The Katara Cultural Village is a favourite for visitors and locals alike – a destination in the heart of Doha, Qatar, that celebrates its art, culture, and heritage with a full calendar of events.

This replica Arabic village set alongside a sheltered bay with striking views of the Doha skyline is home to an ever-changing canvas of local (and foreign) cultural treats.

Falcons, calligraphy, photography, hunting, dhows, fishing, crafts, pottery, philately, flowers, poetry, horses, agriculture, fine art, modern art, musical instruments, classic cars … and the like, are on offer in the form of workshops, exhibitions, book fairs, soirees, tours, shows, concerts, and other events.

The village also hosted a fan zone during the recent 2022 FIFA World Cup, alongside a massive open-air exhibition celebrating Qatari culture.

Soul space

In one short year, we’ve bumped into them all … yes, “bumped,” because they are almost always chance encounters. We pop to Katara just as we once impulsively headed to “Baakens River Valley” or “Schoenies” (Schoenmakerskop).

Just as we once found solace when visiting the latter naturally beautiful spots in our hometown of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), so it is with Katara.

But as you will learn as you read, the Gqeberha and Qatar “soul-spaces” are vastly different – not better, nor worse, simply different.

Stepping back in time

The Katara Cultural Village is based on what an Arabic village was like in this tiny Peninsula country a lifetime ago. It is the largest and the most multi-dimensional cultural project in Qatar, and a magnet for locals, permanent residents, and visitors.

It is a safe space for people of all cultures to meet, and a welcome change to the flash-and-glass skyscrapers and other architectural edifices seeking the Instagram spotlight.

The interior of the village with its centres for arts, photography, music, language, writing, videography, and the like is a cool space with water running in channels through the narrow alleyways.

Created for a purpose

Is Katara a faux tourist trap?

It was developed for a purpose in line with the country’s Vision 2030, to serve as “a guardian to the heritage and traditions of Qatar”.

Since only about 10% of the population of three million is Qatari (as it was recorded in November 2022), such efforts are commendable. In fact, the country places huge emphasis on arts, culture, and heritage with great museums, like the National Museum of Qatar and the Museum of Islamic Art, and public art. More than 80 new pieces were erected in the lead-up to the World Cup.

The village is also home to cinemas, restaurants, craft shops, food kiosks, mosques, and an interesting beach set-up.

Celebrating the arts

As shared, the village unashamedly celebrates the arts in all forms.

But I will let the visuals do the talking.

Festival feast – and they are free

The programme of events at Katara is ever-changing, and almost always intriguing to anyone who wishes to learn more about another culture and way of living.

Apart from the physical ones, which are almost always free (bar the Arabian International Horse Festival, but you can watch on the big screen outside the venue) and the symphony orchestra concerts in the amphitheatre, there are online opportunities too.

You can learn about the coffee culture, the do’s and don’ts of Ramadan or the Arabian “greyhound,” the Saluki.

This country is serious about entrenching its culture.

Qatari culture today

While the Katara Cultural Village celebrates Qatari culture, the adjacent shopping mall, High Street, lives the modern-day culture.

The opulent street with high-end shops and restaurants on either side of the 600-metre precinct is a magnet for the younger Qataris.

They congregate in their thobes (men) and abayas (women) and queue separately outside the open-air eateries before being seated to drink their teas, coffees, or juices.

At one end of the precinct is a valet service for those who can afford the convenience; at the other is an expansive area dominated by a dancing fountain. Visitors love the Katara Plaza.

It’s an open-air mall that benefits from air-conditioning – as it blasts up through beautifully designed vents in the pavements.

During the day, the mall is generally quiet, but come evening, like much of Doha, High Street, the Katara Plaza and the wider Katara Cultural Village are transformed. Folk dance to a different rhythm of life in Qatar, especially as the weather hots up, or when Ramadan is under way.

Katara is accessible

Katara is easy to reach and find as it is centrally located in Doha. In fact, it sits comfortably between downtown Doha, where we once lived in a high-rise, and the Pearl, a series of man-made islands that are home to the wealthy, including the country’s ruler Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has a palace on one of the isles.

It has ample parking space, and is easily accessible via the Metro, the city’s growing underground automated network of trains.