ak photography hemispheres mag 3 pd-doha janv2013

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13 Hemispheheres

THREE PERFECT DAYS IN DOHA

25 NEW THINGS TO DO IN 2013 // HOW A NEW MEXICO ART DEALER SPARKED AN EPIC TREASURE HUNT // WHY SUPER BOWL GAMES ARE SURPRISINGLY SO GOOD AGAIN // THE HEMI Q&A PUTS A TAIL ON SUSPENSE WRITER JAMES PATTERSON

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80 THREE PERFECT DAYS: DOHACultural riches and exotic diversions await in Qatar’s booming capital city

WELCOME ABOARD

CEO LETTER A word from Jeff Smisek

VOICES A message to fl yers

CONNECTIONS What’s new at United

12

14

15

66THE THRILL OF

THE CHASEHow a Santa Fe art

collector’s supposed dying wish has turned into a treasure hunt of

epic proportions

72OUT WITH THE OLDThe best new things

to see in 2013, from a Dr. Seussian garden in Singapore to Picasso’s

long-awaited return to Paris

62THE HEMI Q&A

With a new bestseller-to-be out this month,

James Patterson talks books, Hollywood

and pet peeves

HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY 2013 7

YOUR COMPLIMENTARY

COPY

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JANUARYENTERTAINMENT

AND INFORMATION

Movies, Television and Audio Programming

Crossword and Sudoku

Route Maps, Customs &

Immigration, Our Fleet, Terminal Diagrams, Safety & Travel

Assistance, MileagePlus and Alliances & Partnerships

Food & Beverages

DISPATCHESGLOBETROTTING

News and notes from around the world

ROAD TRIPA Spanish expedition in

the sporty Mini Cooper S convertible follows in

Don Quixote’s hoofprints

FOOD & DRINKMeet Sergio Herman,

the Netherlands’ fi rst rock-star chef

STAYFrom Maine to Milan, the

month’s hottest hotels

CULTURETHE MONTH AHEAD

What to read, watch and listen to in January

THE FAN

How the Super Bowl went from mere spectacle

to one of the best showdowns in sports

BRIGHT IDEASHOW IT’S DONE

The train of tomorrow gets off the ground

in Japan

INDUSTRYCould Detroit’s strategy

for beating joblessness become a national model?

TECHCalling for a return

to Silicon Valley’s pioneering heyday

17

25

29

35

39

47

51

53

57

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ABOUT THE COVER: Doha’s skyline as seen from the fountain courtyard of the I.M. Pei–designed Museum of Islamic Art, photographed by Aurelie Korady

97

106 111

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“Wild Things” host Dominic Monaghan gets wrapped up in his work

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Wild Things” st Dominic onaghan getsapped up in work

8 JANUARY 2013 • HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM

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YOU MAY NOW USE YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES!Download Hemispheres’ free iPad app and get every issue, plus special bonus features like additional photos, stories and video.

MARGIE GOLDSMITH is a New York–based adventure, luxury and lifestyle journalist who has traveled to 120 countries and written about them all. Though she didn’t fi nd Forrest Fenn’s buried treasure while in Santa Fe (“The Thrill of the Chase,” page 66), she did discover Frito pie, and bought enough Native American jewelry to fi ll her own treasure chest.

IN WITH THE NEWWHAT DO A CUTTING-EDGE Canadian planetar-ium, an underwater “suburb” in Mexico, a Singapore park straight out of Dr. Seuss and the world’s big-gest Ferris wheel have in common? Not to mention a Parisian trove of Picasso paintings, a tank of sharks in Cleveland and a whole museum dedicated to ABBA in Sweden?

The answer: They’re all included in “Out With the Old” (page 72), a special travel package that rounds up some of the best new things to see and do in 2013—from Amsterdam to Beverly Hills to Rio.

When you’re done poring over the latest and greatest from around the world, we’ll introduce you to a man who hid a treasure chest worth millions in Santa Fe, explain why Super Bowl games have suddenly go� en so exciting, diagnose Silicon Valley’s hopeless fi xation on apps, and try to fi gure out, with help from mega-selling author James Pa� erson, how, exactly, a person can write more than 100 novels (a resolution of ours). And from us to you, best wishes for a safe and prosperous new year. —The Editors

CONTRIBUTORS

GEOFFREY GRAY is a contributing editor for New York magazine and the author of Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper. He’s been spending a lot of time in Spain lately, wandering the provinces in search of adventure à la Don Quixote—though he vastly prefers a zippy Mini Cooper convertibleto an old nag named Rocinante (“Knight Shift,” page 25).

