is the ancient name for the Qatari peninsula as it appears on Ptolemy's maps. It is not a single monument but a collection of buildings, theatres, halls, squares and restaurants, most of them open and free. Its most striking structures are the open-air amphitheatre in the Graeco-Roman manner, with marble seating for five thousand looking straight out to sea, used for concerts; the Golden Mosque with its gold and blue mosaic, among the finest modern mosques in the Gulf; the Blue Mosque with its patterned domes; and the two traditional pigeon towers. There is an opera house, art galleries, a photography centre, a small museum, and a continuous events programme — and the events are the real point of the place, so anyone arriving on an empty day will find it quiet, handsome and with nothing in particular to do. Katara Beach lies behind it with a nominal entry fee and water sports. The restaurants along the front are numerous, varied and expensive. The best time is late afternoon and evening, especially on winter evenings and during festivals.
Marble seating for five thousand facing the sea, used for concerts.
Gold and blue mosaic, among the finest modern mosques in the Gulf.
Two traditional dovecotes, among the most photographed things here.
Between West Bay and The Pearl, Doha
Its value drops considerably, frankly. The buildings are handsome, the mosques worth seeing and the seafront pleasant in the evening, but an hour will do. With an event or festival on it becomes something else entirely and is worth a whole evening.
They adjoin on the northern coast, minutes apart by car and walkable along parts of the front. The usual order is Katara in the late afternoon and dinner at The Pearl, or the reverse. Together they make one comfortable evening.
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