White yachts and a blue sea, gold watches on tanned wrists and sheiks in fast luxury sedans; Doha is a millionaire’s playground, a modern testament to how visionary ideas and savvy business skills can transform an environment defined by desert. The city’s Museum of Islamic Art, with its sleek lines and geometric patterns, evokes minimalism and details from across the diverse Muslim world. The collection ranges from the seventh century to contemporary art, including pottery, tapestry and paintings. In the mood to buy a few pieces? Al-Markhiya Gallery in Souk Waqif sells contemporary local works by emerging and established artists. This original souk, where Bedouins once traded meat for milk, also offers perfumes, jewellery and some of the better Iranian restaurants in town. In this town, steakhouses are plentiful, and seafood is fresh and abundant. Doha is an oasis of culture and high-powered business, while the desert that surrounds the city offers plenty of recreational activities, such as camping, dune surfing and buggy riding.