The traditional Muslim people cover themselves from head to toe and there’s no shortage of that in Doha. Qatar is a Muslim country and most of the residents are devout Muslims which requires this sort of dress. If you asked someone why they cover themselves,…Read More

The traditional Muslim people cover themselves from head to toe and there’s no shortage of that in Doha. Qatar is a Muslim country and most of the residents are devout Muslims which requires this sort of dress. If you asked someone why they cover themselves, you may not get an answer, but I did get a chance to speak to our tour guide who offered this explanation.

According to Allah and the Qur’an, (the Muslim Bible) “one must lower their gaze and be modest”. Specifically, it says: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their chests and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers and family members.”

It IS beautiful to see these elegant women walking around with their Louis Vuitton purses and Jimmy Choo shoes, covered in black from head to toe. I wasn’t really prepared for that, even though I knew where I was going. I guess you don’t really think about it until you actually see it. And I saw A LOT of it. Not everyone dresses this way, but it is very prominent in the community. Don’t even THINK about taking pictures of the women dressed like that. It’s a big no-no. I managed to get the picture I took by being very sneaky. No one knew I took it.

Men wear the long shirts and a veil of their own, called Hijab. You’ll see white, black, green and blue ones but there is no significance between the colors. One color doesn’t mean that one man is more wealthy than another. I did notice at the Souq, that the black abayas the women wear could have decoration on them. I saw some with black sequins along the bottom or along the cuffs of the arms.

I know as an American, we don’t understand this, and I’m no exception. Women buy these beautiful clothes, then cover them up. What’s the point, right? I was worried I may have to cover my hair, as I would have to do if I was in Saudi Arabia, but Qatar is a little bit more conventional that Saudi Arabia, and it wasn’t an issue. I did stand out though, because I’m as blonde as they get, but it wasn’t too bad.

Shopping in Qatar is a great experience. Whether you go to a large shopping mall with brand-name stores, or to a local souk, you never know what you’re going to see. The word "souk" (pronounced sook) means bazaar or market and are similar to a…Read More

Shopping in Qatar is a great experience. Whether you go to a large shopping mall with brand-name stores, or to a local souk, you never know what you’re going to see.

The word "souk" (pronounced sook) means bazaar or market and are similar to a U.S. flea market. There are several souks around town, each one with a different name. Vendors sell everything from clothes to toys, tools, spices, perfume, cosmetics, candy, jewelry, brass, gold, incense, or anything else you can think of, and the value can’t be beat.

In the old days, souks were outside, and consisted of narrow walkways and alleys, where vendors hocked their wares. Nowadays, you can still find the alleyways, but newer parts have been added on. Areas with marble floors, air conditioning and escalators. It’s like walking from one extreme to the other.

I was in the old area, no marble floors, and I noticed there were NO women shopkeepers. Only men. Even in the women’s area where women’s clothes are sold, there were only men. I saw women shopping, but that’s all.

There were SO many things to choose from. Abaya, which is the traditional dress for women, several spice stores, homegrown nuts and fruits, candies, toys--it was amazing. Some of the shopkeepers were not too friendly, I assume because we were American, but that was evened out by the nice shopkeepers. The shop we were in, accepted both US dollars and Qatari Riyals, so having Riyals, wasn’t a must. They actually prefer U.S. dollars to their currency. They have calculators to help with the conversion, but I always make my own conversion chart that I carry around with me. Everyone spoke really good English, so don’t be intimidated to ask questions or ask for the USD conversion. I spent QR44.00, which came to about USD$11 and got a TON of gifts to take home.

Seriously, unless you HAVE to have a Coach purse, your best bet to get souvenirs, is the Souq. I took home some Saffron, Arabic candies, Iranian olive oil and some jewelery and it didn’t cost me a thing. I loved shopping at the souk. We went to two different ones, Souk Al Asiery and Souk Al Ahmad. Both had dirt parking lots and are divided into sections. We went to the womens’ section only. At Al Asiery, there is a store called Dana that specializes in Indian sari’s. BEAUTIFUL! I got my bracelets there. They had tons of different kinds and they were inexpensive. This souk was right behind a small mosque.

Don’t waste your money at the mall; go to the souk.

