Doha, Arabic Al-Dawḥah, city, capital of Qatar, located on the east coast of the Qatar Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. More than two-fifths of Qatar’s population lives within the city’s limits. Situated on a shallow bay indented about 3 miles (5 km), Doha has long been a locally important port. Because of offshore coral reefs and shallow waters, it handled only small vessels until the completion of its deepwater port in the 1970s.
Qatar is a peninsular Arab country whose terrain comprises arid desert and a long Persian (Arab) Gulf shoreline of beaches and dunes. Also on the coast is the capital, Doha, known for its futuristic skyscrapers and other ultramodern architecture inspired by ancient Islamic design, such as the limestone Museum of Islamic Art. The museum sits on the city’s Corniche waterfront promenade.


