Al Kort Fort

I left Doha Sports City just before sunset. Exit from Villaggio Mall, went to Al Aziziyah Station, which was only 100 meters from door number four of this famous shopping mall.

At the station entrance…..there was a slight conversation between me and a traveler.

“Hello, do you want to go with the metro?”, said the curly youth, white skin and a typical Arab face but a little shorter than me.

“Yes, brother,” I said briefly.

“Use this ticket!, I will go back with the bus, You can use it”, he handed me the ticket.

“Oh, No, thanks. I will buy a single journey ticket at downstair”, I politely refused because I had a wrong guess, I thought he was selling his ticket to me. I knew it was a Standard Day Pass ticket for 4 Rial.

“Brother, just take it. I don’t need more because I will use the bus”, He seemed to hurry and slipped the ticket into my right hand.

Oh my God….Turned out he gave it away for free. “Thank you very much, brother”, I briefly said.

“I’m Donny from Indonesia, what is your name, brother?”, I asked before separating.

“Said from Algeria …”, he smiled as he adjusted his green backpack and then hurriedly left me.

“Thank you, Said”, I started down the escalator to Doha Metro platform.

Pursuing the MRT, which was ready to going, a Filipino officer ordered me to entering the metro via luxurious Goldclub class wagon and then moved to the Standard class wagon behind it. Wow….. the Goldclub wagon offered a luxurious single seat like an airplane business seat, armrest seats which were separated from each other in a long line facing each other. Sitting in a standard wagon, I was taken along Gold Line to Souq Waqif Station, which was quite close to Al Ghanim Bus Station. I would take Karwa Bus number 12 to hotel.

I still remembered a message from a hotel staff from Islamabad that tonight they invited me to cook together and ate their country’s signature dish, namely Pakistani White Pulao-a rice dish mixed with chopped carrots, vegetables and beans-.

After taking a bath, it was true, they went into my room to hijack me and were taken to kitchen to join a impromptu chefs of Casper Hotel.

—-****—-

The fourth dawn I felt in Qatar. I was a little lazy because fatigue and boredom became my new enemy. Towards ten in the morning, I started leaving for Al Ghanim Bus Station. Initially planned to head to Islamic Museum of Art. Oh, but….As soon as I arrived at the terminal, I thought again. My wallet stopped my intentions, it led me to find free destinations to save my budget.

Trying to surf in internet by sitting relaxed in the terminal, I finally knew where I must to go. Msheireb….Yes, Msheireb!

There was Msheireb Museum which was open for free to tourists there. I thought further….After visiting the museum, I was able to explore Msheireb Downtown Doha to see the concept of this planned city.

You needed to know….MDD (Msheireb Downtown Doha) was a replacement city for Mushayrib District whose development was planned in great detail.

I wandered along Ali Bin Abdullah Street, past the Gold Souq -a building with ten curved glass windows, a center for buying and selling gold-, passed the cash office of Qatar National Bank (QNB) Souq Waqif and then turned right at an intersection.

Before actually arriving at Msheireb Museum, my steps were stopped under an iconic building, which I myself understood from its shape that it was a defensive building or a fort. Later, I came to know it as Al Kort Fort.

Also known as Doha Fort, this 140 year old building was built during the Ottoman Empire as a police station. Thirty-five years from its founding, this fort was turned into a prison at the end of the reign of the Ottoman Empire.

Then history changed again when Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, the third Emir of Qatar, rebuilt this fort as crime rates soared around Souq Waqif. It was said that a group of famous thieves appeared in the market area. So this fort became the security center of Souq Waqif at that time. In accordance with the characteristics of a desert fort, the building was square in shape with a rectangular tower at a corner and three round towers at the other three corners.

Unfortunately, this fort was still under renovation so I couldn’t get into it. But that was okay, because I could quickly visit the Msheireb Museum.

Do you want to know what the Msheireb Museum is like?…. It was a long story, you knew…. Be prepared to read with patience!

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Aku meninggalkan Doha Sports City menjelang maghrib. Keluar dari Villaggio Mall, menuju Stasiun Al Aziziyah yang hanya berjarak 100 meter dari pintu nomor empat shopping mall kenamaan itu.

Di pintu masuk stasiun…..terjadilah insiden tipis antar pengelana….

“Hello, do you want go with metro?”, ucap pemuda ikal, berkulit putih dan berwajah khas Arab tetapi lebih pendek sedikit dariku.

“Yes, brother”, ucapku singkat.

“Use this ticket!, I will go back with bus, You can use it”, dia menyodorkan tiketnya kepadaku.

“Oh, No, thanks. I will buy a single journey ticket at downstair”, kutolak halus karena salah duga, kukira dia menjual tiket kepadaku. Aku tahu itu Standard Day Pass ticket seharga Rp. 16.000

“Brother, just take it. I don’t need more because I will use bus”, Dia tampak bergegas dan menyelipkan tiket itu ke tangan kananku.

