Eating in Qatar

What better way to understand a country than through its food and most traditional dishes? K and I took full advantage of the food scene in Qatar and we found a few types of restaurants that we haven't seen in Kuwait - an Iraqi restaurant for example (obviously not very welcome in Kuwait after the invasion) and a Malaysian one.

We headed straight away for the Al Tawash, however, to try some typical Qatari food (which is actually in many ways similar to the food of the rest of the Gulf region as well). It's inside the Souq Waqif that I described in my previous post (The New Old Souq Waqif):


(Al Tawash restaurant, Souq Waqif, Doha)

As in most of the restaurants here, the Lebanese kitchen has had an overwhelming influence - and even in a restaurant serving traditional Qatari food, the starters are still Lebanese (which is really delicious, by the way):


(Lebanese starters, hummus, labneh with mint, tabouleh, freshly baked bread and lemon juice with mint)

We were actually so hungry that I forgot to take a photo of our main courses - the Qatari ones - that were the reason for coming here. I only remembered when we were almost done (hence the half-empty plate) but here is a really traditional one that I seldom see on the menu in Kuwait although I believe it's a traditional dish there as well. It is called harees and consists of wheat and meat cooked slowly for up to 8 hours. I know it doesn't look particularly appetizing but it is actually really delicious:


(An almost finished plate of harees)

Feeling brave and slightly more knowledgeable about the local cuisine we decided to try this little place the evening after. The man who greeted us seemed a bit surprised and tried to 'warn' us that this was 'Arabic food'. We said that we knew and that was exactly what we wanted - and since we had seen so many locals eating there over the past days, we figured it must be good. There was no menu and the owner of the small place asked us to come inside to look into the pots and trays to see what he had to offer because he did not know how to describe it in English. We picked a few to share and had them served to us outside where we sat on traditional sofas and watched the children play in the street and locals walk by with their shopping:


(Dinner at a small local place in Souq Waqif on a warm evening)

This is the 'restaurant' itself, no seats inside but one more row of sofas outside filled with local women that I could not photograph:


(Local restaurant, Souq Waqif)

The food was really good - like a comforting home cooked meal. When we had passed the place the evening before we saw the old wife of the owner serve food for the local women. She was wearing the type of metal niqab that is traditional in some parts of the region (including Dubai) but I had never actually seen anyone wear it nowadays. Of course I could not take a picture of her but this is the thing I am talking about:


(The type of metal face cover worn by women in past generations)

As K was working I ate quite a few meals on my own. Inside the Souq Waqif there was a small bakery that made traditional Iranian bread and through the window you could see the men working inside, taking lumps of dough, flattening it out and placing them on the sides of an oven with a live fire inside. They had a small menu in English glued to their window and I decided to try a freshly-baked bread with thyme (for a bargain 3 Qatari Riyal - $.24 / €.67 / Kr. 5 / KD .240).

When they saw me standing at the window looking at the menu one of the bakers opened the side door (pic below) to ask what I wanted. I ordered the bread, gave him the 3 Riyal and he told me in half Arabic half English to wait 5 minutes. About halfway in, he gave me a subtle nod through the window as if to signal that he was working on it. Then he opened the door and handed me the steaming hot bread wrapped in a folded paper plate and put in a small plastic bag. It was delicious!


(The small bakery in Souq Waqif - taken right before the sand/thunderstorm I wrote about, which explains the color of the sky)


(The small bakery in Souq Waqif - customers place their orders through a small window)

On a different day I had lunch in one of the small covered alleyways of the souq. The smell of grilled meat was great and after walking for a long time in the sun it was nice to sit in the relative cool of the covered alleyway. There was a simple menu on the table - everything was really cheap and very basic (and tasted really good). If you wanted a grilled tomato with your meat that was 1 Riyal. If you wanted a grilled onion that was 1 Riyal and if you wanted a big plate of local rocket salad that was 1 Riyal (usually condiments come with the dishes - but then the dish is of course more expensive and you don't necessarily want your grilled tomato and onion):


(Lunch place at the souq in a covered alleyway)

And lunch is served:


(Grilled meat, kebab, rocket salad and freshly baked bread - a perfect cheap lunch)

Although Qatar has expensive restaurants as well, it seems that it is generally speaking easier to find a decent cheap meal here than it is in Kuwait - but that said none of the countries in this region are cheap.

