Qatar - A Guide for Westerner's

Traditional Souq guards on their decorative horses.

What to expect
My biggest concern before my move to Doha, Qatar was the lack of information readily available to me online. Nowhere could I find a viable source of information explaining what to expect when I arrived. Everything found was just a broad generalization on the entire culture of the Middle East. Though I did manage to find a few online forums where users discussed random topics, though most weren't pertaining to life in Qatar and thus useless. One of those useless sites you will see constantly pop up on your searches is QatarLiving.com, if you want to waste your time, sure go there. However, I finally located a helpful site deep within the pages of google that has thorough information on employment, housing, sponsorship and documentation; click here. I made this guide to offer a more personal and direct approach for your transition to Qatar. Don't expect to find a lot of detailed answers and please note everything said is based on my experience and that of drunken old men at the poker table..

From all corners
First off, forget any preconceived notions you had about Qatar, all of them. The second thing is to never compare Qatar to any of the surrounding Middle Eastern nations, all except for the U.A.E maybe. Muslims come in all shapes, sizes and colors, the most surprising group of Muslims that live in Qatar are Canadians. Doha is an international hotspot and there are Muslims living there from Egypt, Lebanon, India, Philippines, South Africa, and various European countries. A large group of ex-patriots live there, usually by some form of government contract, the benefits are nice; no living expense and a tax free salary...at least for the first year.



Muslim Women
An important thing to note is that Muslim women in Qatar live a much more liberal life than you'd expect with everything Westerners hear on the media. They drive cars, choose their own clothes, go to school and work regularly. Did you know that it is actually the woman that decides on how to wear her burka? Her husbands opinion is optional but most will defer to his wishes out of respect. The rest simply rely on tradition to dictate their life, not mandatory law. Don't be surprised when you go to the malls either, some girls have modified their standard dress into more revealing outfits. The majority of Muslim women I have met with have proven to be bright and enthusiastic individuals, that carry many fascinating hobbies and skills, with dreams and goals like any other person.

Native styles
Instead of having the freedom to wear whatever they want, both male nor female, they rely on expressing themselves through their accessorizes. Women will often spend hundreds of dollars on shoes and purses, while men go all out for sunglasses and wrist watches. The women and men of Qatar are seen wearing two colors primarily, white thwobs for the men and black burkas for the woman. Occasionally you see a man in a grey or black thwob but this not traditional of Qatar, just a fashion change. Saudi Arabians, however are allowed to wear whichever color they'd like on their thwob.

Money
Just about every Qatari in Doha drives a Land Cruiser with built-in GPS and every other amenity you can think of. Qatari's get a monthly "stipend" from the government which I only assume comes from the natural gas surplus (I have no idea, really). This stipend is actually more like a loan, and is only given to men, usually a initial large sum meant to be a dowry offering for a woman's father. After he finishes school and wishes to pursue a family, he asks for this loan and finds a wife. Then gets to spend the rest of his life pretending he doesn't have to pay every single cent back until he is 50 and broke. That's what I gathered personally at least. The currency in Qatar is called riyals, 100 riyals is usually the equivalent of 30 USD. Most places will take USD or Euros, if you don't have riyals. Be mindful, many workers are skilled at confusing the tourist while paying in foreign currency and getting far more than they deserve. Also, items such as electronics and imported toys are amongst the most expensive products in Qatar, everything else is seemingly cheaper than what you would find stateside.

Population
It is interesting to know that 90% of Qatar's population is actually immigrants. Consisting of mainly Filipinos and Indians. Qatar likes to show off their booming wealth by hiring millions of these workers for riyals a day to build extravagant and unnecessary buildings. They are everywhere offering to do any job you can think of, 70 percent in construction and the rest in the service industry. However, there are many rural villages from fishing to cattle rearing that consist entirely of Qatari's .

Shopping cart icon at the Giant mall.

Shopping
Despite the multimillion dollar mall complexes, ancient Souqs are still the primary source of commerce. Souqs are old markets, some of which has been in place for a thousand years. You can find just about anything in these markets, from endangered animals like tigers to poor purple kitties or pink chickens. They often starve many of these animals so Westerners will feel more inclined to buy them. As hard as it is, you must not support these terrible practices and when visiting these places let the owners know the reason you aren't buying. It is also possible to have anything you'd like commissioned from the countless tailor shops nearby, from designer dresses to boots and hand purses. Just bring a picture and your measurements. Anything related to electronics can be repaired for a small fee as well, plenty of places to fix cellphones, cameras, game systems, and computers.



