Monday, November 3, 2008

Why oh why at the souq

I have been away for a while and on my second weekend back in Doha I went to dinner at the souq (Souq Waqif).

I had been so pleased at the progress at the souq - with them tearing down the old 1970's concrete buildings and putting in a restaurant row. It was so lively and looking so "traditional". It really had become a great place to take visitors and show them a touch of "arab" life - not just glitzy shopping malls with US dominated food courts!

There were Moroccan, Iraqi and Iranian and Qatari restaurants with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. It just seemed like a great atmosphere when I was last there. And I was looking forward to seeing the new art centre.

I did find the new art centre and thought it was great (though very overpriced). It was clean and new but still looked traditional while housing a lot of modern art. So imagine my disappointment to find that futher down restaurant row there is now Haagen Dazs, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Second Cup Coffee, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts and more junk / western food to come...

At least Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf with its muted brown colours didn't stand out too badly - but the others, with their fluorescent lights and bright colours just distracted from the new / old feel of the souq.

I am sure that these shops will make lots of money but I would have preferred this one part of town be kept looking (and tasting and smelling) more old world!!! These shops just ruin the atmosphere...