Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
arm and women in black picking their way through the mayhem of one of the great bazaars of modern times. It's
a world away from the sanitised experience of a Western supermarket meat counter but it is very much part of the
Middle East, repeated in similar scenes from Yemen to Kuwait.
Malls
There is a kind of subversion of expectation inside the great shopping malls of the Gulf.
They appear to be even more opulent versions of American malls, complete with themed
entertainment and Starbucks, but then you'll find an
abeyya
shop selling women's cloaks
or a prayer bead counter next to a waffle stand that confirms that you are, indeed, shop-
ping in the Middle East. In the heat of summer, they become much more than a place to
shop as people congregate there to escape the ravages of the sun and to be entertained by
the prospect of other worlds. Each of the malls has some form of entertainment for the
family, from skating rinks to cinemas and as such, they make for a popular day's outing.
City Centre Doha
MALL
OFFLINE MAP
( 44 839 990;
www.citycenterdoha.com
; 10am-10pm Sat-Thu, 2-10pm Fri)
A veritable pantheon of
the shopping world. With its 350 shops, from Debenhams to the Family Development
Centre (top floor, selling local crafts); its tented architecture, marble flooring and glass-
fronted lifts; its ice-skating rink, bowling alleys and climbing walls; its congregations of
juice-sipping Qataris and huddles of homesick expatriates; and trolleys laden with eggs,
packets of
khobz
(Arabic flat bread) and Egyptian olives, it's more an event than an er-
rand.
Villaggio Mall
MALL
OFFLINE MAP
( 44 135 222;
www.villaggiodoha.com
; 10am-11pm Sat-Thu, 1-11pm Fri)
In this Venetian-themed
mall, next to Aspire Zone, you can shop under a diorama of fluffy white clouds, eat pizza
at Paul's and take a ride on a gondola along the grand canal. It includes lots of entertain-
ment opportunities, including cinema.
Landmark Shopping Mall
MALL
OFFLINE MAP
( 44 875 222;
www.landmarkdoha.com
; cnr Al-Shamal N Rd & Al-Markhiya St; 9am-10pm Sat-Wed,
9am-11pm Thu, 1-11pm Fri)
This enormous shopping centre, with a multiplex cinema, Marks &