AURELIE KORADY is a French freelance photographer based in Qatar, where she frequently exhibits herwork. While Korady enjoyed the adventure of shooting “Three Perfect Days: Doha” (page 80)—including a wild “dune bashing” expedition—the people she met were the real highlight. “Everyone’s so welcoming,” she says. “I love this country!”

EDITOR IN CHIEF Joe KeohaneEXECUTIVE EDITOR Chris WrightMANAGING EDITOR Jennifer L. JohnsonSENIOR EDITOR Jacqueline Detwiler FASHION EDITOR Nino BautiEDITOR AT LARGE Sam Polcer

ART DIRECTOR Christine Bower-Wright ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Jeff QuinnPHOTO EDITOR Julien Tomasello

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jay Cheshes, Alyssa Giacobbe, Mike Guy, Michael Kaplan, Jon Marcus, Adam K. Raymond, Cristina Rouvalis, Grant StoddardCONTRIBUTING ARTISTSChristine Berrie, Peter James Field, Alex Nabaum, Peter Oumanski, James Provost, Steve Stankiewicz

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Michael KeatingU.S. EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Orion Ray-Jones

Ink, 68 Jay St., Ste. 315,Brooklyn, NY 11201Tel: +1 347-294-1220 Fax: +1 917-591-6247editorial@hemispheresmagazine.comhemispheresmagazine.com

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InkCEO Jeff rey O’RourkeCOO Hugh GodsalPUBLISHING DIRECTOR Simon LeslieHEMISPHERES is produced monthly by Ink. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. All prices and data are correct at the time of publication. Opinions expressed in Hemispheres are not necessarily those of the Publisher or United Airlines, and United Airlines does not accept any responsibility for advertising content. Neither United, its subsidiaries nor affi liates guarantees the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of, or otherwise endorses these facts, views, opinions or recommendations, gives investment advice, or advocates the purchase or sale of any security or investment. You should always seek the assistance of a professional for tax and investment advice. Any images are supplied at the owner’s risk. Any mention of United Airlines or the use of United Airlines logo by any advertiser in this publication does not imply endorsement of that company or its products or services by United Airlines.


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THREE PERFECT DAYS

DOHAIn just a few years, the capital of Qatar has gone from desert

backwater to major player in global tourism, off ering cultural

riches, top-notch cuisine and a bo� omless supply of bling

BY ALISTAIR CRIGHTONPHOTOGRAPHS BY AURELIE KORADY

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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM • DECEMBER 2012 81

RIDING HIGH A camel tender atop his mount at Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack; left, shopping mecca Souq Waqif

83DAY ONE

A treasure island of traditional art,

lingering over chai and a shisha, an

evening of classic American jazz

86DAY TWO

Wandering the ruins at Zubara,

high-velocity camels, wild

four-wheeling in the desert

88DAY THREE

Shopping in a Venetian fantasy-

land, Boléro by the bay, a local

seafood feast



THREE PERFECT DAYS || DOHA

QATAR HAS COME A LONG WAY in a short time. Having gained its independence only four decades ago, this small spit of desert jutting into the Persian Gulf now boasts the world’s highest per-capita GDP, and is punching well above its weight in the fi elds of hospi-tality, fi nance and international sport.

It’s a far cry from the 1930s, when a Japanese invention—cultured pearls—devas-tated the pearl diving industry on which Qatar’s economy relied. Then the discovery of fossil fuels here in the 1940s reversed its fortunes overnight.

More recently, Qatar has been on a development binge that’s transformed it into one of the most vibrant and a� ractive spots in the Gulf.

With the soccer World Cup heading to Qatar in 2022, the capital city’s revival is being stepped

up. A� er spending years in the shadow of nearby Dubai, Doha is emerging as a destination to be reckoned with: a

place where travelers can immerse themselves in the best of Middle East culture while knowing that a hot nightspot, hip restaurant or fl eet of matching Rolls-Royces is never far away.

WANT MORE? Download our iPad app.

