Qatar hosted the 15th Asian Games in December 2006 — the first Gulf state to do so — an event that prompted an unusual burst of commemorative coin production from a country with almost no domestic numismatic tradition. The Doha games drew 45 nations and marked a deliberate projection of Qatari ambition well before the FIFA World Cup bid entered anyone's conversation.
KM#22 is one of several gold issues tied to the event, each referencing a different local landmark. The Dallah, a traditional Arabian coffee pot, had been adopted as a cultural emblem of Qatari hospitality long before it became commemorative subject matter.
Qatar hosted the 15th Asian Games in December 2006 — the first Gulf state to do so — an event that prompted an unusual burst of commemorative coin production from a country with almost no domestic numismatic tradition. The Doha games drew 45 nations and marked a deliberate projection of Qatari ambition well before the FIFA World Cup bid entered anyone's conversation.
KM#22 is one of several gold issues tied to the event, each referencing a different local landmark. The Dallah, a traditional Arabian coffee pot, had been adopted as a cultural emblem of Qatari hospitality long before it became commemorative subject matter.