The state of Qatar on the coast of the Persian Gulf has gained notoriety for its massive oil and gas exports, ambitious infrastructure projects and booming financial activities. However this Arabic state with its largest city, Doha, has a lot more to offer, including museums and Islamic culture, as well as picturesque parks and markets. Now the country wants to add sports to its profile, preparing venues and infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Some worry that due to climate change and global warming some areas of Qatar, where temperatures in the summer can reach 50 degrees Celsius, could become uninhabitable for humans by the 2070s. As long as life is still booming there, Sputnik will provide you with the highlights.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankShoppers at a zoo in the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
Shoppers at a zoo in the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
Skyscrapers in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankPlaying football in the desert of Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
Playing football in the desert of Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankA restaurant at the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
A restaurant at the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankYachts at Pearl-Qatarin, an artificial island in Doha, Qatar.
Yachts at Pearl-Qatarin, an artificial island in Doha, Qatar.
Readers in the National Library in Doha, Qatar.
Pearl-Qatarin, an artificial island in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankA tradesman at the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
A tradesman at the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankView at Fanar, the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center in Doha, Qatar.
View at Fanar, the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center in Doha, Qatar.
A desert selfie in Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
Meeting up at the Souq Waqif market in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankA market near a museum of Islamic art in Doha, Qatar.
A market near a museum of Islamic art in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankA plane flying over the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
A plane flying over the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankA mid-day break in the streets of the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
A mid-day break in the streets of the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
Visitors in the National Library in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil SitdikovA visitor in the museum of Islamic art in Doha, Qatar.
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© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov
A visitor in the museum of Islamic art in Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankJeep safari in the desert of Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
Jeep safari in the desert of Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
Selling falcons in the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankCamel driver, resting in the desert of Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
Camel driver, resting in the desert of Khor Al Adaid, Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankKatara Cultural Village in the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
Katara Cultural Village in the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankAn evening crowd in the capital city of Doha, Qatar.
An evening crowd in the capital city of Doha, Qatar.