Picture yourself walking in the desert without water to drink anywhere. There is no end to walking in the desert. You sit down in the shade for a while and suddenly you seen an oasis, which includes several houses, roads and pachil. How do you feel? You have to be careful as your sight could be playing on your imagination. It is a mysterious place with no one around. This is place is the mysterious Film city.
However, let’s come back to reality. Drive through the desert terrain and listen to the sounds of the vehicle droning as you drive through the ruts and parched stretches, and past an island camel corral. The sand dunes and cliffs of the desert will lead you to something that will snap you out of the humdrum of the tiresome journey. Qatar Film city is a replica of an ancient Arabic village that was built to make moves. Sitting behind a canyon, the place is surrounded by a desert peninsula of Zekreet.
One of the first questions people often think of when it comes to the Doha Film City is to understand its purpose as there is no one around and no vehicles come and go on a regular basis. People have all kinds of notions about the place after reading stories written in the Hollywood paper, Qatari TV shows or in promotional ad for upcoming 2022 Qatar world cup. No one really knows why it has been left abandoned. One can climb the turrets and enjoy the silence around the empty square or in case you are an actor, you can say your lines aloud.
Doha Film City As A Highlight Of Old Architecture & Culture Of Qatar
When visiting Film City Zekreet, tourists will get the feeling of being in an old western movie or feel like they are reading a western book. People often felt lonely and eerie while walking through the city, however there a stunning mosques and minarets to see along with coconut trees.
The film city does have a touch of medieval Arabic architecture. Even though no one lives there; people get to see a glimpse of the culture of Qatar. There is a trap that lies along the narrow streets of film city. It is a puzzle that should be solved if you want to get out of the trap. If you are familiar with video games, then you will have a good idea as to what the place is really like.
Those who have visited the place before have gotten a creepy feeling and the fear of an enemy naked to the eye. The question still remains, who created such a place and why?
Why Was Doha Film City Built?
The answer to the question why was it built likes in the answer “Arabic TV series” called “Eyaal Al Theeb”. The film city was built for this tv series which narrates the story of the people living in the village called Film city. The main story of the series is a fight with the neighboring tribe called Eyaal Al Ghadab, which till date is known as a mystery village to the world. The main attraction of the village is a mushroom shaped rock pillar with a hut on top. The other notion as to why it was built was based on the notion of hosting the 2022 World Cup.
The irony is that the Zekreet film city Qatar was not even made for tourists. The government didn’t want people to come but all the adventure enthusiasts would come to see the strange place. Others felt there was supposed to be a shooting that was supposed to happen but never happened. There are a million reasons behind why the place was built, which of course we’ll never really know.
Well, whatever the reason, it is an exciting place to visit all year round. People have read about the place in several books and online and are curious to know if it's actually true. So, despite being called a ghost town, the film city is one of the busiest places throughout the year. What more can anyone ask for when it comes visiting an interesting place? Speaking of interesting places, one can spend a day on the islands in Qatar.
Notable Features Of Film City In Doha
One of the most interesting facts one should know about the Zekreet peninsula is that is has a unique and interesting geology that boasts of a salt flat, plateau rocks and open deserts. Since it’s a guest town, there aren't any sand dunes but it does have a weird rock formation and the best view of the blue waters of the gulf. One of the main attractions one should see is the gate and walls of the city with guard towers on the front. As one reaches film city, one will drive up the slope and see several buildings in the distance.
These are certain things that make visiting a place a lot more exciting. Film city Doha is one such that you will only find in the middle east.
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When Should Tourists Visit Film City, Zekreet?
Doha Film city, settled up at the Zekreet Beach, is an area that does not get many visitors and so there is no time restriction. In simpler words, you can come whenever suits you the best. But just to be sure prefer going after before noon or late afternoon. Visitors are advised that they should start their return journey to Doha, at least one and half hour before sunset, if they wish to avoid having to drive on the grated road, that too in the dark. If you ask the preferable time to visit the film city, it would in summers as there are walls and some shading available. Just in case that the front gate is not open, you can always enter from the left side.
Besides visiting film city, one can even spend a day at the parks in Qatar.
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How To Reach Doha Film City?
The best way to reach film city is to drive from Doha on Dukhan Road and then exit towards Cuban Hospital and Zekreet. While driving East-West/ West-East, there will be several brown signs you shall come across. Keep following those signs till you reach Zekreet village. As you drive by road, you will come across a small minaret of an old mosque in the village. You will take about 45 minutes to reach Film City Qatar.
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However, when it comes to getting to the country, one will have to book their flights to Qatar and land at their main airport, the Hamad International Airport. From the airport, people can travel by road, which is either by cab or their own vehicle.
Despite the stories one hears about the film city, it is an interesting place to explore at least once. It is a once in a lifetime experience that is only found in the Middle East. So, without much thought, pack your bags, book your flights to Qatar and have the best time of your life.
FAQs
One of the first questions people often think of when it comes to the Doha Film City is to understand its purpose as there is no one around and no vehicles come and go on a regular basis. People have all kinds of notions about the place after reading stories written in the Hollywood paper, Qatari TV shows, or in a promotional ad for the upcoming 2022 Qatar world cup. No one really knows why it has been left abandoned.
One of the most interesting facts one should know about the Zekreet peninsula is that it has unique and interesting geology that boasts of a salt flat, plateau rocks, and open deserts. Since it’s a guest town, there aren't any sand dunes but it does have a weird rock formation and the best view of the blue waters of the gulf. One of the main attractions one should see is the gate and walls of the city with guard towers on the front.
Doha Film city settled up at the Zekreet Beach, is an area that does not get many visitors and so there is no time restriction. In simpler words, you can come whenever suits you the best. But just to be sure to go before noon or late afternoon. Visitors are advised that they should start their return journey to Doha, at least one and a half hours before sunset if they wish to avoid having to drive on the grated road, that too in the dark. If you ask the preferable time to visit the film city, it would be in summer as there are walls and some shading available.
The best way to reach film city is to drive from Doha on Dukhan Road and then exit towards Cuban Hospital and Zekreet. While driving East-West/ West-East, there will be several brown signs you shall come across. Keep following those signs till you reach Zekreet village. As you drive by road, you will come across a small minaret of an old mosque in the village. You will take about 45 minutes to reach Film City Qatar.
There is no entry fees for Qatar film city and is open 365 days of the year.
There is so much one has heard about the place that it has given rise to a sense of curiosity. It is worth visiting the place at least once.
With tight security, people can visit Qatar without any hesitations. It is one of the richest countries in the Middle East filled with all kinds of attractions.
People can go shopping, spend a day on the beach or island and of course grab a bite to eat at the restaurants in Qatar.
