The Al Thumuma Stadium is designed by Ibrahim M. Jaidah, chief architect of Arab Engineering Bureau, an Omani design consultancy founded in 1971. As with several of the other stadiums, there is an explicit reference here to tradiitonal Arabic crafts. This time the inspiration comes from the “gahfiya”, a simple white cap worn by men throughout the region.
Ibrahim M. Jaidah said “I was extremely enthusiastic when we were awarded the design for Al Thumama Stadium. Here, the aim was to create the design that would resonate not only with Qatar but with the whole region. In our culture, the gahfiya forms an important part of every young boy’s pathway to adulthood, and this rite of passage was fundamental inspiration for the design.”
The device of the all-enveloping gahfiya gives this stadium a clear legibility and consistency. The venue is surrounded by a 50,000m2 park, including 400 trees. Once the tournament is over, 20,000 of the 40,000 seats will be removed as the stadium moves into its legacy mode.
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