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The Souq
The word ‘souq’ actually means market
or bazaar and the term originally applied to traders
with temporary stalls set out to ply their wares,
often at weekends as people made special journeys
to town. Souq Waqif, the ‘standing souq’
has evolved from such humble beginnings and whilst
perhaps still the most traditional part of Doha’s
‘souq’ area (close to the port), shows
all the signs of modernizing and developing along
the same lines as newer areas.
Twenty years ago, Doha’s souqs were narrow
alleyways of small shops, their goods piled high
to the ceilings of small storage areas overnight
and set out on the unpaved pathways in the daytime.
There were no permanent roofs to the alleyways,
but corrugated iron covered some of the spaces between
shops, cutting out most of the sunlight during the
day and keeping the goods at least partially dry
during the occasional winter rains. The pathways
of Souq Waqif are now paved and the roofing is permanent,
but you can still find bulging stalls in amongst
the small shops. But many of the old market traders
have re-established their businesses in newer parts
of the souq, where there are marble-clad, air-conditioned
buildings with escalators, waterfalls and indoor
plants. Thee, the small alleyways have been replaced
by broad streets and parking areas, or mall-type
walkways. Whilst some of the traders still offer
goods at rock-bottom prices, thee are more who are
moving ‘up-market’ in terms of quality
and price. Now, you can find a full range of goods
in the souq – from the cheapest of imports
right through to designer goods.
Although you will now find parades of shops scattered
all across town with names like Souq Hamad, Souq
Al Badi etc, when people in Qatar talk of “the
souq”, they are usually referring to the area
between Al Souq Street and Jabr Bin Mohammed Street,
just behind the Corniche and the town’s oldest
market area. Despite the changes, the souq does
still represent good value, plenty of variety and
many of the traditional ways. It is still a ‘must’
on the visitor’s itinerary and a regular part
of most residents’ shopping excursions.
National Dress, Perfumes and Spices
Souq Waqif has a number of perfume shops and stalls
offering the most exclusive fragrances from the
west alongside the attars and essential oils popular
in Arabia. The traders will even make a perfume
exclusively for you! The perfume shops, amongst
others, sell the sweet smelling Oud – the
wood fragments that are burnt in the presence of
guests, the smoke being used to perfume the clothes
and hair, or to impregnate freshly laundered clothes
before they are put away. You can buy the traditional
incense burners there too made from metal-lined
wood from gypsum or brass – or brass –
or the more modern version in fancy metal or ceramics
which instead of burning a special charcoal, plug
into the electricity at home or into the cigarette
lighter socket of your car! Part of the souq is
devoted to spices and whilst there is an almost
bewildering selection of whole and ground spices
(even a selection of mixed ground spices laid out
in the containers in strips) you can also buy all
kinds of incense in the same area.
This is also the part of the souq well worth a visit
if you want to buy any of the traditional forms
of Qatar national dress. For the ladies there are
the long filmy, richly embroidered over-dresses,
‘Thobe Al Nashl’, worn on special occasions;
the day dresses or ‘djellabia’, heavily
embroidered at the neck and cuffs; the black cloaks
or ‘abbayas’; the delicate filmy head
coverings called ‘shayla’; the headscarves;
the black gold and silver-decorated ‘bukhnuq’
worn by the young girls to cover their heads and
shoulders before they start to wear the abbaya and
the veils and masks. The embroiderers who produce
the bukhnuq also sell the sirwal or long baggy trousers
that the ladies wear under their dresses. The tight
cuffs are heavily embroidered in gold, silver and
coloured threads. For the men, you can find the
long white thobes. The crotcheted or embroidered
caps worn under the headdress; the headdress or
‘ghutra’ – which can be plain
white, cream cashmere, black and white or rd and
white checked cotton and the black ‘agal’
which hold the headdress in place. [Tradition says
the Bedouin used the agal to ‘hobble’
their camels at night, slipping the circle over
the camel’s bent knee to restrict its movement!]Shops
also stock the men’s ceremonial cloaks or
‘bisht’ and the heavy camel hair and
sheepskin lined winter cloaks or coats. There are
few gold shops in this area, but for a higher concentration
of shops, see the paragraph on Gold and Silver Jewellery.
Kitchen Utensils
Souq Waqif is also full of shops selling all kinds
of kitchen utensils, everything from cutlery and
crockery, glasses and coolboxes, vaccum flasks and
storage boxes to plastic were and pots and pans
(including the sort of cauldron-sized containers
which will enable you to cook for hundreds!).
Hardware and D.I.Y. Goods
At the edge of Souq Waqif closest to the Corniche,
you can find hardware shops which stock everything
from tools nails and screws to hose pipes, lawn
mowers, tents, wire netting, fly-screen mesh, wheelbarrows
and paint.
Also in Souq Waqif:
Interspersed throughout Souq Waqif are toy shops,
shoe shops, luggage stores, stalls selling novelty
items, textile stores and two alleyways of grocery
and sweet shops (the latter selling a wide range
of European, Asian and Arabic style sweets, including
huge trays from which they will cut you the required
quantity of a beautiful ‘Turkish Delight-style
sweet with cardamom and nuts.)
