THE ICONIC ASPIRE TOWER OF QATAR
Welcome to Doha, the capital city of Qatar with an incredible skyline and architectural masterpieces, among the magnificent high-rise buildings is the Aspire tower, or the Torch, the tallest tower of all the skyscrapers in Qatar. The reason I chose this tower as a symbolic icon of Qatar is because of its architecture and engineering which represents the futuristic prosperity of the country. The building was inspired by the torch flame 🔥of the 15th Asian Game 🏆that was hosted by Qatar in 2006, it was the first country in the Arabian region to get to host the games. The building suddenly became a very predominant tourist attraction ever since, the best place to look at it is from the water, ideally at sunset 🌇when the building and the Arabian sky are lit in golden orange. Ten years later, the 300 metre striking torch of Doha is known for its five ⭐hotels, sports hub and sports museum, health clubs, and an observatory deck 👀for a 360 panorama view of the city including the artificial island or The Pearl and Doha tower.
Aspire tower is definitely a spot for tourists and the symbol has also been reproduced for tourism. It is still debatable whether the symbol of the country should have been other things, such as Qatar’s national coat of arms, Arabian oryx 🐏(national animal), Thobe the traditional men wear, or Machboos 🍛the national flavoursome dish of Qatar. However, since 2006, the Aspire tower has been the most iconic symbol of Qatar.
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ReplyDeleteHi Gorbua!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blog, I can remember the Torch as a symbol of Qatar for sure and is able to confidently introduce this tower to others with basic information. I think this is one of the best usages of blog, learning and then sharing. It is informative in that it introduces the Torch from a developmental perspective. It first discusses the inspiration of the flames, with "🔥" to make it more vivid. Then it discusses its status ten years after the construction, which is informative from time dimension. Also, the scenery description of the Torch at sunset is so fantasy that makes me feel like personally on the scene.
This blog engages quite well with the first and second questions for week 2——symbol. While for the third question, there could be more critical thinking on the Torch as a symbol for Qatar, for example, how is it different from other country's tower as a symbol, is it contentious (from Qatar people's perspective and that of foreigners'), etc. It would be more interesting if the author can dig a litter deeper instead of just giving an objective conclusion.
In my blog I wrote about the tower in Japan, Tsutenkaku. If I write about Qatar and the Torch, I would probably make a comparison between the Torch and other towers in Qatar. And I would find more about whether there is a difference between Qatar residents' view of the Torch, the symbol of Qatar and those of tourists.
In short, it is a nice experience to read this blog and get to know about Qatar more!