Vodafone is Here

Vodafone is here, and its website is worth visiting just to see the flash intro - butterflies swirling round the screen and an image of the world before the words: It's a Big World flash up.


The company is announcing its entry with a bang. In a brilliant marketing ploy, the company is concealing 500 pieces of a jigsaw around Villagio Shopping Mall tomorrow (Saturday).

Those finding the 500 pieces can take them to the Vodafone store where they get a goody bag and the opportunity to win one of 50 prize packs - including a Vodafone phone.

Then the winners of those will get to help construct a giant puzzle, and get the opportunity to win an all-expenses trip to absolutely anywhere in the world.

Given the publicity that the event is generating and will generate, that trip will be a lot cheaper than it would be buying sufficient advertising to get the same publicity!

Also see:

Qatar Telephones
Qatar Mobile Phones

Qatar Visitor Friends


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What's happening on the Qatar Web

We've often thought it strange that the Qatar Web, though small, does not really interconnect very well. As a result we decided to try and start a series of posts keeping up with what is happening - so here goes...

Qatar Living is still holding its third anniversary competition. They have one Ipod nano left to give away, so if you would like the chance to win one you can find the details here. (If you like competitions you might also want to enter the Qatar Visitor competition for a chance to win a free signed copy of Qatar.)



I Love Qatar, meanwhile, is spreading the news of a spetacular New Years Eve party to be held at the Sheraton Hotel, while Mr Q Blogs about a typical Eid for a Qatar family.

Other blogs are pretty quiet at the moment. Life on the Spot, normally very vocal (especially when they get arrested in supermarket!) has contented itself with some images of Al Wakra beach (and I thought it had all been dug up!). Marjorie in Qatar wishes us a Happy Eid and then heads off to Sri Lanka for a week. Mohana has made a decision to visit India despite fears about airports and terrorism - partly because she and her husband don't want terrorists to dictate their life.

Out of the Qatar blogospere the hot news is the Qatar- Bahrain bridge, which, according to the Dubai chronicle, will be completed by 2013 (don't hold your breaths!) The Islamic Museum is still generating news and comments - although the Tuque Souq is less than complimentary, calling it a "giant blocky monstrosity of modern architecture".

Business news from Startup Arabia reports that internet advertising in the Mena Area (that's the Middle East and North Africa) is set to double over the next year. That may seem like good news for websites in a time of recession, but is a far cry from Google's claim not so long ago that internet advertising in the region was set to increase by well over a thousand percent.

Hopefully more businesses will wake up and realise how much better value internet advertising is over print advertising - a factor which may actually drive internet advertising in a time of recession. However, last time we had a look at Google Adwords, the costs per click for Qatar had actually been reduced!

Finally, a website we hadn't noticed before but which has been featured in the new edition of Marhaba is Qatar Paintballing. You can get all the details of the sport from the website, or just head along to their location in Hyatt Plaza to take part in it.

That's all we could see on our search - do let us know if we have missed anything!

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Busy Qatar

At Souq Waqif at least, Qatar seems to be determined to avoid the usual criticism that Eid is not celebrated like it used to be - or that Christmas celebrations are better than Eid celebrations.


Like many other families, we have been taken advantage of a very pleasant winter weather to get down to the souq and enjoy all the shows and activities: these have included living statues, jugglers, dancers, caricature drawers, a tea pourer on a unicycle and comedians - all of which has been free.


Things look set to continue on 18th December, when Qatar gets ready to pull out all the stops to celebrate National Day. According to the Gulf Times, events planned include live music, parades and fireworks to equal those seen last month.

Also see: Qatar Holidays

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Ten Christmas Present Ideas for Qatar

I've had to work hard to get this list down to ten - I originally came up with 21 and then decided that would be better for a website article than for a quick blog post!

1. Books:

Choose one of the Qatar books from our book section. Have a friend interested in nature/history? Buy a copy of discovering Qatar. If you live abroad you can buy it through us - helping us to improve the site and buy more articles! (Often by the writers and editors of the books we sell!) If you want a more global view of Qatar you could also buy the coffee table book Qatar, edited by David Chaddock.

2. Lamp

Personally I like the old heavy brass lamps avaible from the junk and antique shops - one sits pride of place on my mother's hearth back home. Traditional coffee sets also make a good present, as does Arabic coffee with its faint cinemon taste.

3. Jewellery.

Qatar's gold souq has a fantastic range of very pure gold jewellery. We especially like Cartouche - a gold oblong which has your name inscribed on it. In Qatar the gold shops will inscribe your name in Arabic on one side and in English on the other.

