Recently, a woman at work told me about her evening with her husband and people from the Italian Embassy attended a private dinner at a restaurant in Alhazm with the man who owns the mall, Mohamed Abdulkareem Al Emady.  She told me that the centuries old olive trees cost tens of thousands of dollars a piece and were flown in from Italy and Spain, that the toilets are made of marble and that Mr. Al Emady spared nothing but the best for his mall.

The main entrance to the mall is designed after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.  Outside the entrance is a glass pyramid replica of the one at the Louvre.

Last night Michael and I went to take a closer look at the progress of this incredible mall.  We first walked along the front walkway of the mall to see the main entrance. Sadly, the area surrounding the main entrance is closed to public access.

We then walked to the courtyard. Here is where we spent most of our time. A few shops and restaurants are open but a large majority of the mall is still closed.

As we left the mall, we pulled up on the road in front of the main entrance to take pictures. The pyramid does not usually have Qatari flags on it – the flags are new and I assume in support of the Emir with the blockade happening here at this time.

S, 🇶🇦