Fan discovers Qatar ghost town and gets surprising tour of abandoned apartment blocks

Created: 05/12/2022, 12:48 p.m

By: Alexander Kaindl

England fan Rob Dawley spotted these abandoned skyscrapers.

© Screenshot TikTok / Rob Dawley

Qatar was and is heavily criticized for hosting the 2022 World Cup.

A fan now discovered a number of abandoned blocks of flats – and got a look behind the scenes.

Doha – The 2022 World Cup is on, fans from all over the world have traveled to Qatar.

Among them is Rob Dawley.

The Englishman is exploring the desert state on his own - and has made what appears at first glance to be a mysterious discovery, as reported by tz.de.

England fan travels through Qatar: He wants to show the desert state from another side

The football fan documents his trip to Qatar via TikTok, where his more than 6,000 followers (as of December 5, 10 a.m.) can share in his adventures.

The young man from the south of Manchester started his travel vlog, which aims to show another side of Qatar, just before the World Cup.

Dawley already showed impressive pictures on his first day in the Qatari capital Doha.

The sea, skyscrapers and of course the Khalifa International Stadium could be seen.

There England played against Iran and Dawley was there live.

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Fan discovers Qatar ghost town and gets surprising tour of abandoned apartment blocks

The fans will then get further impressions of the emirate on his account.

How expensive is Qatar really?

What is his hotel like?

How does the preparation for a game day go?

Between these small clips there is also one that comes across as a bit strange.

It is described with the words: "You will not believe what I have found."

In the almost three-minute video, Dawley says that he discovered a kind of ghost town.

“This is downtown Mesaieed.

I found something here that I couldn't believe.

25 to 30 completely abandoned skyscrapers, 'do not enter' signs everywhere.

My ten-year-old self was like, 'come on, just jump the fence'.

But then I met this man: Sadiq.”

Qatar: World Cup visitor given tour of abandoned Mesaieed apartment blocks

Sadiq is a security guard who then took Dawley on a surprising private tour of the deserted part of town!

The English football tourist found out that the guest workers who worked here in the run-up to the World Cup and built the stadiums were housed in these buildings.

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Many apartments were locked, but eventually Sadiq, another security colleague and Dawley found an open door - and got access to one of the apartments.

England fan explores Qatar and succeeds in his 'mission'

Up to ten workers are said to have been housed here.

Furniture and belongings were long gone, of course, but Dawley decided the home was a lot more spacious than his dorm room.

"Obviously I don't know what the exact conditions were, but it all looks very roomy," said Dawley.

At the end of the video, the Englishman thanked his two personal guides - with the addition: "They helped me to continue my mission: to show you a different side of Qatar.

Thanks."

In the video: Up to 500 foreign workers killed in Qatar

Blocks of flats in Qatar are to be demolished

The abandoned apartment blocks are ultimately just part of the town of Mesaieed, known primarily as an industrial area.

What will happen to the former apartments?

They are actually "slated to be demolished in the next few months," as Dawley announced in a subordinate clause.

Sustainability works differently, but the young man from the north-west of England was still very impressed by the buildings.

Dawley does not mention that he may have been visiting the temporary home of a worker who was injured or even killed while in Qatar.

In the meantime, a World Cup organizer has officially confirmed that up to 500 people died.