Baaya (; also spelled as Baaja) is a district in the municipality of

Al Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipalities of Qatar, municipality in Qatar. Its primary settlement is the Al Rayyan (city), city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Do ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. It is one of the more developed districts in Al Rayyan, hosting Villaggio Mall, Aspire Park, and the

Aspire Zone Aspire Zone, also known as Doha Sports City, is a sporting complex located in the Baaya district of Al Rayyan (city), Al Rayyan, Qatar. Owned by the Aspire Zone Foundation, it was established as an international sports destination in 2003 and ...

, all of which run along Al Waab Street.

Etymology

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, "baaja" roughly translates to "widened". It was so named because the area comprises a vast, cultivated plain.

Landmarks

*Al Rayyan Pediatric Emergency Center on Al Fourisiya Street. *Rayyan Electricity Standby Office ( Kahramaa) on Al Fourisiya Street. *University of Calgary in Qatar on Al Sail Street.

Aspire Zone

Key locations in the district are mainly located in the

which runs along Al Waab Street, including the Doha Sports City, home to many of the venues of the

2006 Asian Games The 2006 Asian Games (), officially known as the XV Asiad or 15th Asian Games (, and commonly known as Doha 2006 (), were an Asian multi-sport event held in Doha, Qatar, from December 1 to 15, 2006, with 424 events in 39 sports featured in the ga ...

, Qatar's tallest structure,

Aspire Tower Aspire Tower, also known as The Torch Doha, is a skyscraper hotel located in the Aspire Zone complex in Doha, Qatar. Designed by architect Hadi Simaan and AREP and engineer Ove Arup and Partners, the tower served as the focal point for the 15 ...

and Qatar's largest stadium, Khalifa Stadium, as well as one of Qatar's most popular malls, Villagio Mall, themed after the Italian city of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. Aspetar, a specialized orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, is also based in the Aspire Zone. The Aspire Park is a popular attraction found on Al Waab Street. Roughly half of the district's overall area is occupied by the Aspire Zone.

Transport

Overhead view of Villaggio Mall in Baaya

Road

The two most important roads which run through the district are Al Waab Street, which is the commercial center and which hosts the Aspire Zone, and Al Furousiya Street, which provides connectivity between the southern and northern districts of Al Rayyan. Five bus stations have been placed within the district. Mowasalat is one of the official transport companies of Qatar and serves the community through its operation of public bus routes.

Rail

Sports City station currently serves the Gold Line of the

Doha Metro The Doha Metro (, ''Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Mitru ad-Dawha'') is a rapid transit system in the Doha Metropolitan Area of Qatar's capital city Doha, which became operational on 8 May 2019. It has three lines with an approximate overal ...

. The station was inaugurated on 21 November 2019, along with all other Gold Line stations. It is located on Al Waab Street, between Al Aziziyah station and Al Waab station. Among the station's facilities are a prayer room and restrooms. Nearby landmarks within walking distance include the Khalifa International Stadium and, further west of the station, the Aspire Zone. There are no metrolinks for the station.

Education

The following schools are located in Baaya:

References

Populated places in Al Rayyan {{Qatar-geo-stub