Yet, as far as its nationhood is concerned, Qatar is a newcomer. Most Australians need to be reminded where it is unless they've flown Qatar Airways on their way to Europe or some other tourist destination. That's why Qatar made its controversial bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup to firmly establish itself as "the new Dubai", a tourist destination in its own right.

Obviously that bidding contest (in which rival Australia received a single vote) has been dogged by rumours of bribery and corruption, leading to the forced resignation of FIFA chief Sepp Blatter. And despite Qatar's promise the tournament would take place in airconditioned stadiums in the traditional European off-season of July and August, it's now been moved to the cooler months of November and December because (surprise!) the summer can reach temperatures of 50 degrees.

To continue the negative connotations, there have also been stories about the "slavery conditions" which some foreign workers building the World Cup infrastructure are being subjected to. That said, how does Qatar rate as a stopover destination if you want to break your journey on the way to or from Europe?

Feeling a little nervous, I spent a day in the capital, Doha, to find out. But first a little history. Less than 100 years ago, most of Qatar's scant population was gathered on the eastern coast of this egg-shaped promontory, where pearl divers could make their traditional living. Then oil was discovered in 1940.

In just 70 years, the population of Doha rose from 10,000 to 1.5 million, about half of the national population. And now Doha is the centrepoint of another audacious Arabian push to establish an alternative economy before the oil runs out (a route already pioneered by Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain). When I visited in May, Lord Sebastian Coe (president of the International Association of Athletics Federations) was in town, expressing such confidence in the World Cup preparations that he declared Doha could even host the 2028 Olympic Games. Seriously, had he noticed the heat?

It was already 32 degrees at 7am when I left Doha's Hamad International Airport, having hastily negotiated an early morning, four-hour tour of "the desert". And it had reached 38 degrees when my driver stopped at Sealine Beach where I endured one of the quickest camel rides in history (the cup of sublime sweet tea in one of the canvas cafes surrounding the cameleers took longer to drink than the camel ride). But then I wasn't dressed as Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. And it was 42 degrees by 1pm when I rashly decided to walk the 15-minute journey from my hotel to the city's superb (and superbly airconditioned) Museum of Islamic Art.

"Sorry I am sweating so much, but it's really hot outside," I explained to the Chador-wearing lady at the museum's reception desk. "Hot?" she replied, rebukingly. "It's not even the hot season for another month."

Qatar "somehow" persuaded the 91-year-old architect I.M. Pei (of Louvre Pyramid fame) out of retirement to design this monumental museum. He did so only on the understanding Qatar paid him to travel for six months to inspect his personal wish list of Islamic architecture and art. Wisely, rather than accepting the site originally chosen for the museum, Pei successfully argued an artificial promontory should be constructed so that the emblematic museum could stand prominently on Doha's crescent-shaped harbour.

Even if you're not impressed with the monolithic exterior of Pei's building, make sure you visit his interior. It's stupendous, with vast windows offering glorious views over the bay to the city's skyline, an epic and elegant staircase, and Doha's only Alain Ducasse restaurant. Apparently Pei also insisted his collaborators on the Louvre Pyramid should be employed to design the museum's gallery spaces. I only found this out later, but had noted that I'd never seen the full range of Islamic arts ceramics, textiles, carpets, jewellery, calligraphy, tiles, wood carving, even secular paintings displayed so immaculately.

Of course, if you're a cynic like the Qatar Airways stewardess I chatted to on the onward flight to London, you'll note that hardly any of the Islamic treasures in the museum come from Qatar itself. But I found that enlightening, with exquisite works (carpets or carvings, for example) from China, India, Iran, Egypt and Turkey displayed alongside one another so you can compare the different craftsmanship and artistic styles.

The only tinge of regret about the permanent collection is that so many of the wonders on display came from places that are now so war-torn – Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen – recalling how richly civilised those countries once were. Another signature museum may be open by the time you visit. Designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel, the $600 million National Museum of Qatar is due to open later in 2016. Its spectacular disc-shaped exterior, inspired by the desert rose and reminiscent of the sails of the Sydney Opera House, was virtually complete when I flew in. When ready for visitors, the museum is pledged to "give voice to Qatar's heritage whilst celebrating its future … entire walls will become cinematic screens, individual cocoons will hold oral histories and handheld mobile devices will guide people through thematic displays".

In particular, the museum will pay homage to "preserving the dhows that were once Doha's lifeblood, enabling trade, pearling and fishing". But you don't need to wait to see the modern dhows. Just walk along Doha's recently created "Corniche". Once the dhow was a working vessel, helping to transport spices between the Orient and Istanbul. Today's Doha dhow, however, is a cushioned pleasure vessel, often with serenading musicians, best experienced at sunset or after dark when a million lights illuminate the Gulf. Personally, I chose to spend my single night in Doha in the historic Souq Waqif district.

When I say "historic", the present incarnation is just over a decade old. Much of the original souq was destroyed in a fire in 2003 after at least 15 years of decay and neglect. But there has been a souq on this site in central Doha for centuries, with outlying graziers bringing their sheep, goats or fleeces to the market to exchange for pots, pans and provisions. The present pedestrianised rabbit warren of narrow streets is a sympathetic fraud, with old and new buildings sensitively melded to form what appears to be an authentic 19th-century Arabian souq.

As luck had it, I'd booked online one of the eight establishments that collectively make up Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels.

After my 15-minute stroll in the heat back from the Museum of Islamic Art along the Corniche, I'd wallowed in the shade of the souq. Most of the stalls were shut for the Qatari equivalent of siesta, with stallholders sleeping in the most improbable positions.

I'd paused for an overlarge seafood grill in a rooftop restaurant where I could see the fishing boats and hear the competing calls to prayer from various mullahs, then retired for a jetlag-induced slumber. When I emerged from my hotel at 6.30pm, the souq was awash with atmosphere.

It was like walking into a scene from the Arabian Nights, updated for the 21st century. Perhaps a 10th of the souq's clientele was made up of fellow Western tourists, but the remainder were Muslims in relaxation mode. Couples, families and friends were all enjoying the first evening of the Islamic weekend. After a 30-minute stroll around the souq and its nightly food market, I settled back into a comfy chair in one of the many cafes where men and women were simultaneously smoking their hookah pipes while texting away on their mobile phones.

I ordered one of the many fruit juices on the menu, and sat back to people-watch.

It was like having a front-row seat at an Arabian fashion parade. Every variation of female Islamic costume, from niqab, hijab, burka, chador and dupatta to a pair of jeans and a simple headscarf, was on show. And the men were equally proud, strutting like Islamic peacocks in a varied display of Muslim masculine fashion. Allah, I love this city and I never even made it to Doha's proudest boast: the biggest shopping mall in the Middle East.

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

qatartourism.gov.qa/en/

GETTING THERE

Qatar Airways flies from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to Doha, with connecting flights to Europe, North and South America and Africa; see qatarairways.com

STAYING THERE

Souq Waqif Boutique Hotel Doha has a nest of eight hotels in historic properties inside the souq; rooms from $175; see avanihotels.com/souqwaqif/

Steve Meacham travelled as a guest of Captain's Choice.