Another highlight was this Persian restaurant - the food was very good but the interior got a lot of our attention. The place had traditional seating:


(Traditional seating, Persian restaurant, Souq Waqif)

...And the place was FULL of glitter, colored glass and small mirrors - even the ceiling was covered in it:


(The ceiling of the Persian restaurant all covered in glitter and mirrors)


(A huge samovar in the middle of the restaurant on top of a small water fountain)


(Glitter, colored glass and mirrors - the upper section of the restaurant where a lot of women were seated away from the potential stares of men in the downstairs section)

And it gets better - here is their VIP room:


(Glitter, colored glass and mirrors - in the VIP room of the restaurant)


(Glitter, colored glass and mirrors - in the long entrance leading back out into the non-glittery souq)

And the food that we almost forgot although it was really delicious and with quite different herbs and spices from what we are used to in the region:


(Delicious Persian food)

Speaking of food - this tiny cat was just one of many living in the streets but whenever we walked by it it would follow us (so much so that we had to make detours and try to fool it into not following us to the hotel). One day we had bought a small tin of cat food for it, which it seemed to enjoy (the tin is smaller than a normal can of tuna - the cat is really tiny).


(Hungry street cat enjoying some roasted chicken cat food)

Less related to food it was nice to see that the Qatari authorities are trying to stop littering by imposing fines - as this lit up poster made clear:


(Keeping Qatar clean by imposing fines on littering)

Last picture from Qatar - the Qatari National Bank lit up at night:


(Qatari National Bank at night)

The 'New Old' Souq Waqif In Doha

In the 'good old days' before the huge air-conditioned malls brought international brands and western style shops to the region, the souq(s) was the center of life of any city. In Doha the main souq - Souq Waqif - is often referred to as the 'new old souq' because the Qatar government decided to knock down the old souq and rebuild it much as it used to look (but to last for many years to come).

We really enjoyed Souq Waqif - it did not feel like a Disneyland at all nor as a tourist attraction and we saw many locals come here to do some shopping or get some food. We went together at night and I went during the day alone as well and there was always something new to see.


(The outskirts of the souq - a popular hang-out place for the many pigeons)

The souq is very centrally located - close to the Fanar and right off the Doha corniche (and about 15 minutes' walk from our hotel):


(The outskirts of the souq with the Fanar (Qatar Islamic Cultural Center) in the background - a popular hang-out place for the many pigeons)

There is something like a main road running through the souq with shops and restaurants on each side:


(Main 'road' of the souq)

And then there are smaller narrow alleyways as well as an entire part of the souq that is completely covered (and too dark to take decent photos in):


(A smaller alleyway of the souq)

As with any decent souq there seems to be a bit of everything for sale. This little shop had some very colorful fabrics and woven items in the traditional Bedouin patterns and colors:


(Small outdoor shop selling products with traditional Bedouin style patterns and colors)


(A limited display of men's sandals in a side alley shop)

And of course there are plenty of shishas (or nargila or hubbly bubbly or water pipes or whatever you prefer to call them) - an inevitable part of the culture in the Middle East:


(Small stall selling shishas and belts (?))

We came across a shop inside the covered part of the souq bearing the name Danish Trading Co. We thought that was a bit odd and had already started wondering whether they were selling Danish dairy products (Danish design seemed a bit out of question given the location):


(From the Danish Trading Co. in Souq Waqif)

As we went inside it became clear that it had nothing to do with Denmark (we even asked the owner who spoke little English and he looked quite surprised at our suggestion that there would be a connection with the country Denmark) - so apparently it's just a name with no reference. I wonder if he had a lot of trouble during the recent years' crisis over the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed. The shop sells nuts and sweets:


(Nuts and sweets for sale at the Danish Trading Co. in Souq Waqif)

They were quite happy to let me take these pictures of the small store - they almost seemed proud, which was really nice.


(Nuts and sweets for sale at the Danish Trading Co. in Souq Waqif)

These small stores are on the outskirts of the souq - if you click to enlarge the picture you will see that all 3 store owners are sitting by the door reading:


(Small stores selling a bit of everything, outskirts of Souq Waqif)

There were lots of stores selling fabric and clothes, small tailors sewing dishdashas, kitchen supplies of all possible kinds and sizes and lots of little stores selling a bit of everything - I just didn't take any photos of that. In the evening, women would come with home-cooked dishes in insulating containers, sit on a little square on the backside of the souq and sell portions to passers-by. Most of them had no signs of any kind and a few had hand written pieces of paper mentioning today's dishes (in Arabic only). I haven't seen local women sell food in the souq anywhere else in the region. I'm sure it was delicious!

