Qatar

Legitimizing the notion of immoderation on the scale of a whole nation, Qatar has taken its Bedouin past to the skies where modernity and tradition have now come together.

 Its buildings that almost touch the clear skies are the most striking evidence of this. Or maybe it's its Pharaonic constructions rising from the sand or the waters of the Persian Gulf? It's difficult to know for sure, so numerous are the craziest architectural challenges that this country sets itself, day after day, with the most eloquent of prowess being embodied by the Pearl. Located at the edge of Doha, the country's capital, this monumental archipelago of artificial islands has become, in just a few months, a mecca of Qatari gastronomy and way of life. Offering a staggering choice of restaurants, shopping centers and leisure facilities, The Pearl is an unusual and unforgettable place to discover the most striking side of Qatar: its excesses. In contrast to this dizzying modernity, the Souk Waqif, an elegant contradiction and a moving remnant of the Bedouin souks of the country and its region, offers a delightful insight into the local lifestyle. In its very simplest way, all this country's sophistication disappears into a puff of smoke from a hookah or the fragrances of spices that float in the air. This contradiction is equally breathtaking when it's staged, as it is in the cultural village of Katara, a place that elegantly unites all the pomp of Qatar's traditional architecture. Watching the last rays of the sun reflected on the white stone buildings is a spectacle of infinite delight. The prestige of this ancestral nation is also reflected in the impressive collections at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Once there, you can enjoy no fewer than fourteen centuries of Islamic, with fine ceramics and venerable manuscripts.