REFLECTING HERITAGE The I.M. Pei–designed Museum of Islamic Art; top right, an array of mezes at Tajine; bottom right, glitz for sale in Msheireb



DOHA || THREE PERFECT DAYS

DAY ONE | The morning sun wakes you earlier than expected, amplifi ed as it is by the wall-to-wall shininess of your suite. Al Jasra Boutique Hotel, a neo-traditional property in Doha’s Souq Waqif market, is luxurious even by the Gulf ’s “seven star” standards, an opulence literally refl ected in the mirror fi nish applied to every surface.

Having located and donned your sun-glasses, you indulge in a bedside treat of espresso and chocolate-dipped straw-berries, then amble down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast: a hearty bowl of foul (cooked beans served with piquant condiments) and more strong coff ee.

Souq Waqif is still sleeping, so you catch a cab to the Museum of Islamic Art, which rises like a cubist sculpture from the uncannily turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf. Set on a small artificial island, the I.M. Pei–designed building pays homage to timeless Islamic architecture, but with a modernist twist. You pause to watch dhows, traditional wooden sailboats, bobbing between the museum and the glistening skyline, then head inside.

It’s easy to lose yourself among the museum’s cultural riches: ancient, fi nely cra� ed rugs, artworks and sundry imple-ments, many of which date back to the time when the Islamic world led the way

DOHA BY THE NUMBERS

POPULATION

796,947

ESTIMATED PERCENTAGEOF POPULATION MADE UP

OF EXPATRIATES

85

AREA, IN SQUARE MILES

51

NATURAL GAS RESERVES IN QATAR, IN CUBIC FEET (NO. 3 IN THE WORLD)

896 TRILLION

PER-CAPITA GDP (NO. 1 IN THE WORLD)

$104,300

VALUE OF WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE ARTWORK

(CEZANNE’S THE CARD PLAYERS, BOUGHT BY QATAR’S ROYAL FAMILY)

$250 MILLION

NUMBER OF STADIUMS TO BE BUILTFOR THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

9

NUMBER OF NEW HOTEL ROOMS NEEDED TO HANDLE

THE WORLD CUP INFLUX

10,000+

LENGTH, IN MILES, OF PROPOSED WORLD’S-LONGEST BRIDGE

BETWEEN QATAR AND BAHRAIN

24.85



MAD STASHA royal’s personal museum pushes the boundaries of tasteIf the Museum of Islamic Art’s holdings are the most famous of Qatar’s art collections, then Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani’s personal stash is perhaps the most infamous. Located on the edge of the city, the sheikh’s namesake museum keeps irregular hours, but for those who make it inside, a real eye-opener awaits.

Over the years, the sheikh has amassed a huge treasure trove (there are tales of cargo containers of purchases arriving every month), and items on display encompass everything from U.S. muscle cars to Islamic manuscripts, nautical equipment, rugs, stamps, coins, bowling balls and virtually any-thing else that can be collected.

The museum’s centerpiece, though, is an array of Saddam Hussein memorabilia, which includes items of the Iraqi dictator’s clothing. It’s a puzzling, even unnerving thing to behold. As one visitor was overheard to wonder: Why? Of course, that same visitor continued to gaze upon these artifacts for a good while, eff ectively answering her own question.


in artistic and scientifi c development. The intricate weapons on display, meanwhile, remind you of the region’s corresponding military might.

Exiting the museum, you swing right and stroll the palm-lined Corniche, a favorite gathering spot for Doha society in the cooler months. You stop at a café for a restorative chai—sweet, spiced tea—then cab it back to Souq Waqif, where you navi-gate a warren of shops hawking everything from gaudy fabrics to sticky sweets. Wiz-ened porters thread their barrows through formations of black-clad matrons, watched by offi cers of the mounted Amiri Guard, resplendent in their white kaffi yehs and gold-framed aviator sunglasses.

For lunch, you go for adventurous: baby camel tagine at the stylish Moroccan eatery Tajine, located on Souq Waqif’s main drag. Served with a mixture of mezes, it’s rustic and very tasty—think mutton rather than lamb but leaner, richer and, thanks to hours of stewing, far more tender.

Though Doha has a reputation for being fast-paced, locals have made an art form of going nowhere slowly. Accordingly, you linger at one of the cafés lining the main street, where you spend a sedentary hour smoking a shisha, an aromatic water pipe, and playing “guess the nationality” as a diverse parade of people passes by.