Another section of the souq houses falcons - another Arabian tradition. However, the place was closed when I was there with K and I did not dare go in alone as it seemed very much a man's world (groups of men sitting on sofas outside as well). I did see one afternoon, however, two of the men taking a falcon out for training in a little courtyard with a patch of green grass. They didn't mind me watching but I never asked if I could take a photo.

Here's a local man carrying home some shopping next to where the falcons are:


(Carrying home the goods, Souq Waqif, falcon section)


(Local men walking in the Souq Waqif, falcon section)


(Local men walking in the Souq Waqif, falcon section - and a man walking behind them carrying some items they have bought)

As can also be seen on the picture above, this part of the souq is nicely built with the traditional style ceiling - made of 'woven' leaves from the palm trees bringing shade and cool. I like the shapes they make:


(Section of Souq Waqif with a view to the traditional ceiling)


(Looking up to the ceiling, Souq Waqif, falcon section)


(Looking up to the ceiling, Souq Waqif, the Art Center section)

As I already mentioned the souq is not very touristy and also sells the needed nets, traps and other supplies for the local fishermen:


(Shop in Souq Waqif supplying the local fishermen)


(From the outskirts of the souq)


(A man clipping his toe nails in the souq)

There is also a part of the souq that is dedicated to animals. Although some of them were being taken very well care of, many of them were in a sad state (as is the case in most of this region as well as many other places in the world). The majority of the animals were birds - I suppose they are relatively easy to keep whether on a balcony or in a proper garden.


(Parrot outside a pet shop)


(Bird cages - with and without birds - for sale at Souq Waqif)

Without offending anyone I think it's fair to say that many people here have little respect for animal life and have not learned to appreciate or care for an animal. It seems that among some there is a tendency to buy a small rabbit or a chicken or another cute little animal if a child points at it - not with a deeper intention of taking proper care of the animal but just as you would buy a balloon (and expect it to 'die' after a few days) or a lolly pop that is another 5-minute pleasure.

To further help this demand, many sales men have resorted to painting the animals (something I have heard of in Kuwait as well but not seen myself) - you can almost hear the "Daddy, Daddy can I have the green chicken?!? And Mummy mummy I want the pink rabbit".

Speaking of pink rabbits - we walked up to one of the sales men that had these for sale. K asked him if rabbits are always pink in this region of the world. For a minute the sales man seemed unsure if we were really so stupid that we had not realized that the rabbit had been spray painted pink (which of course we knew) - and for a second I guess he really hoped that he would be able to sell us a rare Arabian pink rabbit at an exorbitant price. Our smiles gave us away and he said that he had painted it - and allowed us to take this photo:


(Pink - spray-painted - rabbit for sale in Souq Waqif)

And here are some of the spray painted chickens I mentioned:


(Colored chickens for sale at Souq Waqif)

I suppose you could argue that dressing up little chihuahua dogs - as the recent trend in the west seems to be - is no less cruel than spray painting animals...

It was in the same animal section of the souq that I got caught up in a combined sand storm and thunder storm one afternoon. In this picture you can almost see how the sky has turned sand colored and it's about to start raining with heavy thunder:


(Sand and thunder storm approaching rapidly, Souq Waqif)

Having spent so much time at the souq over the days, I made it through the covered alleyways to a juice bar almost without getting wet. I sat at the juice bar, had a fresh pomegranate juice and enjoyed listening to the rain (and seeing people run for cover):


(Watching the rain pour down - an unusual sight in this part of the world)

The souq hides many other interesting things - among other the Qatari Dama Association. I never knew checkers (dam) was being played here - inside plenty of local men were sitting at checkers tables deeply involved in their games:


(The Qatari Checkers Association deep inside the Souq Waqif)

Here's the local police station (inside the souq) with their 'police vehicle' out front. I already talked about how the Qatari dress very conservatively (How to spend a weekend in Firenze, Italy) - and quite interestingly, the white head scarf (ghutrah) with the black rings (aqal) that men in this region usually wear with their dishdashas is part of the police uniform in Qatar (in Kuwait for example the police uniform is western style clothing and no head gear).


(The local police station inside Souq Waqif)

In a small alley right next to the police station we heard clicking sounds one evening. The clicks were unmistakeably the sound of old typewriters. My mother had one when I was a child and although she didn't use it often, the sound has remained with me. In tiny shops with nothing more than a table, a chair, a typewriter and a typist, business seemed to be going very well. Some customers had come to have official documents typed (I suppose applications and other paper work to be handed to government offices) and one man was sitting next to the typist reading out a long hand-written letter that the typist then repeated and wrote on his typewriter line by line.