Once again, I had a stopover in Doha in July 2007 on my way to India and back home. Has the airport improved since 2005? Another reviewer told us that a new airport was planned for September 2006. However, I landed into the same airport…Read More

Once again, I had a stopover in Doha in July 2007 on my way to India and back home. Has the airport improved since 2005? Another reviewer told us that a new airport was planned for September 2006. However, I landed into the same airport as two years ago. No big changes compared to my experience two years ago.

Doha airport is incredibly crowded and way too small for an international airport. Queues are long but the staff are efficient and guide travellers towards the right queues. Security is not as tight as it was two years ago, probably because of the waiting lines. Once you get past security, you enter into the duty free zone on the lower level.

It is quite a busy duty free zone, but it was much busier two years ago, it is also one of the smallest duty free zone spaces I have seen for such an international airport. Qataris are busy buying alcohol and cigarettes (alcohol consumption is forbidden in Qatar) for their holiday getaway and many Western travelers have a look at the prices of the electronics (not cheaper than in Europe or the US).

If you are carrying bags with you, it will be difficult for you to wander in the duty free zone when it is crowded.

There are a few smoking zones in the airport but not the same as in 2005. In 2005, it was possible to smoke in an area protected by high glass walls which provided a full view of planes taking off and landing. Nowadays, Doha airport smoking zones are incredibly smokey and in a few seconds you are suffocating... It is best to wait until you have arrived at your destination to light a cigarette.

Toilets are numerous and relatively clean (but could be cleaner; there is water everywhere)

On the upper floor, there is a free Internet zone, where people can send emails and chat with family and friends. Once again, if you have a short stopover, it is not even worth waiting in the line. I personally had to wait for 45 minutes before being able to access a computer.

Also, on the same level, there are restaurants (mostly junk food), and several waiting rooms in front of the gates, less crowded than on the lower level. You can expect to find a seat to relax there while waiting for your flight.

My best experience of Doha has been Qatar Airlines, one of the best airlines I have flown with. Super service by handsome stewards and beautiful hostesses, super food, super seats (I had a free upgrade to business class because there were no seats available anymore in economy class).

Overall, Doha airport is an experience. It is a modern airport with modern facilities which has become too small because of the quickly increasing number of people travelling with Qatar Airways. Close

The current Doha airport is an interesting place, to say the least. As you can imagine, security is high and I found out just how high when I went from the ticket counter to the gate area. I put my bags through the x-ray machine,…Read More

The current Doha airport is an interesting place, to say the least. As you can imagine, security is high and I found out just how high when I went from the ticket counter to the gate area.

I put my bags through the x-ray machine, stepped thru the metal detector, then was lead to a small room where I was hand patted by a woman. It wasn’t a horrible experience, just strange. I only felt a tad bit violated.

Now once you get past security, the airport is one huge duty-free shop. Everything from alcohol to electronics, to watches, this place has it all. I found that cigarettes are CHEAP! I spent QAR 87 for 2 cartons of Marlboro Lights, which converted to $24! A "smokin" deal if you ask me. I looked at the cosmetics, liquor, and memory cards for my camera and I didn’t feel that the value was THAT great, but I did see plenty of people filling suitcases with bottles of vodka and whiskey to take out of the country for the weekend; alcohol is prohibited in Qatar, as it is a Muslim country.

The work week for the Middle East is Sunday through Thursday, which means their weekends start on Friday. I was at the airport on a Thursday night and it was packed with people going to Dubai, and places beyond, for the weekend.

This airport is small and cluttered with seating areas. The restrooms are quite small, making the lines long, and they’re pretty dirty. This is no Ritz. There is a restaurant on the upper level, but I’ve heard that there are no announcements up there so you need to pay attention to the time. I got a few snacks in the duty-free shop to keep me occupied while I waited for my flight. The seating area is also small, I guess that’s why they’re building a new airport, south of the city. They vow the new airport will take only 9 months to build, so it should be up and running by September 2006.

There were plenty of Americans waiting for their flights, as there is a large military base here. The airport staff was nice, and they all spoke English. It’s basically a madhouse in there, because it’s so small. I can’t wait to see the new airport when it’s done... it’s supposed to be very nice.

