Update on Katara

Summer is over so it’s nice to be able to explore around and see what’s changed over the last five months. I was meeting some friends for lunch near West Bay so in the morning I decided to stop by Katara and stroll around.

Preparations were underway for the Ajyal Youth Film Festival so workers were busy setting up signs and other things. On the main square they were setting up a big stage and tents, I presume for a concert.

Near the end of Katara this building was nearly finished. Does anyone know what it will be for? Crazy amount of stairs. I’d half expect to see it host Busby Berkeley musicals.

I noticed that the pigeon towers were not just for decoration. The white bits in the picture are pigeons, enjoying their homes.

The marketplace that is being built near the main entrance is coming along. I expect it’ll be open in 12-18 months.

The beach was looking good as well, in the southern part (nearest to the St. Regis) they’ve added a lot more chairs and umbrellas. I think they decreased the prices as well, I recall a sign that I think said QAR 25 for adults and kids were free.

I also took some time to see the exhibition of Turkish clothing from the time of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. I assume the clothes were reproductions of what was worn at the time, the clothing looked too good for it to have been 500 years old.

Speaking of Turkey it looks like the Turkish restaurant, Sukar Pasha, has built some fancy gazebos on the beach for guests to use for private dining and shisha right on the beach. They had some couches and tables out there before but it looks like they are really going high-end.

Then I chilled out with a coffee at the Al Jazeera Café. It’s a bit out of the way but it is my favourite café at Katara. I should try the breakfast there sometime but couldn’t that day as I would be eating lunch soon at my friend’s house.

And as I was leaving I noticed the development going on in the hills overlooking Katara. Maybe the plans have changed, in the plans I knew from a few years ago it was all going to be villas up there but it looks like they’ve set up some tents with views of the sea. Maybe they are going to turn some of it into a park with tents for picnics? That’d be nice.

So there’s a lot going on at Katara right now. It is a pleasant place to visit, once the development has finished it should be even nicer. Hopefully that marketplace will provide additional parking.