Othman Khunji’s Doha City Guide

Start Here: Doha, Unfiltered

There’s a version of Doha you’ve seen on glossy postcards—gleaming towers, spotless roads, and sunsets melting behind desert dunes. But beyond the filters and the flawless skyline lies a city of striking contrasts.

This is a place where the call to prayer echoes through futuristic architecture, where tradition wraps itself in couture, and where the sand beneath your feet feels as ancient as time but the air buzzes with innovation.

To understand this city, you need more than a map—you need a local lens. You need the eyes of someone who doesn’t just live here, but feels here.

Enter Othman Khunji—a bold and brilliant artist who blends design, religion, and social commentary into immersive installations. He’s not just part of Doha’s creative movement. He’s pushing it forward.

“I didn’t just find a home here—I found momentum,” Othman says.

His guide to the city isn’t about ticking off landmarks. It’s about following the pulse. The hidden corners. The moments that feel like art—because they are.

What to Expect From This Guide

This isn’t your usual city guide. We’re not going to tell you where to find the best latte or selfie wall (though you’ll stumble on a few, trust us).

This is about spaces that breathe. Structures that speak. Art that doesn’t whisper, but questions.

You’ll walk away not just knowing Doha—but feeling it in your bones.

Othman's Picks

M7

Art Center in Doha

“It's a building that has become a cultural hub today for huge exhibitions like Christian Dior and Valentino. Vogue Arabia has an office there. It's a big building with a lot of spaces for different entrepreneurial projects. It's located in the Doha Design District.”

National Museum of Qatar 

Museum in Doha

“It's in the top two museums I would really, really recommend. The whole structure looks like a gigantic Desert Rose. Designed by Jean Nouvel, it draws from the natural desert rose formations made from sand and wind.”

Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day 

Sculpture by Olafur Eliasson

“This is super cool. You might think it's small, but it's huge—with multiple mirrored domes in different orientations. It’s whimsical and playful, encouraging interpretation. It invites you to think.”

Richard Serra Desert Installation 

Sculpture in Zekreet Desert

“It's something I would definitely tell people to check out. An amazing art installation in the middle of the Zekrete desert by Richard Serra, an American sculptor. Imagine driving out to the desert and then you'd see these giant installation of walls hanging out and you could drive between them and walk between them. So that in itself is quite a monumental, and an iconic thing. You can go with your car, but it has to be a four wheel because of the nature of the place.”

Msheireb Downtown Doha

Neighborhood in Doha

“Ok this is easy. Definitely one of the top three areas I would recommend anyone who visits to stay. The whole area is very very upcoming now. Souq Waqif (also on my list), which is this beautiful and modern interpretation of the old market is also located here in Msheireb."

Mandarin Oriental, Doha 

Hotel in Msheireb

“It's located at Msheireb, which is very upcoming now with all these top notch hotels including the Mandarin Oriental Doha.”

Doha Design District

Design Institute in Doha

“A whole area on its own with exhibitions, it's one of the city's main creative hub, and it's very activated. There's a lot of hotels, restaurants. It's a very active neighbourhood.”

Lusail Stadium

Stadium in Doha

“The design reflects the hand-crafted bowls found all across the Arab and Islamic world during the rise of civilisation, while interplays of light mirror the fanar lanterns of the region. With the passing of time, the golden exterior will fade replicating aged metal handicrafts to create a venue alive with cultural character.”

Hamad International Airport

Airport in Doha

“The Doha airport is actually now called like a museum, because you walk around the airport and you see all these sculptures. Some of them are functional, some of them are like playgrounds, while others are just to be observed from far away. You have a lot of big names all under one roof in an airport, an area that people might be transiting might be traveling, but you even get to have a different experience. It's definitely not a typical to just stand in line and get your ticket. It's more of a 'let me look around, let me be inquisitive, learn more about art' kind of airport.”

Where to Stay

“A great area I recommend people to stay in is West Bay. It's very central, it's great. So Lusail Marina, Msheireb, the Pearl, and West Bay are my top four areas, nowhere else.”