One of the biggest and oldest parks in Qatar will reopen in Al Khor within the next two months, an official from the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has said.

The 240,000 square meter park lies west of Al Khor municipality, and has been undergoing a QR250 million renovation since June 2010. According to Al Raya, it was scheduled to reopen in the first quarter of 2014.

But its opening was delayed to ensure the park was equipped with proper safety and security features – including installing a fence around a hill that overlooks the children’s play area, the newspaper reported.

When it’s complete, the park will include a building that looks like a cave that houses different animals, reptiles and birds. There will also be horse and camel rides, a waterfall, a pond, museum and a miniature golf course.

The reopening of the park comes at a time when many residents are pining for more green open areas, as opposed to malls, to spend their free time.

Qatar is home to several parks, but most are usually packed with residents during the weekends in winter.

Other projects

This week, officials also announced several other plans for Al Khor, which links three other municipalities: Al Shamal, Al Tahgayen and Al Rayyan.

That includes an 840,000 square meter Olympic park with a museum, which aims to be open by the 2022 World Cup; and new residential buildings, according to Al Watan.

Development of Al Khor’s coast and beaches is also underway, with authorities saying additional parking and amenities such as bathrooms and cafeterias will be added to accommodate weekend visitors.

When it comes to road development, all roundabouts in the municipality will be turned into intersections, officials added during a press conference this week.

Finally, the idea of a “recreational city” for workers was also raised. However, no timeline for the development, which would include football, basketball and baseball courts, in addition to supermarkets, barber shops and currency exchange shops, was discussed.

Tarek Al Tamimi, director of technical affairs for Al Khor Municipality, was quoted by Al Raya as saying:

“This will be a complete city where the worker can enjoy his weekend, and get what he needs, without having to go anywhere else.”

Meanwhile, a hospital is being built in Ras Laffan city in Al Khor to accommodate laborers in the area, as many of the patients in Al Khor hospital work in the construction sector.

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