Poor little chickey's. They eventually grow out of the coloring.


Food
If one thing can be said about this country it is the amazing selection of food. From the markets to the grocery stores, you can usually find the freshest and most unique ingredients from around the world. Nearly every kind of culinary item can be found here. Yet, I still urge everyone that reads this to follow seafood guidelines and always remember to ask questions. If there is doubt about the creatures origin or whether or not they were harvested using sustainable practices, it is simply best not to buy. In Qatar, the popular fish "Hammour" is actually just Grouper (Epinphelus malabaricus) and is a widely threatened. They also serve animals like black reef tip shark .


At least they don't restock unless the "product" sells, this particular shark sat here for more than a week.

Whether you want a swarma (delicious Turkish meat wrap w/veggies and sauce) or Burger King, you can have anything delivered to your door. I admit I became quite spoiled with this and ended up ordering in 3 nights a week. Luckily the gym was right across the street so I didn't suffer too greatly. Qatar has every kind of international restaurant franchise you can think of, Applebee's, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Tony Romano's, nearly all the American fast food chains; McD, Burger King and even Popeye's. All of which can be delivered to your door for free. Of course, it's only fair to tip and I did so generously. Many places are 24/7 as well.

Pork! There is none and it is forbidden! Hehe, luckily it isn't grounds for deportation if you are found with this delicious pig meat. Thankfully, it is extremely easy to bring pork into the country. The scanners for postage only checks for bones, so as long as you have your meat sent to you without any bone it won't get inspected. Also if you have access to any of the American occupied bases, they serve pork regularly, just try not to get noticed by the gate security when bringing it home. Another way to find pork is to check local grocery stores for any "naughty rooms", I know what you are thinking and no there is no porn. These rooms sell mainly items that contain pork and if you're lucky, they will have fresh meat available.

Booze
Also outlawed, oh no! It is against the Islamic religion to consume alcohol. Of course there are ways to bypass this as well. First you should know that there is only one liquor store in the entire country. From what I was told, only a handful of people even have access to it. I believe them all to be American. However, most international hotel chains like Sheraton, Ritz, InterCon, Marriot, ect. all have bars and or night clubs. A lot of the clubs and bars require membership and have gender limitations. During western holidays is always the most difficult time to access a decent pub. Try to plan ahead and get reservations. Any kind of alcoholic drink is painfully expensive. A shot of Jack could easily cost you 60 riyals (18 USD), mixed drinks usually run about 25-45 riyals each. Your best bet is to find someone that can access the liquor store or make a quick trip to the Dubai airport, fill up and hope no one notices your suitcase full of booze. During a customs scan on my way back from Dubai I had forgotten the small bottle of whiskey I brought to drink on the plane and left it in my carry on. They seized it upon arrival after scanning and told me to wait with my bags (yea right), so I left. Since then I have seen the same customs agent several times and he has never acknowledged me /shrug.

Also it's nice to note that Doha is a party city at heart. When the bars close it isn't hard to find an after party that will provide music, alcohol and plenty of international friends. Not like your typical get together though, the only way these places get supplied is by workers from hotels that either steal or buy the alcohol from their employers illegally. The bars inside the party are full serviced and you still have to pay for every drink, but at a much cheaper rate and by 3-4am the drinks usually become free. Many times the party will get loud or out of hand and the police will bust it up. Protip: It's always nice to have an American passport in this situation, just be as respectful as possible.

Misc. info.

• Falconers are allowed to travel freely with their birds of prey on Qatar Airways. I have seen a Falcon shit on someones seat during a flight and nobody said anything.
  
• The women that do work usually old higher positions than that of an immigrant and it is looked down upon for Qatari women to work in a setting where she might get dirty.
  
• If a Muslim man finds you attractive or mistakes you for a prostitute... he will walk by you and pinch you on your clothing or purse/shopping bag. Really?
  
• Like all markets, it is vital to haggle, if you don't some get insulted and you will end up paying more than expected. Even if they seem annoyed by it, they love being able to shop talk and enjoy a challenge.
  
• Remember to be kind and inviting of other peoples cultures. Everyone I have encountered during my travels in Qatar has been incredibly gracious.
  

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.