LOCAL CULTURE

Local People

No matter how fascinating or unusually attired, avoid staring at or making eye contact with local women. It is considered very disrespectful in entire GCC Region.

Clothing

Be aware of the fact that visitors are expected to respect local customs and be modest in their dress. Woman should avoid wearing shorts or a sleeveless blouse when walking through areas popular with locals.

Photography

Photography of government institutions, military areas and oil and gas refineries is prohibited. Always ask before taking pictures of local people, especially women who may well decline your request. Advisable to avoid making such request.

Taxi Karwa

The turquoise colored Karwa taxis can be availed from the side of the road. As well there are taxi stands available at all major shopping malls. They are a great and very reasonably priced way of getting around. Please note that many people and taxis drivers still navigate by landmarks rather than street addresses.

Bargain at Souq Waqif

We highly recommend you to bargain with shop sellers at Souq Waqif. The more you bargain the more you will benefit. At times the seller may even sell his merchandise for half the cost of what he had earlier asked for.

DID YOU KNOW ?

FIFA World Cup 2022

Qatar won the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As a result of Qatar's hot summers the winning bid proposed that all stadiums constructed to host the World Cup would be built as air conditioned indoor venues in order to ensure that the event could be held in summer.

Oryx

The Oryx is Qatar's national animal. It is a medium sized antelope with a distinct shoulder hump and long straight horns. It is believed that this animal inspired early travelers to Arabia to the legend of the unicorn.

Museum of Islamic Arts

The Museum of Islamic Arts was designed by renowned architect I. M. Pei, who designed as well the famous Louvre Pyramid in Paris. The museum rises from it's own manmade island. Shaped like a postmodern fortress, the museum houses the largest collection of Islamic arts in the world.

Souq Waqif

The location of Souq Waqif has been a souq for centuries, as this was the spot where the Bedouin would bring their sheep, goats and wool to trade for essentials. Souq Waqif is the most traditional market places in Doha. This is the place to look for spices, perfumes and oud, an exotic incense made from agar wood.