The Heritage Village

Walk through the gates at one end of Rumeila park and you'll find yourself in a mock-up of a traditional Qatari village. Not a desert camp, but a seaside settlement, complete with well, nets and even a Dhow permanently under repair.

During festivals and special occasions, this heritage village becomes a hive of activity. During the afternoon the almost forgotten crafts of weaving and and wickerwork are taken up, and in the evening music and dancing take place.

One of many attractions is the Tawash, or pearl trader. In the village two men demonstrate the weighing and selling of the pearls. One of these, an elderly gentlemen, is unusually chatty, and will relate how he accompanied one of the last pearl diving trips as a young lad. He’ll then pull out his body building pictures from when he was a young man, and offer to teach your children scuba-diving. He also likes to relate how he bangs stones upon his chest to keep him strong, and sleeps on a bed of nails – although he advised my daughter not to imitate him when she got home.

Sadhew weaving, or Al Sadwh, the “old womanish craft” of weaving is featured in another building. The role of different people in the village is also explained, along with miniature model displays of weddings and wedding clothes. You’ll also see the Daza – the ornate wedding box which must be presented to the bride along with the Al Sawgh or wedding gold – and read about the night of the Henna, when the bride is decorated with haden and ladened with expensive gold jewelry and ornate clothes.

Move on and you’ll see a loom – rather more ornate and complicated than the ones I’ve seen before, requiring two men to work it. Other attractions include old tea pots, an old well, and jewellery displayed by masked bedouin women. In one corner of the park is a traditional Dhow, and the tools used to work on the dhow are displayed (if not in use!) Nets and fishing traps similar to those you can still see today on Doha’s Corniche are hung to dry.

Food available included Qatari, Omani and other regional dishes. We particularly liked the Zatar pats – small pastries filled with Zatar (Thyme) and baked in a blazing oven in front of you. There’s other things to buy, including books on local culture and language, and a huge range of clay pots.

With the attractions much improved over a couple of years ago (when it featured little battery driven dolls turning round a wheel), it's well worth a visit. Just be careful your kids don’t go home and put nails in their beds...

Also see The Dhow Boatyard


Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)


Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East culture heritage village Corniche