Qatar - Hamad international airport

Joining Tom for his SIGNS meme. Check out other signs from around the world.

And I'm ending my posts about our 3 week visit to Qatar with a post about Hamad International Airport (HIA) because of the public art.

HIA was in 2024 rated the "World's Best Airport" by the prestigious 2024 Skytrax World Airport Awards, and Qatar Airlines was rated as “World's Best Airline,” for the eighth time, at Skytrax 2024. (Just been dethroned by Korean Airlines a couple of weeks ago).

The airport was built on reclaimed land, and is situated amidst a spectacular man-made lagoon, well-manicured gardens and a natural bay and occupies about a third of the size of Doha, with a 600,000 square metre and four-stories-high Passenger Terminal Complex, (equating 75 soccer fields), and presently the airport has the capacity to handle more than 58 million passengers a year.

The airport has a mosque, two hotels, 12 lounges, large duty-free shopping areas and a health club with two squash courts, a gym, a spa, a swimming pool, and two parallel runways, among the longest in the world, designed to cater to next-generation aircrafts including the Airbus A380.

An extensive public art program displays the works of acclaimed local and international artists, giving visitors a spectacular and lasting impression of the country while providing them with a five-star travel experience.

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In July 2021, a new public art installation by Tom Claassen was unveiled outside the departures hall of Hamad International Airport. The falcon (the national bird of Qatar) sits on a ledge facing the airport’s Departures Hall, exuding royalty with its gold finish.

This first one was actually photographed in the Arrivals hall, on the way to the taxi rank. There are 8 bronze oryxes (just saw 2), created by Dutch artist Tom Claasen. The Arabian oryx is Qatar's national animal, symbolizing the country's beauty, resilience and endurance as well as it's role in protecting the oryx from extinction.

All the following sculptures were in the Departures area of the airport.

The first big sculpture was "Lamp Bear" by Swiss artist Urs Fischer.

The gigantic yellow bear in the airport's main foyer is meant to celebrate the idea of travelling back in time to childhood. 

The 20 tonne bronze bear is 7 mt (23ft) tall and sits under a lamp. Apparently it was bought at a New York auction in 2011 for QR 25 million (USD6.8 million), the price having set a new world record for the artist's sculptures. Lucky artist!

Celebrating HIA 10th anniversary

There are 8 interactive bronze figures "Other Worlds" by American sculptor Tom Otterness, located near gates C2, C3 and C8,  which appear to be playing with each other. Both kids and adults can interact and enjoy climbing on the slides. (Just saw 2 of them). 

"Small Lie" (2013) by former Disney employee KAWS (aka Brian Donnelly) is a 10mt (32ft) tall wooden sculpture near Concourse E, and shows the mouse-like character looking down. It was designed to make the viewer feel small, but at the same time to protect and console the viewer.

"Cosmos" by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, can be found near Concourses D and E, and was inspired by the oldest surviving astrolabe previously displayed at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, and symbolises the path of travellers around the world.

A tree with silver leaves inside a metal sphere (don't know who the artist is).

Oreo Cafe commemorating the airport's 10th anniversary

Channel Nr. 5 signs hanging from the ceiling

I discovered that there is a metro line that crosses the airport

Even the Louis Vuitton duty-free store looks like a spaceship.

Louis Vuitton duty-free store

The airport also has an indoor garden - The Orchard - with 300 trees and 25000 plants from around the world, under a glass roof, and a large water feature.

I didn't really get time to go downstairs and look at the garden in detail, but next time if I get a chance I'll go.

A couple of luxury cars on display

Souq Al-Matar (Matar is Arabic for airport) is a traditional souq (market) located in the North node terminal, with 7 unique shops and 2 restaurants, so you don't even have to leave the airport to enjoy Qatar's hospitality and heritage.

And it was time to queue up at gate C10 for our flight to Denpasar (Bali).

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We certainly enjoyed our three weeks in Qatar and Oman. Of course, spending time with Karina and Thomas is always special, but it was also lovely to see where they live, meet their friends—and most importantly, to see that they live in a safe place.

Qatar is undoubtedly a wealthy country, having prospered due to its oil and gas reserves. With a population of just over three million, only about 350,000 are Qatari nationals. This means the country relies heavily on migrant workers—approximately 2.65 million people, or 85–90% of the population—to fill most jobs. These workers come predominantly from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Egypt, and the Philippines.

Europeans, North Americans, and Arabs tend to have access to better job opportunities and enjoy more social privileges than African or South Asian workers, likely due to differences in education levels and professional roles.

We spoke to several taxi and Uber drivers, as well as domestic workers. They all expressed satisfaction with their lives in Qatar; most had lived there for many years and sent money home to support their families. Their only real complaint was the unbearable heat during the summer months.

Qatar is a very safe country (smile… you’re on candid camera at every corner—but if that’s what it takes to ensure safety, I don’t mind). The streets and pavements were clean, the public toilets were spotless, there was a fantastic variety of restaurants with food from all over the world, and the service everywhere we went was equally great!

Alcohol is not readily available. You can drink in hotel restaurants and golf clubs, but the prices are very high. Foreign workers can get a special permit through their employer, which allows them to buy alcohol at a special shop for expats. Karina mentioned that the more you earn, the more alcohol you're permitted to buy—an odd system, no wonder some expats still drink themselves silly!  Thomas had stocked up well for the Christmas season, with wine, whiskey, Port wine, and gin.

As expected, it is an expensive country. Food prices were similar to those in Australia, but housing is a lot more expensive. On the other hand, cars and petrol (about 90 cents AUD per litre) are very cheap. Ubers were also inexpensive, likely due to the low fuel costs. All museums are free for residents and Qataris. Some were free for tourists as well, but many charged admission—and although they were expensive, the exhibits were spectacular.

The dress code is not too strict. Both men and women are expected to cover their shoulders and knees. When visiting mosques, women are lent an abaya (a long dress) and are required to cover their heads, so we always carried a scarf for such occasions. 

Public displays of affection are discouraged—no kissing or holding hands—but we did see a few young Arab couples holding hands, so perhaps things are slowly changing.

Internet speeds were outstanding—far, far better than what we have in Australia, and even better than in Portugal. Everyone uses WhatsApp for communication—Uber drivers, delivery drivers, and even shops—but only in message form. If you want to make overseas calls, you need to use a VPN. It was the same in Oman.

ALL THE POSTS ABOUT QATAR:

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/01/monthly-wrap-up-december-qatar.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/01/qatar-visit-to-pearl-island-qanat.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/01/qatar-souq-waqif-and-corniche-part-3.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/02/qatar-christmas.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/02/qatar-fun-in-gulf-waters.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/02/qatar-national-museum-of-qatar.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/02/qatar-lusail-signs.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/02/qatar-mangroves-museum-and-signs.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/02/qatar-education-city-new-years-eve.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/03/qatar.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/04/qatar-searching-for-murals-and-msheireb.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/04/qatar-msheireb-museums.html

https://sami-colourfulworld.blogspot.com/2025/04/qatar-our-last-day-in-doha.html