Watch England’s first World Cup game live on 21st November
ORRY THE ORYX STANDS 10m tall at the water’s edge, and the sun glares from the ocean and the glittering skyscrapers of the Doha Corniche. The symbol of the Asian Games held here in Qatar in 2006, he reminds us of the importance of the Arabian oryx as Qatar’s national animal.
Indeed, it’s hard to miss – this elegant antelope features on every Qatar Airways tailfin and gives its name to, among others, a Doha football club, two hotels and an international school.
The next sporting milestone for this tiny oil- and gas-rich state, sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, is the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Not without controversy over migrant workers and human rights, hosting the World Cup would be a big deal for any country, let alone one of just 3 million people, which you can drive end-to-end in two hours. But I am not here for football. I am here to uncover the extraordinary story of the Arabian oryx.
The Al Mas’habiya Reserve is in the far south of Qatar. This is stony, scoured, hilly desert with bleached rocky outcrops, from where you can squint at