In other alleyways old local men were pushing wheelbarrows through the narrow alleyways filled with people constantly standing in their way. It is a common way in the Gulf region to earn some money by offering to drive around the goods that people have bought in the souq - often following them around for a long time before finally taking the goods to the customers' cars. The only difference is that in Kuwait this service is typically offered by Indian men (migrant workers) that were not lucky enough to land a job as taxi drivers. I have never seen old local men doing this job and I felt sorry for them - they were physically frail from what appeared to have been a long and hard life working and they should have been at home with their families being taken care of and shown the deep respect that elders normally enjoy in this region (not to say that I don't feel sorry for the Indians normally doing this job but at least they are still strong and not too old men).

I believe there is much to learn about a country by observing what is going on in its souqs and I enjoy being caught up in little time pockets.

Museum of Islamic Art In Doha, Qatar

While in Doha, Qatar I went to see the Museum of Islamic Art, beautifully located in the water off the Doha corniche. It's an impressive building - its geometric shapes seem to change depending on the angle you see it from and somehow it's like you never see the same building twice. It is the work of the famous I.M. Pei (the architect behind the steel and glass pyramid outside Louvre in France and the Bank of China building in Hong Kong among many others). He drew his inspiration from many corners of the Muslim world in search of 'the essence of Islamic architecture'.


(The impressive Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar)

A nice palm-lined road with a small cascade running down leads up to the museum - and it is already clear that geometric shapes and symmetry play a large role here (as they do in Islamic art):


(Leading up to the museum)

It'll be date season soon - the dates are growing but are still green:


(Date palm along the road leading up to the museum)

This little bird was eating one of the unripe dates:


(Bird eating an unripe date outside the museum)


(Bird outside the museum)

There is one thing I really appreciate when it comes to museums in the Gulf region: most of them charge no entrance free! I am not sure if it is in order to cultivate a culture of going to museums (something that isn't as prevalent here as in the west for example) or whether it's that the governments have enough money and don't need the entrance fees. Either way, I appreciate it! It's not that I don't want to pay to see what they have on display. There are plenty of museums back home that I have never been to even if they have beautiful collections - the entrance fees are so high that I would never just go for an hour or two - I feel like I would have to see the entire collection to get my money's worth (and because I probably wouldn't come back any time soon). This way I keep putting it off for a rainy day and end up not seeing them.

Inside the museum is this impressive atrium (the entrance door is in the middle of the picture) - it is so thought-through and so geometric. I rarely get really excited about buildings but this one was nothing short of amazing:


(Atrium, entrance level)

At the very top there is a bit of daylight coming through:


(Daylight coming through the top of the atrium)

The atrium - and the giant circular lamp with traditional patterns providing some pleasant indirect light:


(The atrium)

The first thing that becomes visible immediately when one enters the museum is this huge window frame which offers unobstructed views of the Doha city skyline:


(The atrium (seen from the first floor) with its huge window frame)


(View of the Doha city skyline from the atrium - the museum is built in the water hence the unobstructed view)

There was an excellent temporary exhibition on pearl diving, cultivation and trade across the world and across times. It was a really beautiful collection of some of the best pieces in the world and like the rest of the museum it was so well thought-through, detailed and with perfect displays in Arabic and English (no photos allowed). I am not generally a big museum fan but I was really impressed with the quality.

A real favorite of mine is Arabic calligraphy. I truly appreciate the shapes of the letters and the skill of the person who has written them (as I appreciate Chinese calligraphy for the same reason). Being able to write Arabic myself now - with the handwriting of a 6-year old I might add - certainly has not made me appreciate the skill any less... There was a lot of calligraphy on display at the museum - from beautiful illustrated books with golden decorations:


(Book with Arabic writing and beautiful illustrations)


(Book with Arabic writing and beautiful illustrations)

...to exerts from the Qur'an and other scripts in various styles of calligraphy from all over the Islamic world:


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)


(Preserved Arabic calligraphy on display)

This one is a favorite - you can click on the photo to enlarge it - it has different animals drawn within the Arabic letters:


(Arabic calligraphy - with animal drawings in and around the letters)

The museum of course has many other items on display apart from calligraphy.

A book listing all the different star constellations with illustrations and explanations on how to identify them:


(Book of constellations)

...along with a model of the sky with the constellations marked on it:


(Globe of the sky with constellations marked)

I cannot remember how old the items were but most of them were several hundred years old - I saw very few recent items on display.

