It was built for Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, at an approximate cost of US $330 million. The consultants for this project were Meinhardt-Middle East, and the main contractor was GETTCO Contracting Co. The present development is only the first phase with the second and third phases already planned. The Doha City Center is vying for the top spot of "the largest shopping mall in the world."
City Center Doha is one of the finest shopping, entertainment and leisure destinations in the Middle East covering a total area of 290,000 sq meters. The official opening of the City Center Doha signals the successful completion of the first phase of this multi-million dollar project.
The complex was conceived in 1997 and took 2 years and 4 months to build. It is a complete one stop destination providing a rich mix of world famous brands, state-of -the art facilities and quality services together with family entertainment and some 40 food outlets offering a range of international cuisine.
The complex comprises of many sections, The commercial complex, which offers five levels of quality shopping, entertainment, leisure and services for the entire family, covers an area of 286, 000 square meters. The total floor space is 117, 378 square meters.

City Center Doha have 350 retail outlets representing top international and homegrown brands. including Qatar's first hypermarket, Carrefour and the international departmental store, Debenhams, which was opened by Their Royal Highnesses the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The rest of the outlets will open their doors in the coming weeks. On the entertainment front, City Center Doha has X-treme World featuring innovative games and attractions never seen before in this part of the world and winter wonderland that includes Qatar's first ice rink, an eight lane 10 -pin bowling center and an indoor water park for children. City Center Doha is also building a separate ice-skating rink exclusively for ladies.
The Qatar National Bank has opened a branch at City Center Doha. The complex will also offer other specialized services through a bookstore, a 24-hour pharmacy, a travel agency, a specialist gold and jewellery section and a first aid unit those functions round the clock.
City Center Doha is delighted with the response received since its soft launch. An amazing 32,000 people flocked to the complex when it opened its doors to the public for the first time on November 21. Since then the mall traffic has increased on a daily basis.
Carrefour Hypermarket, which received 8,000 shoppers on the opening day continues to be the main attraction for shoppers. Bigger crowds will visit the complex with the introduction of more new stores, facilities and events.
City Center Doha is committed to providing special facilities to Muslim shoppers and visitors including prayer rooms. A 800-meter mosque also been opened at City Center Doha.

The Doha City Center opened recently amidst much fanfare and publicity. Situated at a prime location in the heart of Doha, the capital city of the State of Qatar, it is easily accessible from all corners of the city. The Doha City Center is an expansive mixed development on a mammoth scale, with an internal area of 290,000 square meters

The City Center has entertainment facilities, a shopping mall consisting of 420 shops, an exhibition and convention center, 15 prayer halls, banks and banking facilities and a parking area for an estimated 3,000 cars. The City Center is rapidly earning the reputation of being a city within a city. With an estimated target of 50,000 visitors per weekday and approximately double that on weekends and public holidays, the City Center promises much to Doha's 800,000 inhabitants. The Doha City Center was built for Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, at an approximate cost of £230 million (US $331 million). The consultants for this project were Meinhardt-Middle East, and the main contractor was GETTCO Contracting Co. The present development is only the first phase with the second and third phases already planned. The Doha City Center is vying for the top spot of "the largest mall in the world." A significant portion of the City Center, consisting of the 18,000-square-meter Hyper Market and the shopping areas, were opened to the public in October, with the grand opening in mid-April. Four pairs of exceptionally beautiful observation elevators decorate the center courts and serve the ice rinks. These units afford the passengers a bird's-eye view of the malls and its activities and have a traveling speed of 60m/s and serve four levels of the shopping mall. The elevator shafts have been adorned with jade-green marble, providing a backdrop against which the elevators with their novel lighting arrangement stand out and present a stately and royal appearance. The smooth-riding quality and door operation combined with the beauty and elegance of the surroundings, make a ride in these elevators a memorable event for shoppers and visitors. With 26 escalators, 18 elevators and eight Travators, this project posed a lot of challenges, in meeting deadlines, changing delivery schedules, material storage and completing the daunting task of joining and placing the trusses with a lot of space restrictions and structural limitations.

City Center : Doha is the biggest shopping complex in the region and the 7th largest in the world.

In the Middle East, City centre Doha is the place for a complete shopping experience and entertainment. Carrefour the biggest hyper-market in Qatar where you can buy groceries and a whole range of house hold items on a single trip. Moreover Carrefour received almost 32,000 visitors on the first day when it was opened on November 2000. The city center Doha is a dream come true for all those who wanted simply everything under one roof. An ice-ring, dream land, cinemas, rides, coffee shops, restaurants, you name it, and adding for its customers is it's magnificently designed interior and exterior reflecting a mix of modern and attraction Arabic traditions. The landscape is interwoven with palm trees, plants and waterfalls. For the convenience of its customers, it is offering a parking area, which can capacitate around 2,300 cars. A unique 6,500 s.q meter theme park (x-treme world) brings together such rides that no one has ever seen them before in an indoor environment. Snow X-Treme a part of X-treme world uses the latest technology to create natural snow and toboggan slopes.
City center Doha has a fine mix of modern and Arabic architecture, elegance and décor. It conforms to world-class standards, having been built with the latest architectural designs and concepts. New architectural techniques have been introduced to create a natural and relaxed ambience inside, while the region's biggest glass dome dominates the entrance to the huge complex. The modern construction system known as Post-tension was used as the basis for building the mega shopping center, the first time that this technique had been applied in Qatar.