Souq Al Wakrah

Souq Al Wakrah lies on the waterfront of Al Wakrah, a coastal town about 19 km south of central Doha. Before oil, Al Wakrah lived from fishing and pearling, and the souq was developed on the site of its old market and seafront houses as part of a national programme to protect and revive Qatar's historic places.

The rebuilt souq opened in December 2014 during the Qatar National Day celebrations. It was designed to look like a traditional Gulf trading town, with low houses of stone and mud plaster, wooden doors, palm-trunk ceilings and narrow shaded alleys. In 2018 the Souq Al Wakra Hotel opened in a group of restored heritage buildings within the market.

The lanes hold small shops selling spices, textiles, perfumes and souvenirs, along with a wide choice of restaurants and cafés, many with outdoor seating facing the sea. The souq also has stables and a children's play area. A promenade runs along the shore past the market, and the public beach next to it is popular with families, especially at low tide when the water is shallow far out.

Compared with Souq Waqif in central Doha, Souq Al Wakrah is quieter and more relaxed, and many visitors come mainly for an evening meal by the water.

Entry to the souq and promenade is free. Most shops and restaurants open in the late afternoon and stay busy into the evening, and the cooler months from November to March are the most comfortable time for a visit. Al Wakrah station on the Doha Metro Red Line is a short taxi ride from the souq.

What is the story of Al Wakrah town?

Al Wakrah began as a small fishing and pearling village, and the name is linked to the word wakar, a bird's nest, after a nearby hill called Jebel Al Wakrah. The town was sacked and its houses pulled down in 1867 and 1868 during the Qatari-Bahraini War, then rebuilt. A British survey in 1925 counted about 8,000 people and 75 shops, which suggests it was one of the first real towns in Qatar.

The heritage village around the souq has more than 100 shops, several restaurants and replica dhows along the beach. The souq beach opened to the public in mid-2017, with a playground added in 2018. A few genuine old buildings survive nearby: the early 20th-century Al Wakrah Fort with its two round towers, the beachside house of Sheikh Ghanim bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the Abdullah bin Saad House of around 1920, now a museum. The Abu Manaratain Mosque dates from 1940.

The town also has Al Janoub Stadium, designed by Zaha Hadid with AECOM in the form of dhow sails, which opened on 16 May 2019 and hosted World Cup matches in 2022. Al Wakra station on the Metro Red Line opened in May 2019, and feeder buses link it with the town.