DREAM WORLD TRAVEL by Roland: ROZZA HASSAD: The Greenhouse

I know most of you have walked into a botanical garden somewhere in the world as any country has several around, especially those labeled as green. By green, I mean any environmental conscious country there is. How about greenhouses? I’m sure you have. And mind you, I never have… until recently.

On my recent local trip in Qatar one Saturday, I was amazed by one of these local farm houses around the country. I read about the article in one popular local online magazine in Doha (Doha News) and bumped into this article that says “Things to do in Qatar this weekend”, and it got my attention into one thing to do that would interest me, a visit to a greenhouse somewhere in the outskirt of Doha. At first, I thought it was just a similar botanical garden with a greenhouse in the middle of the dessert as many rich would have for their private indulgence which anyone can only see from afar when you travel on a main roads going to the north or to the south of the country.

We started our trip somehow in a bad note because we got lost and seems like do not know our way around to the place even if we were looking through a location map. We were not enchanted for one but the experience of getting lost gave us more excitement in driving around nowhere, the thrills were priceless. The place only opens ones a month from sometime in September or October to April depending on the weather at around 10am till 2pm, so imagine the suspense if you get late because your mental GPS is malfunctioning, not to mention that your petrol is dwindling. See how terrible it could be if we were stuck in the middle of nowhere in some faraway dessert?

Getting there was even a surprise, it was not your typical greenhouse in the middle of nowhere but an impressive one that only few can afford. The place is called ROZA HASSAD (google it!) in Umm Leghab, Dukhan Road. The greenhouse is not just flowers, vegetables and crops production farm but a very environmental friendly one. It is self-sufficient and self-sustain farm. It produces its own water for irrigation, recycles water, produces its own natural compost and uses the most sophisticated temperature and light controlling system; and the most simple pest control techniques which are by the way again all natural. At the end of the guided trip you can have the opportunity to bring produce on your way back home!

So what’s better way to spend your holiday next weekend? But you just have to wait for months till next season of the opening day comes back around (as per schedule announcement).

Below are some photos in action, of course, with the permission to blog an article about from Mr. Jean Pierre, the man himself, a kind tour guide who lets us get in, even if the door was already closed… because we were late (big thanks to the management!).

Their environmental advocacy is well worth promoting, please support them as well next time.