Al Hamra Restaurant, Doha

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This is Al Hamra restaurant, a place I've often walked past but never entered. It looks like nothing else in Doha. The main restaurant area seems to be on the first floor, accessed by an external curving staircase shaded by stretched parasol sails.It has been there for a long time, planted obliquely in its plot of land, not parallel to either road. This is normal in mosques, where the edifice is always oriented towards Mecca, but there seems no reason for a restaurant building to follow this practice. Having said that, it predates all the surrounding buildings, coming from a time when space was less at a premium, and the nonconformity adds much to its character. I hope it continues to thrive, at least until I finally decide to give it a try.

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