March 2015
Getting it right, for a price
Souq Waqaf is the "traditional souq" (market) for tourists in Doha. If traditional Qatari life was all about expensive restaurants, hookah bars, gratuitously placed camels, and dashing mounted police in traditional garb, then yes - that was Souq Waqaf.
Dubai had Bastakiya, its renovated old quarter, adjacent to a more realistic, traditional souq on the Bur Dubai side of the creek. Bastakiya was a photographer's dream - there were literally no visitors because there was nothing to do there except visit a few museums and art galleries. That neighborhood of Dubai was a glorious ghost town.
Bahrain had Muharraq [see: Muharraq] which was far more "real" with original buildings, but still somewhat down and out. It was only beginning to show signs of revitalization and took the prize for being original. I loved Muharraq's potential even if at the time it didn't offer much.
Saudi Arabia had the huge Diriyah complex [see: Diriyah, Riyadh] that perhaps one day would give Souq Waqaf a run for its money, but it was also on the edge of town and difficult to get to (and find parking). Diriyah was almost a Disney experience about the House of Saud.
Qatar had made Souq Waqaf in the center of the city, with a metro stop. I had to admit, the place looked amazing, but Souq Waqaf was also punishingly expensive. After one lunch there, I never returned for a meal and had to satisfy myself with wandering its alleys and only stopping for Arabic or Italian coffee. However, like South Street Seaport [see: South Street Seaport] in New York which these days is totally given over to tourism, Souq Waqaf accomplished the same result by bringing a historical "theme" to modern day cravings in a traditional setting. I wanted to dislike the place as soon as I arrived, but I actually couldn't. Everything was done so well and compared to attempts by other Gulf Countries, the Qataris had found the right balance of commercialism and historicization.
Some places I visited totally failed at it. Notably, Komarno, Slovakia tried to make a part of its downtown an homage to different building styles in the country. It just looked Disney-fake even though the effort was clearly expensive and well-planned. Al Hofuf's souq in Saudi Arabia was renovated beautifully but stuck in a town no tourist would visit and languished in customer emptiness. The balance between renovated/new construction with historical accuracy and "customer management" (giving people what they want in a place they want it) is an amazingly difficult thing to get right. Souq Waqaf is a shining example of how to do it - just, make sure to bring a LOT of money!
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