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 | Doha Local Customs | Tips 1 - 10 of 22 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Miscellaneous Local Customs Tips | All Tips (22) One of the greatest things that you can do in any country is just say hello. English is widely spoken in Qatar and quite well. It is looked highly upon if you start a conversation first with a merchant or anyone else you may require something from. Qatar is a very modern country but the form of Islam practised is very traditional. Many of the women will be fully veiled and many of the men will be dressed in the traditional white gown. Any type of dress that you feel may be appropriate will be acceptable in most locations in Qatar. Leave a Comment
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In Qatar you will probably see some expat residents wearing anything from shorts to spagetti-strap tops. While most likely no Qatari will ever tell you that you shouldn't be wearing this, that does not mean that they don't take offense to it. Consider what the Qataris themselves wear - both men and women are completely covered from head to toe in loose, nonrevealing robes, and additionally for women the face is often covered by a veil as well. While I'm not suggesting a foreign women should wear a veil or even cover her head, it is respectful to wear loose-fitting clothes that cover the limbs. You will be much better received this way, and will avoid alot of unwanted attention from men as well. While you can probably find suitable clothes in your own wardrobe, if you want to buy something here then try the long cotton robes for sale in the shopping malls, the souqs, or even the large supermarkets such as Carrefour. I've found these to be the most comfortable thing to wear in the heat, and nowadays I often wear them at home too. For men, while short sleeves are OK, it's really best not to go out in shorts, no matter how hot it is outside.
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The traditional sword dance, known as the Ardha, is performed in Qatar on special occasions such as religious holidays and national celebrations. I caught a glimpse of it one night when I happened upon a large gathering at this event hall next door to my housing compound. I was told by a fellow bystander - an Egyptian woman - that the people at the gathering were all members of the richest family in Qatar, the Al Amaniya (sp?) family, who owns more than half the country. They were celebrating an event that had happened long ago in their family's history; she wasn't exactly sure what. After explaining as much as she could, she told me quietly, 'A Qatari would not tell you this. They consider this to be inside information, not for outsiders.' As she walked away I thanked her for the secret information and continued to watch the dance through the iron gate. To an outsider like myself both the singing and dancing can seem quite repetitive, as the dancers seem to repeat the same phrase over and over again as they perform the same hop step while raising their swords in the air. Once I researched it a bit, though, it began to make more sense. I found out that the Ardha traces its origins to bedouin days and is also performed in neighbouring countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It combines dance and poetry, with a poet moving back and forth between two lines of singers and dancers. The poet gives each group of singers a line to repeat before moving across to the other group. The traditional lyrics are of chivalry and strength and adapt to each occasion across generations.
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The headquarters of the infamous Al Jazeera is located in Doha. The inauguration of Al Jazeera, coincided with the dissolving of Qatar's Ministry of Information in the 1990's. The Emir funds Al Jazeera heavily, and is one of the first truly uncensored news agencies in the region. I know there are mixed opinions on this network, but I have overall respect for them. Like other networks around the world, they also operate on principles of truth and fairness in reporting, it's always a sliding scale . I think some people mix up 'opinion' with truth, and judge Al Jazeera harshly because they've aired footage that other networks wouldn't air. Though this fact is also true of many US networks as well. It just depends upon how open your mind is. I regularly read their website to give myself a well rounded picture of what is going on in the world. They often test the limits of censorship, but I think that any respectable media company should. Leave a Comment Website: http://english.aljazeera.net
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