My two books on Qatar - The House of Fortune and Single Man Dancing Alone are now under one general title - One Hundred Years in Qatar.
Original painting I made for the cover of The House of Fortune
When I set out to paint The House of Fortune I tried to imagine the house as it may have once stood in the 30s. The Emir's palace stands on high ground in the background overlooking the Gulf. It is romanticised of course as the wind tower house was in the centre of Doha which, even in the 40s and 50s was a bustling little town. For any visitors to Doha you can still see the old merchant house on which the first book is based.
If you ask for Souq Al Najada you will find the house looking as beautiful as ever, restored and sometimes open to visitors. If you go to the Najada hotel and have a coffee on the terrace you have a good view of the house. Maybe it's a good place to read some of the book!
The Wind Tower house on which I modelled The House of Fortune as it is today in Souq Al Najada....... the view from the Najada Hotel terrace.
Original painting I made for Single Man Dancing Alone
How Doha has changed. The Doha Sheraton was the only substantial building on the reclaimed land known as the West Bay or dufna as the Qataris called it. That was in the very early 80s.
Me many moons ago on the corniche with the Doha Sheraton in the background. Happy days!