Ya ampun….Ternyata dia memberikan dengan cuma-cuma. “Thank you very much, brother”, ucapku singkat.

“I’m Donny from Indonesia, what is your name, brother?”, tanyaku sebelum berpisah.

“Said from Algeria….”, senyumnya sembari membenarkan tas punggung hijaunya lalu bergegas meninggalkanku.

“Thank you, Said”, aku mulai menuruni escalator menuju platform Doha Metro.

Mengejar MRT yang sudah mengambil ancang-ancang, diperintahkanlah aku oleh petugas berkebangsaan Philippines untuk memasuki metro melalui gerbong kelas Goldclub yang mewah lalu berpindah ke gerbong kelas Standard di belakangnya. Wahhhh…..gerbang Goldclub itu menawarkan tempat duduk tunggal mewah bak business seat pesawat terbang, kursi bersandaran lengan yang terpisah satu sama lain dalam baris memanjang berhadapan. Terduduk di gerbong standard, aku dibawa menyusuri jalur Gold Line menuju Stasiun Souq Waqif yang lokasinya cukup berdekatan dengan Al Ghanim Bus Station. Aku akan menaiki Karwa Bus langganan bernomor 12 menuju penginapan.

Aku masih mengingat pesan salah satu staff hotel asal Islamabad bahwa malam ini mereka mengajakku memasak bersama dan menyantap masakan khas negeri mereka yaitu Pakistani White Pulao-hidangan nasi yang dicampur dengan cacahan wortel, sayur dan kacang-kacangan-.

Seusai mandi, benar adanya, mereka ke kamar membajakku dan digelandang e dapur untuk bergabung bersama para chef dadakan Casper Hotel.

—-****—-

Fajar ke empat yang kurasakan di Qatar. Aku sedikit bermalas-malasan karena kelelahan dan kejenuhan menjadi musuh baru. Menjelang pukul sepuluh pagi, aku mulai berangkat menuju Al Ghanim Bus Station. Awalnya berencana menuju ke Museum Islamic of Art. Eh, tetapi….Begitu tiba di terminal, aku berfikir ulang. Dompetku mengkhianati niat, dituntunnya aku mencari destinasi gratisan untuk menghemat amunisi yang mulai menipis.

Mencoba berselancar maya dengan duduk santai di terminal, akhirnya aku tahu harus melangkah kemana. Msheireb….Ya, Msheireb!

Ada Msheireb Museum yang dibuka gratis untuk wisatawan disana. Aku berfikir lanjut….Setelah mengunjungi museum itu, aku bisa berkeliling di area Msheireb Downtown Doha untuk melihat konsep kota terencana itu.

Perlu kamu tahu….MDD (Msheireb Downtown Doha) adalah sebuah kota pengganti Distrik Mushayrib yang pengembangannya direncanakan sangat detail.

Aku menjelajah sepanjang Ali Bin Abdullah Street, melewati Gold Souq -bangunan sepuluh jendela kaca lengkung sentra jual beli emas-, melintas kantor kas Qatar National Bank (QNB) Souq Waqif kemudian belok kanan di sebuah perempatan.

Sebelum benar-benar tiba di Msheireb Museum, langkahku tertahan di bawah sebuah bangunan ikonik, yang dari bentuknya aku sendiri faham bahwa itu adalah bangunan pertahanan atau benteng. Sewaktu kemudian, aku mengenalnya sebagai Al Kort Fort.

Dikenal juga sebagai Doha Fort, bangunan berusia 140 tahun ini dibangun pada masa Kesultanan Utsmaniyah sebagai kantor kepolisian. Tiga puluh lima tahun dihitung dari masa berdirinya, benteng ini berubah fungsi menjadi penjara di masa akhir kekuasaan Kesultanan Utsmaniyah.

Lalu sejarah kembali berubah ketika Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, Emir ketiga Qatar, membangun kembali benteng ini seiring melonjaknya angka kejahatan di sekitar Souq Waqif. Konon, muncul sekelompok pencuri terkenal yang merajalela di area pasar. Nah benteng inilah menjadi pusat keamanan Souq Waqif pada masa rawan itu.

Sesuai ciri khas benteng gurun pasir, bangunan ini berbentuk persegi dengan satu menara persegi panjang di salah satu sudut dan tiga menara bundar di ketiga sudut lainnya.

Sayang , benteng ini masih dalam proses renovasi sehingga aku tidak bisa masuk ke dalamnya. Tapi tnetu tak mengapa, karena aku bisa lekas berkunjung ke Msheireb Museum.

Mau tau ga Msheireb Museum kayak apa?….Panjang lho kisah yang tersampaikan di dalamnya….Siap-siap membaca penuh kesabaran ya!.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Tag: Al Kort Fort

Pakistani White Pulao and Al Kort Fort

Pakistani White Pulao dan Al Kort Fort