In Doha, Qatar, the soon-to-open Alhazm mall takes this model and kicks it up at least a hundred notches. A shopping center for Qatari millionaires (whose number, at 28,000, is reportedly the region’s fastest growing), it is a vision in Tuscany-imported marble. Alhazm in part replicates Milan’s historic shopping mall, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, constructed in the mid-19th century and still going strong.
But Alhazm will be much fancier than the Milan mall, which even had a McDonald’s until 2012. Sculptures and paintings—some of them authentic—will flank Alhazm’s hallways. Temperature-controlled gardens (with 200-year-old olive trees brought in from Sicily), gazebos, and fountains will provide green space. Customers will be able sample foods from the world round (think French cheeses and Belgian chocolates) or peruse rare manuscripts and tomes on art, architecture, and the Islamic world in a library. These perks are in addition to upscale boutiques selling designer clothing, jewelry, and other luxury merchandise. [...]
Yet much of Qatar belongs to this demographic. The country’s population is estimated at 2.5 million people, with more than 1.5 million serving as migrant laborers in fields such as construction and child care. In March, the U.N. warned Qatar that it will face an investigation if within a year it does not end its mistreatment of these workers, who often live in miserable conditions and face such abuses from their employers as passport confiscation.
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