A short taxi ride takes you to the Arab Museum of Modern Art, also known as Mathaf, which is stacked with excellent examples of Arab modernist art (you are particularly taken with the “Tea With Nefertiti” exhibition, which showcases Egyptian art from the age of the pharaohs to the Arab Spring). Another cab whisks you through the city’s high-rise monuments to wealth and on to West Bay Lagoon, home to the second hotel of your stay.

The St. Regis Doha is a paragon of Gulf bling: a fl eet of Rolls-Royces and Jaguars outside, acres of marble within. You push through the sprays of aromatic flowers and emerge into the gli� ering lobby, where a female harpist who surely moonlights as a supermodel plinks melodiously. Soon you are approached by a phalanx of liveried staff, one of them your butler, and are led to your gold-tinted room.

If you want a drink in Doha, the big hotels are pre� y much your only option. So, after a sunset dip in the Olympic-size pool, you head for the St. Regis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha, a new club launched by its New York namesake, where

GRAND BIZARRE Inside the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani Museum

GREAT CATCH Above, grilled prawns at L’wzaar Seafood Market; opposite, clockwise from top left, traditional pigeon towers in Katara; a selection of water pipes, called shishas; the Al Jasra Boutique Hotel’s over-the-top lobby; a sampling of Souq Waqif’s wealth of traditional crafts


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you spend an evening in the company of jazz legend (and the club’s artistic direc-tor) Wynton Marsalis. Between sets, the musicians mingle with the audience, and you’re joined for dinner by saxophonist Walter Blanding, who, having watched you demolish pla� ers of succulent crab cakes and lobster, declares his own entrée to be “the best darn burger I’ve ever had.”

After dinner, you down a Sazerac—a New Orleans twist on the old-fashioned—and marvel at this cosmopolitan nightspot, smack-dab in the middle of the Middle East. A Sazerac or two later, the mood light-ing seems even moodier. Time for a snooze.

DAY TWO | It’s another dazzler outside, so you grope your way to a bathroom bigger than many hotel suites and hit the shower. Then you pop downstairs to one of the St. Regis’ 10 on-site eateries, Vine, for a perfectly prepared chili-infused omelet. You’ll need the extra zing, you fi gure, for the experience that awaits.

Driving in Doha isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it’s a must if you want to go beyond the city limits. So you rent a car and hurtle north toward Al Khor. While Qatar’s industrial second city is hardly an obvious destination, you want to see its wharf, which turns out to be well worth the 45-minute trip. The hulking dhows here were built using age-old methods in the nearby shipyard, and they still ply ancient trade routes. The captain of one scruff y vessel invites you to join him on deck for a glass of tea. You take him up on it (much to the consternation of his crew), and are entertained with what you hope are salty tales of the high seas but, given the language barrier, might be a commen-tary on the state of cricket in his home country of India.

A 50-minute drive northwest takes you through an arid, relentlessly fl at landscape, the monotony occasionally broken by an oasis or a pre� y mosque. You’re heading for a local oddity: Zubara, an abandoned 18th-century se� lement that’s become a sort of al fresco museum. Upon arriving, you stroll among its ruined houses, then tour the nearby Zubara Fort, an imposing early-20th-century structure that must have been an unhappy post in the days before air conditioning.

Turning back toward Doha, you stop at Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack, about 20 miles outside the city. There’s no race




HUMP DAY A gaggle of camels at Al Shahaniya;

top right, the opulent Villaggio mall; bottom

right, the St. Regis Doha




on, but you’re lucky enough to see some practice runs. The surly animals achieve a remarkable pace, geed on by bizarre robotic jockeys. A local breeder tells you these ani-matronic riders are a Qatari invention, and have replaced the child jockeys that only a few years ago were the norm.

Though you get back on the road, a truly arresting spectacle soon has you hi� ing the brakes. The sprawl of refi neries just south of Doha is like a distorted refl ection of the city’s skyline. You gawp for a while at the fl aming towers cut-ting through giant dunes, then make for your lunch destination: Lagoon Ristorante, located at the perfectly manicured Sealine Beach Resort. You devour an excellent linguine al gamberi, yet you don’t tarry a� erward—your driver from a local adventure outfit has arrived to take you dune bashing in a 4x4.