Old anatomical drawings of the human body (as it was thought to look pre x-ray):


(Anatomical drawings of the human body)

A scared looking little blue monkey:


(Blue monkey on display)

And some of the traditional doors I described in my post about the Arab Fund building in Kuwait - no glue is used, it is all carefully carved pieces of wood put together in a complicated jigsaw puzzle that allows the pieces to move (depending on temperature):


(Traditional wooden doors)

And in a very old Egyptian version as well:


(Traditional wooden doors from Egypt - preserved through times)

The museum also has some beautiful wall carpets on display - intricately woven with patterns and Arabic writing in gold thread:


(Wall piece)

...as well as unique pieces of carpets custom ordered for past rulers and their palaces:


(Woven carpet on display)

...and of course paintings of past rulers:


(Paintings on display)

It's not just the items on display that are beautiful, the rooms are as well. Carefully selected construction materials, really amazing lighting and an atmosphere that is difficult to describe. It's the kind of place that makes you forget all about time and the world outside:


(One of the exhibition rooms)

The exhibitions are spread out over the different floors and each time one exits an exhibition room there is a new view of the atrium (that never seems to look the same):


(View of the atrium from an upper floor)


(View of the atrium from an upper floor)


(View of the atrium from an upper floor)


(View of one of the upper floors)

Another favorite of mine is ceramics (and the craft and skills that go into it):


(Blue glazed ceramic tiles with Arabic inscriptions)


(A glazed ceramic tile)


(Ceramic tiles forming a geometric pattern)


(Ceramic tile with Arabic inscriptions)

What I also really appreciated about the museum was that they offered an excellent audio guide (again free of charge) - that had extremely detailed information about Islamic art and its different periods in general and about the specific items. It even had a small screen where pictures and video clips were shown to offer more information or to allow a look into the inside of some of the pieces on display. I know many museums offer audio guides nowadays but this one was really something special - also because it allowed you full control over the amount of information you wished to hear. I suppose you could spend an entire day - if not more - in there if you listened to everything on the guide.

Some more details from the museum itself (yes, I went a little crazy with the camera but I just kept seeing new angles and patterns):


(Day light coming through the top of the atrium)


(View of the floors with the circular patterns and the lights of the ceilings)


(Even the ceiling forms a beautiful pattern in itself)


(Close-up of the circular suspended lamp hanging in the atrium)


(From the main staircase - it looks like a 'funny house' where there are stairs upside down as well)


(Different materials, structures and patterns - yet it all comes together beautifully)

The museum has an outside terrace with fountains as well. I suppose they use it for outdoor events during the winter but I don't know if it has other use than being a pleasant 'oasis' offering great views of the city:


(Outside terrace and fountains - and a local man taking pictures)


(Close-up of the outside fountains with a view of Doha city across the bay in the background)


(View from the terrace: the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center Fanar and a fishing boat)


(View from the terrace: a local fishing boat returning to the harbor)

As you walk away from the museum it - again - seems to change its shape:


(The museum from the side)


(The museum from the side - with palm trees, lamp posts, arches and walkways perfectly aligned)

And a last view from ashore (where the water access becomes visible as well):


(The museum seen from ashore)


(The Doha city skyline across the water - as seen from the side of the museum)

There is one more thing I really appreciated about the museum: the custodians were all young local women (I'd guess final year of high school or maybe college students). I don't know if they were paid for their job or if it's somehow part of their studies (maybe they get credit for doing voluntary work at the museum?) but it is the first time in this region that I have seen this scale of locals working.

As I have talked about before, most non-governmental jobs are held by migrant workers. Almost all service jobs (from cleaning and driving to hotels, shops and restaurants) are held by migrant workers from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Egypt and other Middle Eastern and Asian countries. In Kuwait I have seen a few locals work in some of the mobile phone service offices, some doing passport control at the airport and a few are in charge of security at the malls (maybe they don't trust foreigners to do that) but apart from that I rarely see Kuwaitis work in the public space (the majority as I said hold office-type government and ministry positions and a lot of women work from home doing food and cake businesses for example so it's not that they don't work they are just not very visible).

Apart from the many young women employed at the museum - and may I add in very stylish yet conservative uniforms that were designed to integrate the black veils that most Qatari women wear - I also saw a lot of women employed at the airport. Apart from the passport control women there were also uniformed women in control of the queuing lines. I found this a bit of an unusual sight because the women would actually tell men off if they did not wait in line.

I don't intend to make it sound like women in this region don't work - or that locals in general in this region don't work because that is certainly not the case. But as I said I have never been anywhere else in this region where I have actually seen so many locals work in visible positions that elsewhere would have been offered to migrant workers.