4. Traditional clothes.

Glide across the desert sand with a black veil mysteriously covering your face, or stand proud in a thobe of pure white - at Souq Waqif and elsewhere you can buy all the traditional Arabic clothing, making for great photo opportunities.

5. Wood art.

Qatar wood art is simply suberb. By combining wood shavings of different shades and textures, the artist manages to come up with a picture that is full of colour - but uses no ink. At around QAR10,000 in the Gharaffa shop, though, it doesn't come cheap.

6. Calligraphy.

You don't have to be a Muslim to appreciate the beauty of some of the best pieces of calligraphy. In fact, as you can see in the Islamic Museum, calligraphy was even used by some early Christian painters.

7. Dates.

Dates are a traditional Arab gift - and are also full of goodness (and sugar!) You don't have to stick with plain dates either, as there are all sorts of varieties and spin offs available - our favourite are dates with almond and chocolate. You can find whole shops dedicated to dates in Qatar, so you won't go short of choice.

8. Arabic Perfume

You'll also find no shortage of perfume here. The Arabic perfume, which can finding lining the walls top to bottom in souq shops, is rather stronger than Western perfume.

9. Traditional Cloth

Traditional bedouin weaving still takes place in Qatar today, and the weaving can both be seen or be bought in Souq Waqif.



10. Water Pipe

Shisha smoking is popular in Qatar, and small or large sets of the pipes can be bought to take home. Just be aware of the health risks first!


Related posts:

Christmas in Qatar
Christmas Dinner
Presents from Japan

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Eid Mubarrak!!!

We celebrate the first day of Eid with an excellent article by Yousra Abdelaal. In Eid Frenzy, Yousra looks at the frenzied preparations that take place in Qatar prior to the festival, and joins in at the henna salon.

Meanwhile, a question we posed (not entirely seriously) in 2006 is still arousing comment.

What does a vegetarian Muslim sacrifice?

Zizi replied:

The vegetarian sacrifices anything special to him.

Not so, answers Shahd, who believes that while a Muslim vegetarian is not required to eat meat, he or she should still make the sacrifice.

Normally, the vegetarian can sacrifice a sheep, goat, or whatever it is he pleases and he can give out the meat as sadaqa (charity), but no, i don't think there is a vegetarian tradition in islam since muslims can't prevent themselves from anything that allah has granted!

I wasn't even sure that there were such a thing as Vegetarian muslims, but a quick internet search put me right.

The International Vegetarian Union spreads the news of a Muslim-vegetarian society, with an emphasis on Islamic compassion towards animals. the page carries a number of quotes from the Quran and Hadiths regarding animals. See Islamic Duty of Compassion towards Animals.

Meanwhile, Enlightenment Next carries on article on how Muslims are becoming vegetarians because of factory farms breaking Muslims laws on the treatments of animals.

Neither, unfortunately, answer our original question. So if you can enlighten us, leave a comment, or head over to the Qatar Living forum to argue the matter out!

Also see: Eid Ul Adha

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Qatar Visitor Competition

With Eid al Adha here and Christmas fast approaching, it seems the perfect time for a competition.

This time round we are offering a signed copy of Qatar to the winner of the competition. The book has been kindly donated by editor David Chaddock, who is also author of Qatar: A Business Traveller's Handbook.

The latest edition of the book features over 160 pages of beautifully written content by Qatar based writers such as Frances Gillespie, as well as over 200 photographs of the country, many of them specially comissioned.

To enter the competition all you have to do is sign up for our free newsletter (in our side bar!).

In addition to being entered in the competition you will receive a monthly newsletter with:

• The best of What's New on Qatar Visitor
• Updates on news affecting tourists and residents
• Other competitions and prizes we will be running

We will never sell your email to a third party, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The winner will be chosen by the end of December, and the prize delivered in January.

Qatar Visitor Friends

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It Rains in Qatar - and the Desert Blooms

Rain in Doha

A dramatic change to the weather has seen thunder and rain in the capital city, with thick grey clouds spreading across Doha's normally clear blue skies.

This is good news for a country which has just a few centimetres of water a year, and comes shortly after the Emir joined in the annual prayers for rain.

Desert Flowers

The desert, after a dry winter last year, should also start to bloom.



Which is handy, as our latest article, The Desert Blooms, is now ready. We were going to bring it out on the tenth, but with the rain hitting we have brought forward the release a few days.

In the article Frances Gillespie, author of Discovering Qatar, takes a walk in the desert after a rain, exploring the animals, plants and lizards that live there.

The article is accompanied by vivid pictures of Qatar's desert flowers by David Gillespie.

