Qatar has surely come a long way from its pearling past and the discovery of oil in 1939. With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 just a couple of years away, let's look back at Qatar's past before we dive headfirst into another milestone for the ever-progressing country. It's really quite amazing how Qatar transformed itself and it's still growing!

Here are some photos from the Corniche, Souq Waqif, Msheireb, the old Qatar National Museum, and landmarks in Doha!

West Bay and Corniche

A photo of the Doha Corniche in the 1950s and what it looks like recently (2019).

الصورة لكورنيش الدوحة الاقدم نهاية الستينات .. #ذاكرة_قطر pic.twitter.com/PnCThOZAG8

— #ذاكرة_قطر 🇶🇦 (@atiqasoliti) May 27, 2020

A photo of the Corniche in the late 1960s.

Photo of West Bay and Corniche taken in 2008.

Look how much the buildings have multiplied in just a span of 8 years!

Former Qatar National Museum

Photos of the old Qatar National Museum during the 1970s and 1980s, the first museum created in the Gulf, with the original palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani

A photo of a long-time resident (more than 17 years) in the old Qatar National Museum during the late 1990s.

Old Souq Waqif and Msheireb

Bismillah Hotel and Restaurant was established in 1966 in Old Souq. It's the first hotel in Doha, Qatar.

Souq Waqif in the 1970s

Did you know that the seashore used to extend all the way to the borders of Msheireb and Souq Waqif, ie; there was no corniche?
Visit Mohammed Bin Jassim House to know more about the old Doha.#MsheirebMuseums #RamadanKareem #Doha pic.twitter.com/QZnFzREA9G

— Msheireb Museums (@MsheirebMuseums) May 22, 2019

Images from Msheireb Museums showing old Msheireb

An image where you can see the old downtown district of #Msheireb and how it grew up around a single well whose generous reserves inspired a community to put down roots there. #Qatar #Doha pic.twitter.com/AKvwjhQYtm

— Msheireb Properties (@MsheirebDoha) August 13, 2018

A blast from the past. This is the first aerial photo of Doha taken in 1947, showing the four heritage houses now known as Msheireb Museums in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Visit Msheireb Museums to know more. #MsheirebMuseums #MohammedBinJassim #Doha pic.twitter.com/boypJldCt4

— Msheireb Museums (@MsheirebMuseums) July 2, 2019

Other buildings and landmarks

Aerial view of Doha in 1994 compared to 2017.

Check out this satellite view of Doha in 1956 vs what it looks in 2019!

الصورة لمبنى ومدرج مطار الدوحة الدولي السابق نهاية الستينات .. #ذاكرة_قطر pic.twitter.com/fodyf2jdPk

— #ذاكرة_قطر 🇶🇦 (@atiqasoliti) May 13, 2020

The building and runway of the former Doha International Airport in the late 1960s.

The old Doha International Airport as seen in the 1980's
Today, commercial aircraft use Hamad International Airport @HIAQatar pic.twitter.com/o4ql4lxiA2

— Doha, Qatar - Old Photos Before The Skyscrapers: (@DohaQatOldPhoto) June 18, 2019

The old Doha International Airport in the 1980s.

A photo of Qatar National Bank's building in the 1980s compared to a photo taken in 2018.

Used to be a fortress known as Al Bidda Fort, a military fort, Doha Palace, and Fort of the Sheikhs (Qal’at Al-Shouyoukh), it was renamed as Amiri Diwan in 1971 when the title of the Ruler of the State of Qatar was changed to Amir. In the early 1980s, the new premises were built for the Amiri Diwan next to the old palace, and the administrative activities were relocated to this building in 1989. (Source: Amiri Diwan)

The Sheraton when it was still being constructed in the 1970s. The hotel was opened in 1982.

Al Wahda dual arches are located at the Interchange 5/6 (the southern end of the Lusail Expressway) and were used to be the old Rainbow (Arch) roundabout which started to be demolished in 2013. Read more about the Al Wahda Arches here.

(cover image: Doha Port --- Old Photos of Qatar/Facebook via gdnoline.com)

What do you think of Qatar's progress? What do you think Qatar will look like 10 years from now? Do you have more old photos of Qatar? Let us know in the comments!

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Darlene

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