Before 1949, Doha was a small village that survived by pearling and fishing. The city had about 350 pearling boats at the beginning of the 20th century, then the development of Japanese cultured pearls, and the worldwide economic depression of the 1930's, severely affected the…Read More

Before 1949, Doha was a small village that survived by pearling and fishing. The city had about 350 pearling boats at the beginning of the 20th century, then the development of Japanese cultured pearls, and the worldwide economic depression of the 1930's, severely affected the town. Since the 1980’s, with the discovery of the world's largest known offshore gas field, Qatar now has the third-largest natural gas reserves in the world, making the country over two billion dollars, and making it one of the world's fastest growing, and highest per-capita income countries.

You will see a lot of pearl associated references all over town, especially on the "Corniche" (pronounced corneesh) where residents, as well as tourists, go to jog or just relax. The corniche is 7-miles long, and offers paved walkways, grassy knolls, and gorgeous views of the Arabian Gulf. From here you can see out over the turquoise blue water and Palm Tree Island. I’ve never seen water this shade of blue. It’s beautiful.

Due to the natural gas discovery, Doha is slowly becoming a major hub for business. The downtown area is building high rise office buildings at a quick rate. They’re even building a new and improved airport, to handle all the new flights that will be coming and going. As we drove out to the sand dunes (see that review), we saw all the new houses going up on the outskirts of the city. New highways are also being planned to alleviate all the new traffic.

Pretty soon, Doha will be as popular as Dubai. There are new resorts going up all over the city, and on the beaches. Everyone speaks English as a second language, so American businesses will probably be doing a lot of expanding over here. I never had any problems while I was here, and I never felt unsafe at all. Everyone I spoke to, even in the local markets, spoke great English.

As we were heading back to the hotel, after a day of sand duning, we came across two guys and their camels. It was 10 Riyal (about $3) for a short walk atop a camel. They were so pretty, just resting in the desert, and I…Read More

As we were heading back to the hotel, after a day of sand duning, we came across two guys and their camels. It was 10 Riyal (about $3) for a short walk atop a camel.

They were so pretty, just resting in the desert, and I was talked into taking a ride. I don’t know if you’ve ever been on a camel, but when you get on one when it’s down on all fours, you have to HOLD ON to the saddle. When he gets up, his back legs go first, leaving you in an awkward position and at a 90° angle. This is the part when you need to hold on… or you’ll fall right off. They walk strange, with the left side, then the right… they shimmy from side to side, making a bumpy but fun ride. Of course when the ride is over, the camel will go down to all fours again, front first… so you’ll be at a strong angle until he puts his back legs down.

This was towards the end of the trip, before we left the desert for the paved roads. It was the tail end of the sunset and getting dark, but we had a few minutes to enjoy these beautiful animals. I was a little upset that these particular ones looked so skinny, but they were still beautiful.

Camels have a tendency to spit, so be careful and keep a pretty good distance. They move slow, but at one point, I turned around and there was his face right in front of mine. A little scary. I’m glad we finally saw some camels because I was instructed by a friend that I HAD to take some pictures of them because she loves them. So… here you go. Enjoy... I did.

As an American who shuns fast food franchises, I was appalled by the number of these eateries that spreads throughout Doha. Sure, in other countries I have seen KFC, McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, and Pizza Hut. Here, the list extends to Applebee's, Chili's,…Read More

As an American who shuns fast food franchises, I was appalled by the number of these eateries that spreads throughout Doha. Sure, in other countries I have seen KFC, McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, and Pizza Hut. Here, the list extends to Applebee's, Chili's, TGIF and a whole lot of others that take me back to my high school days. Ironically, finding Middle Eastern cuisine was more challenging than I expected. As always, if you eat western cuisine, you will pay a lot more than local fare.

Green Garden Restaurant: Great Indian restaurant (with some Chinese dishes). Modern atmosphere but very reasonable prices. I had a chicken thail for R12.

Turkey Central: This is my kind of place. Simple, clean, lots of locals and superb Middle Eastern dishes. Good fruit shakes, too.

Souk Waquif: Prices are probably double of Turkey Central, but you pay for the atmosphere. The Souk is a wonderful place to sit outside and people watch; as well as walk around. It's well worth the experience.

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