The Pearl Monument on the Corniche commemorates Qatar's pre-oil economy, when pearl diving was the primary industry and Doha was a modest fishing port. A giant oyster shell opens to reveal an oversized pearl, and the fountain base references the diving vessels that once worked the shallow Gulf waters.
It is a simple, earnest piece of public sculpture, but stands in a good spot where the Corniche curves and the West Bay towers rise across the water. The monument has become a standard backdrop for photographs; the view back toward it from the Corniche promenade is better than the monument itself.