Shoe and Watch Repairs
Close to the Mosque on Souq Waqif Street, you will
find shoe repairers who can mend anything from shoes
to luggage – quickly, cheaply and efficiently.
There are also several small cubicles occupied by
watch repairers inside the alleyways immediately
opposite the mosque.
Blankets, Linens, Appliances, Electrical Goods,
Textiles, Sportswear and Boutiques etc.
Moving towards Grand Hamad Street, which runs perpendicular
to the Corniche, you have the old Irani souq along
a spur of Al Ahmed street; there are a number of
shops here selling things like tools, watches, clocks,
batteries and even table linen. There are several
shops in the Irani souq which make cushions and
thin foam mattresses with embroidered or woven covers,
such as are used in the traditional majlis (or reception
room) or in tents, by those who will be sitting
on the ground. There are several shops making aluminium
trunks and storage chests and in the area between
the Irani souq and the mosque, you can find some
of the traditional brass-studded wooden storage
chests in different sizes.
The modern Souq Al Ahmed Building, facing Grand
Hamad Street, is an air-conditioned
Mall’ with shoes selling linen, blankets,
perfume, household goods and clothes on the ground
floor with a wider selection of clothes shops upstairs.
Incidentally, this is one of the souqs, which has
cloakroom facilities for both men and women!
Cross Grand Hamad Street onto the main part of Al
Ahmed Street and you will find several complexes,
as well as individual stores and boutiques. Doha
Souq has a large number of textile shops selling
the more expensive fabrics, including silks, laces,
and speciality ranges like lame, sequins, beaded
and embroidered fabrics. [It also has a number of
perfume shops]. For a wonderful range of cheaper
fabrics, try Souq Al Asiery (commonly referred to
as ‘the escalator souq’ because it was
the first souq to install one). Downstairs, the
shoes have medium-priced textiles, whilst upstairs
there is a vast selection from as little as QR 3
or 4 per metre. There are several menswear boutiques
upstairs in Souq Al Asiery and lining the length
of Al Ahmed Street. Souq Al Jobr has a number of
lingerie shoes and handbags or luggage. Backing
onto Souq Al Jabor but giving onto Jaber Bin Mohammed
Street are a whole group of stores selling sports
goods and sportswear, whilst on the other side of
Souq Al Jabor lining Al Jabr Street – are
a number of ladies boutiques. Just from the corner
of Al Jabor and Al Tarbiya Streets is a shop selling
every conceivable kind of sewing accessory from
ribbons and laces to buttons, beads, appliqués
and sewing equipment, as well as embroidery, tapestry
and rug kits. It is one of the largest speciality
stores in the whole of the Gulf and has an absolutely
amazing selection, including some attractive costume
jeweler. It is used not only by individuals, but
by most of the tailoring shops in town!
Souq Faleh has a number of shops selling electrical
and electronic items as well as music cassettes
and CDs.
Gold and Silver Jewellery
If you are looking for gold (or silver) jeweler,
then whilst there is a vast number of shops scattered
around two, you may prefer the atmosphere (and the
ease of comparing designs), which comes with a trip
to the gold souq. Situated behind the Al Fardan
Centre and just off Grand Hamad Street, the gold
souq consists of one whole block of small shops
devoted to gold jewellery. It’s worth a visit
just to see the wonderful variety, including the
traditional ‘bridal jewellery’, which
is given to Qatari girls by their husbands-to-be
prior to the wedding. It includes spectacular solid
gold belts and ornate necklaces, hair ornaments.
Headdresses, earrings, rings and bracelets (there
are also rings joined by chains to bracelets). There
are plenty of Arabs, Asian and western designs and
form most pieces, the price is according to the
weight of the gold plus a small charge per gram
for making. One popular gift is to have necklace
made displaying the name of the recipient in gold.
Craftsmen can produce the necklaces both in Arabic
and English. And if you have a ring or bracelet
you need re-sized, or a chain that needs repair,
then the craftsmen here can come to your rescue!
Some of the jewelers have just a few pieces of old
silver Bedouin jewellery and others have modern
pieces in silver for both men and women. In this
same area, there are several shops which deal in
second-hand watches, including Rolex.
Tailors
There are several tailoring shops in the main souq,
but you will find groups of them scattered in every
area of town. They work without patterns and can
make men’s, women’s or children’s
wear either by copying an existing garment or just
from a little sketch! Some of the ladies’
tailors specialize in embroidery or bead work and
again the embroidery threads and can often also
supply lining material, co-ordinating or contrasting
fabrics for cuffs, collars etc. if you haven’t
had time to buy them. Men’s tailors can produce
anything from the thobe to a three-piece suit. Prices
are extremely reasonable and the standards of workmanship
is in general, high.
There is no problem in walking round and exploring
the souq on your own. It is perfectly safe and you’re
bound to enjoy the experience. It also provides
plenty of photo opportunities. However, since many
people here do not actually like having their photograph
taken (even if they are not the main subject) it
is always advisable to ask if you can take a picture.
You should also always avoid taking pictures, which
include local women.
No it’s time to go explore the souq and have
fun! Happy bargain hunting!
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