Doha’s bustling century-old souk and the Msheireb Downtown Doha, a new environmentally friendly development just a 10-minute walk away, are an old-meets-new contrast — and a real reprieve from the sprawling malls that have come to define the colossal boom that has transformed the Persian Gulf region since the 1950s. “You can find everything you need in one trip to the souk, and Msheireb offers a more modern and posh approach to the same idea,” said Maha Al Shebani, who lives in Doha, Qatar’s capital city, and often visits the area. “And now we have the option to do both at the same time.”Souk Waqif, built in the early 20th century as a Bedouin trading post when Doha was little more than a village, was renovated in 2008, but in a way that retained much of its charm, restoring some early buildings and tearing down some modern parts to create a more authentic look. Its grand two-level stone buildings — with exposed timber beams, shuttered windows and glowing Arabian lamps dangling throughout — house dozens of stalls selling color-splashed glass lanterns, spices, clothing, tapestries and souvenirs amid the ever-present fragrance of burning frankincense.

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Persons: ”, Maha Al Shebani Organizations: Downtown, Msheireb Locations: souk, Downtown Doha, Persian, Doha, Qatar’s, Souk