Road Trip to Film City

Having been here in Qatar for almost eight years now, there is one tourist destination that has been on my to do list all of that time. A destination that requires a vehicle capable of off roading, and that is something I have never possessed here.

My son on the other hand has got a suitable vehicle and although I have avoided going into the dessert with him so far (because he is a nutter when driving off road), Victoria and I decided we would join him for this jolly to finally go and see Film City.

Film City is located on the West Coast of Qatar in the middle of the dessert, and was used for filming a soap called ‘Ayal Al Theeb’ (Sons of The Wolf) a Qatari soap that was first broadcast in the year 2000. Although no longer used for filming, the location remains, and appears to have people living there and maintaining it.

So last Friday the three of us set out from Doha in the direction of Dukhan. We were being guided by Google Maps, and it turns out that is a big mistake. Apparently there is a much better route which involves going to Zekreet and then on from there. But that is something we have learned since making the trip.

Anyway once we got there we found a very well maintained small compound. If I had not been told it was a film set, I would never have guessed. Personally I found nothing of interest there, and just snapped off some shots on my phone to prove I had finally done it. We weren’t keen to hang around because the wind was blowing like mad, and it was blooming freezing. For me this was worse because I was dressed like it was still summer, something I really regretted. Bri and Vic had dressed a little more appropriately, but even they were cold.

There is a little shop there where you can buy drinks and snacks, but we were keen to get away as soon as possible.

Once back in the car we decided to take in another point of interest located nearby. We actually drove past EAST-WEST / WEST-EAST BY RICHARD SERRA on the way to Film City, but decided to go and see it on our way back. This piece of dessert art was of much greater interest to me, and made the trip worthwhile in my opinion.

All in all, a nice ride out. We left Doha around 12 noon, and were back around 6pm including a stop in the Mall of Qatar to get supplies on the way there, and a much needed coffee beak on the way back in Mc Donalds Dukhan.

Would I do it again? Nope! Once done, it’s done.