Today is both Arafat day and Qatar's National day.
The name Arafat is taken from the mountain of Arafat in Saudi Arabia. It's an important day for Muslims, as this is the day when Mohammed gave his farewell sermon the last year of his life.
Many Muslims in Qatar will be fasting, although unlike Ramadan the fasting is recommended rather than obligatory.
Muslim on the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, will spend the whole day on the plan of Arafat, praying for God's forgiveness.
Meanwhile, Qatar is celebrating, for the first time, its national day, which celebrates the accession of Sheikh Abdullah Jassim Al Thani in 1878.
Sheikh Jassim's father was still alive when he handed over power to his son, although he wasn't very happy when his son invited the Ottoman's into the country. However, Sheikh Jassim made up for it later by defeating the Ottoman's in battle. (See the Rise of the Qatar Ruling Family for more details.)
Tomorrow is another even more important day, for it is the start of Eid Al Adha, or the feast of sacrifice. On this day Muslims celebrate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, and the mercy of God for allowing him to sacrifice an animal instead.
Muslims also sacrifice animals during this festival, so a trip to the wholesale market today will see many peoples with sheep slung over their shoulders and goats in the backs of pick-up trucks.
Also see: Holidays, Festivals and Important dates in Qatar
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