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Christmas Dinner in Qatar: Price Comparision

Image by Pete4Ducks

It may seem a little presumptious to start talking about Christmas Dinner at the start of Eid Al Adha, but it might be a good idea to book early - The Four Seasons was already booked up when we rang. (On the other hand, they were the only ones who were booked up!)

The idea of this is basically for a price comparison. We were hoping to be able to go for a beat the credit crunch sort of post. However, the prices are a long way from those of the days of Qatar Christmas past.

My friend can remember when xmas dinner in the Marriot about six years back set him back a mere 80 riyals. As you can see from the prices below, this has now multiplied several times, although the Marriot, along with the Sheraton, does still offer good value compared to the other hotels.

Anyway, we have compared seven major Doha hotels below. We haven't managed to get through to the Movenpick yet, the Four Seasons is booked up, Rydges is not sure if they are even going to be up and the long standing Oasis has now finally been demolished. If you know of any more good places for Xmas lunch, let us know and we will add them in here!

Intercontinental Hotel: 974-4844444

Christmas Eve Dinner: QAR: 224
Christmas Brunch: QAR 320

La Cigale: +974 428 8888

Xmas Eve Buffet: QAR235
Xmas Special Buffet: QAR 275

Marriot

Xmas buffet dinner: 24th December 7pm - 11pm
QAR 190 per person + QAR70 service charge

Christmas Dinner at the Gallery 25th + 26th December
QAR210 Per person + 17.5 % service charge

Mercure: +974 4462222

Xmas Day. Set menu at La Villa.
QAR350/person

Ramada: +974 4281428

Xmas Day Dinner at the French Restaurant and the Steak House
QAR280 + 70 service charge

The Ritz Carlton: 484-8000

La Mere 560/person
Lagoon 320/person
Porcini 560/person

Ritz Carlton Sharq Village and Spa: +974 4256666

Ritz Carlton will be having a Christmas Eve dinner only.
Al Dana restaurant: Set Menu (5 course) QAR600 including one glass of champagne.

Sheraton: (974) 4854444

Christmas Eve:
Xmas Pasta Buffet: QAR 190
Ak Shaheen - four course menu: QAR 280
Al Hubara main lobby restaurant buffet: QAR220

Xmas Dinner:
Al Hubara Xmas Dinner Buffet QAR220

Also see:

Doha Hotel Reviews | Christmas in Qatar | Japanese Xmas Gifts

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The Islamic Museum: First Visit

Today I finally got to see the inside of the Doha Islamic Museum - and was seriously impressed. While I appreciate the exterior of the Museum and the interplay of the shadows on its complex geometric blocks, it doesn't really take my breath away.

The interior, on the other hand, is breathtaking, and must be a photographer's dream. As you enter, the atrium opens up high above you, with lines everywhere merging into each other, while a huge window offers a superb view of the Doha skyline.



We chose to limit our visit, viewing a selection of the artefacts rather than trying to take in everything in one go. We have the luxury of being able to make return visits!

Interactive Media

After entering the building, grab yourself an interactive media player. (You'll need to submit your id until you return it.) Along with an audio introduction, there are numbers to go with around 30 of the exhibits - when you enter these numbers you can hear the story behind it.

Exhibits

Ancient Quran

There were several exhibits that caught my eye on this first trip. One was an ancient Quran - thought to have been written only a few years after the death of Mohammed.
The survival of the manuscript was due to the nature of its parchment - vellum, made of animal skin scaped clean.

The Quran was not compiled until after the death of Mohammed, and this Quran must have been one of the first - perhaps compiled from the recitations of the Mohammed's followers. To be in the presence of such history felt awesome.

Christian Calligraphy

Another fascinating piece was a painting of the Virgin Mary with a young baby Jesus. This may seem like a strange exhibit for an Islamic Musuem, until you read the calligraphy: There is No God but God: the first part of the Muslim profession of faith. The painter had been a Christian, albeit one strongly influenced by Islamic calligraphy.

In adding the calligraphy, he expresses a core belief of both religions - that there is only one God.

The Book of Secrets

The third one which really intrigued me was the Book of Secrets - about the Results of Thoughts. This gives the lie to our belief that mechanical genius is a recent thing, with writer, Andluscian engineer Al-Muradi, describing more than 30 machines of ancient times, from war machines to water clocks. Much of the 11th century book has been decoded by a team of scientists, and an interactive digital version of the book is available for browsers. The book itself will be on exhibit until February 2009.



Also see:

The Book of Secrets: DecodingTheHeavens.com

Opening Hours

The Museum will be closed on the first day of Eid and Xmas.