For the next hour or so, as the driver negotiates near-vertical off -road terrain, you are able to form only two thoughts: “ouch” and “eek.” It’s fun, but you and your ra� ling bones are happy to disembark at the Inland Sea, a picturesque spot where billowing dunes plunge into an inlet of the Persian Gulf. A� er a quick dip, you climb

a dune to watch one of the most dramatic sunsets you’ve ever seen. Your inner peace abates, however, when the driver takes you roaring through the dunes once again. It’s much scarier in the dark.

Having piloted your rental car back to Doha, you clear the sand from your ears before heading to the W Hotel for dinner

at the chic Market by Jean-Georges, where you plump for an exquisite fontina and black truffl e pizza, washed down with a dra� Hoegaarden. Next, you beeline it to Crystal, the W’s studiously hip nightclub, and dance into the wee hours, racking up

a tab that outstrips the GDP of some small countries. All in all, then, a very good night.

DAY THREE | A lie-in and breakfast in bed—eggs Benedict (no ham)—steel you for your fi rst activity of the day. At mid-morning, you’re heading to the ’burbs for that most Qatari of pastimes: shopping.

Doha can’t compete with the retail wonderland of Dubai, but Villaggio is a step in that direction. With its swank boutiques and canal-traversing gondolas, the Venetian-themed mall is hugely popular with locals, who shop for brands so exclusive you’ve never heard of them, with price tags you’re not likely to forget. You pop into Gondolania, the in-mall theme park, and perch beside its ice rink to take in the unlikely spectacle of a Qatari hockey game. Then it’s back to downtown, where a diff erent sort

of retail experience awaits.Most of Msheireb, part of the old city

center, is in the process of being rebuilt. The areas that have escaped demolition are some of the most colorful in town—a clu� er of markets selling everything from fruit-and-veg to $5 “Rolexes.” You hit the Gold Souq, where you deck yourself out in

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM THOSE IN THE KNOW ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER JAMES FIELD

Yasmine KassemMARKETING EXECUTIVE

“The café at the Museum of Islamic Art Park is one of the

coolest places in the city to hang out. It’s a fantastic spot

for cultured conversation in an idyllic setting.”

Lana ShammaEVENTS/PUBLICITY MANAGER

“One of Doha’s hidden fi nds is a kitschy antiques shop called

Champs-Élysées. It’s stacked with stuff like Arabic-language Coca-Cola signs and vintage cameras.

Don’t forget to haggle!”

Nicholas WilsonMARKETING CONSULTANT

“Taking in a local football match is an experience. Qatari men are

crazy about soccer. The 2022 World Cup should have a great

atmosphere.”

NOTEWORTHY IMPORT Getting into the swing of things at Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha

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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY 2013 • MAP BY STEVE STANKIEWICZ 89


0 1 mile

DAY ONEDAY TWODAY THREE

Al Rayyan Rd.

Al Saad St.

Al C

orniche St.

Al Khaleej St.

Ahmed Bin Ali St.

Corniche

Majl

is

Al Taawon St.

Al Ist

iqia

l St.

Khalifa St.

Omar Al Mukhtar St.

Jasim Bin H

amad St.

Al Markhiya St.

Al Jazira Al Arabiya St.

Onaiza St.

P e r s i a n G u l f

Mohammed Bin Thani St.

Al Jasra Boutique Hotel

Museum of Islamic Art

Souq WaqifTajine

St. Regis DohaJazz at Lincoln Center Doha

Msheireb

Al Osra

Remède SpaVintage

Market by Jean-GeorgesCrystal

Opera HouseL’wzaar Seafood Market Katara

Villaggio

Arab Museum of Modern Art

Zubara

Lagoon Ristorante

Q ATA R

Area of detail

Doha

Al Khor

Al ShahaniyaCamel Racetrack

Inland Sea

aaa

DAY ONEAl Jasra Boutique Hotel Souq Waqif, Doha; Tel. 974-4433-6666Museum of Islamic Art Doha Port, Doha; Tel. 974-4422-4444Souq Waqif Off Grand Hamad Street, DohaTajine Souq Waqif, Doha; Tel. 974-4435-5554Arab Museum of Modern Art Education City, off Al Luqta Street, Doha; Tel. 974-4402-8855St. Regis Doha West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4446-0000Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha St. Regis Doha, West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4446-0000

