DOHA: The first day of Eid Al Fitr drew visitors from all over to several major leisure sites in Qatar such as the Souq Waqif, cinemas, beaches and malls, yesterday.

As the Doha Zoo and Villaggio Shopping Mall were closed, people chose alternative places to celebrate Eid Al Fitr holidays.  

As the temperature level remained at 45 degrees Celsius and of lower humid levels beaches attracted many visitors.

“We came to the Dukhan beach and it’s over crowded. There are so many people here, so there is not even enough space to camp,” said a family visiting the beach with their friends.

Another visitor to the Sealine Beach, Mohamed Fazeem, said the beach is over crowded despite the fact that access to the area is restricted due to the over flow of water.

“Water has flooded the area near the beach and access to the area is a bit difficult. We had to park the vehicle at one place and walk to the beach, yet the place is over crowded with so many people,” he explained.  

Cinemas also became attractions for several people as some new films were released at theatres in Doha.   

“We thought of going for a film and relax, as most places will be crowded on the first day of Eid,” said Zaina Mohamed as her family decided to watch The Dark Knight Rises: Batman.

People try to get maximum enjoyment and relaxation during the three days of Eid holidays and they ultimately end having a tight holiday schedules.

“Usually we have only the weekends to do everything, but now got a long weekend with the Eid holidays, we decided to watch  Teta Rabeeba, a comedy film and go to Souq Waqif to have a meal and smoke Sheesha, then we thought of going to a beach,” said Ahmed Abasi, an Egyptian professional living with his family in Doha. 

The Peninsula