Sunday: 10.30 - 17.30
Monday: 10.30 - 17.30
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10.30 - 17.30
Thursday: 10.30 - 17.30
Friday: 14:00 - 20:00
Saturday: 10:30 - 17:30


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Looking for work??

Blossom 25 is asking for staff on our Jobs forum.

Are you looking for an instant job? Well, join us! We are in urgent need of young and active females (preferrably Filipina but not a requirement).
JOB TITLE: RECREATION RECEPTIONIST (Gym)
JOB DESCRIPTION: > Welcoming guests entering the facility
> Answer guests' inquiry -- walk-in and phone questions
> Data Encoding
> Monitoring the facilty from time-to-time

For more information check out the post here: Urgent: Recreation Staff

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Reading in Qatar

or What ever happened to the National Library of Qatar?

Being a book lover (when I had time to read books before starting this blog and website!), I went looking for the National Library of Qatar as soon as I arrived in the country - now several years ago.

It shouldn't have been hard - the library was marked clearly on the map. Yet, no matter how many times I trundled up and down the Corniche, I could not locate the building.

It turned out that the makers of the map, rather optimistically, had marked it on the map before it was built. And it never got built, which is a shame because, as the picture below shows, it would have been splendid.

My assumption is that with the rush to get ready for the Asian Games, as well as the building of other major projects such as the Islamic Museum, the building just got left behind.

It's also worth pointing out that not many Arabs in Qatar read a great deal, apart from newspapers, magazines and the Quran.

When I trundled down to the original and still standing National Library, itself housed in a pleasant old building, there have been few browsers other than myself.

And the lack of readers in the Qatar National Museum even made a news story: 300,ooo Books Go Begging for Readers.

Image Source: Qatar Living

One reason for (or result of?) this lack of readership could be the lack of (non-religious) reading material in the Arab world.

Kalima Translation, an organisation dedicated to encouraging the translation of Arabic books, points out that:

• more books are translated in Spain than have been in the Arab world for the last thousand years
• only one book per million Arabs is translated into Arabic every year

Meanwhile the Arab Human Development Report states:

"The Number of Books Published in the Arab World does not exceed 1.1% of production."

It is worth remembering that this was not always the case. Once the Arab World, which now spends 0.2% of Gross National Product of research and design, lead the modern world in the field of knowledge.

It was Arabs who brought the basics of the modern numeral system to Europe, came made great advances in the fields of medicine. They even treated the mentally ill with music therapy.

According to Rediscovering Arab Science:

In mathematics, astronomy, medicine, optics, cartography, evolutionary theory, physics and chemistry, medieval Arab and Muslim scientists, scholars, doctors and mapmakers were centuries ahead of Europe.

Qatar, more than most, realises the value of knowlege and education - they have, after all, built Education City, and invited prestigious American Universitities to set up campuses there, as well as setting up the Qatar Science and Technology Park.

Yet enter a 'bookshop' and chances are all you will see is stationery.

Reading, it seems, is still a rarity.

Who knows if a new National Library could have revived readership in Qatar? And who knows if it ever will?

Also see: Qatar Books | Books, Bookstores and Libraries in Qatar

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Business not as usual...

Business are being turfed out of the Sheraton Hotel and members of its sports club are moaning this week as the hotel is cleared for the United Nations conference on development.

However, there is plenty on for residents - if they can navigate round the frequently closed roads, which are regularly cleared for passing dignities.

They also need to watch out for police who aren't always the brightest of the bunch - I saw one nearly get knocked over after steppiong into the middle of the road with his colleague, without looking, to have a quick conference.

At least residents in Qatar are used to roads being closed without warning, whether to allow VIPS to escape the usual traffic snarl or at the whim of workmen who rarely think of warning signs at the top of a closed off road.

On the positive side, in addition to the ongoing events at the Pearl, The Islamic Museum will finally be open for residents today. We plan to go along in a few days when things have quitenend down a bit.

Later on this month (14th and 17th December) we are also hoping to check out a photo exhibition of Qatar's history taking place at the Qatar Expedition Center, and during Eid Al Adha you can watch Spiderman scale La Cigale. (We said before that this wouldn't prove much of a challenge to a man who has attempted some of the tallest buildings in the world - but after a second glance La Cigale doesn't seem to offer a climber much to hold onto!)

In the meantime, you may want to browse through the pictures of the Islamic Museum which is being held close to the Sheraton Hotel. You may think you have seen enough images of the Islamic Museum, but some of the photographs are simply superb. (You can also see a number of them on flickr!)

Who knows - you might even run into Mugabe, who is here to complain about Western sanctions as usual. I have one friend from Zimbabwe who would certainly welcome the chance...

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