DAY TWOAl KhorZubaraAl Shahaniya Camel Racetrack Al ShahaniyaLagoon Ristorante Sealine Beach Resort, Mesaieed; Tel. 974-4476-5299Inland SeaMarket by Jean-Georges W Doha Hotel & Residences, West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4453-5135Crystal W Doha Hotel & Residences, West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4453-5135

DAY THREEVillaggio Al Waab Street, Doha; Tel. 974-4413-5222MsheirebAl Osra Omar Al Mukhtar and Al Fayhaa streets, Doha; Tel. 974-4431-9941Remède Spa St. Regis Doha, West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4446-0300Katara West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4408-0000Opera House Bldg. 16, Katara, West Bay, DohaL’wzaar Seafood Market Katara, West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4408-0710Vintage St. Regis Doha, West Bay, Doha; Tel. 974-4446-0300




a handful of Mr. T–grade gold chains for a very reasonable sum.

Msheireb also boasts some of Doha’s best ethnic restaurants. You decide to go Keralan at Al Osra, which does a mean fi sh curry, served with bu� ery paratha and a tangy mango lassi, all for less than the price of a knockoff luxury timepiece.

From here, you scurry past the insis-tent traders and retrace your steps to the St. Regis, where you’re booked for a treat-ment at its Remède Spa. With every muscle being expertly tended to, you’re back in the lap of luxury, and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t feel good.

Next, it’s a fi ve-minute stroll to Katara, a “cultural village” showcasing aspects of Qatar’s heritage that risk being swept away by relentless modernization. You decline the chauffeured golf cart and wander among the mock-Arabian build-ings, pausing now and then to look in on an art gallery. Having admired the lovely, blue-tiled central mosque for a bit, you move on to the Opera House, where you’ll catch the fi rst half of a performance by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

The QPO is famed for incorporating classical Arabic music into its repertoire,

but tonight it’s Ravel, with the full orches-tra pulling out all the stops for Boléro. At the intermission, you discuss the benefi ts of tax-free income with expat culture vultures before you shuffl e off to L’wzaar Seafood Market, one of the many excellent regional restaurants in Katara. You select a healthy-looking hamour—a local meaty fi sh—and six giant Omani prawns. They come grilled to perfection and accompa-nied by an array of delectable mezes.

Finally, it’s back for a nightcap at Vintage, the upscale bar at the St. Regis, where the Czech lager is served in iced pewter tan-kards and the patrons look like extras from Casino Royale. The la� er turns out to be apt: Not only is Doha known as a diplomatic hot spot, but the bartender here shakes a very good martini. While the cheesy lounge act diminishes the mystique a li� le, you fi nd yourself nodding in time to the music as you se� le into one of the shadowy nooks. This, you feel, bodes well for Doha’s future. Even the bad stuff is pre� y good.

Abu Dhabi–based freelance writer ALISTAIR CRIGHTON has very nearly recovered from his afternoon of dune bashing.

BOARDING PASS With the sparkling Persian Gulf on one side and a sprawling desert landscape on the other, Doha off ers a dramatic getaway for adventurers, history buff s, culture afi cionados and hard-core shoppers alike. United can take you to Qatar’s capital city with convenient one-stop service from Washington Dulles through Dubai. Before boarding, consider purchasing a day pass to relax in a spacious United Club; memberships are also available. For more information or to book your fl ight, go to united.com.

FOR THE BIRDSFalconry off ers a soaring reminder of tribal traditions

In modern Qatar, falconry may be a status symbol for the wealthy, but the sport itself stems from an earthier concern: protein. The Bedouin of old trapped falcons in the autumn as they migrated across the Arabian Peninsula, using baited cages festooned with nooses to snare the raptors’ talons. They then trained the falcons and subsisted on the small game that the birds would capture.

While these old methods are still used, most falcons in Qatar today are imported from Central Asia. At Doha’s Falcon Souq, birds come with prices ranging from $275 for a puny or truculent male to $8,000-plus for a prized female saker falcon. There’s never a shortage of customers—as Qatar’s rampant development continues, falconry is seen as a link to a way of life that’s growing increasingly remote. (And when birding buff s aren’t buying these regal creatures, they’re taking pictures of them with their cellphones.)

AT THE OASIS Persian Gulf views at Sealine Beach Resort


ak photography hemispheres mag 3 pd-doha janv2013

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