Here's a Hint:When You're in a Souq, Don't Yell Real Loud in a Texan Accent about a Whole Roasted Pig on a Platter

A souq is a market or bizarre--if you have ever been to the Mercado in downtown San Antonio or in a border town, then you know what I mean. This building design dates back to the 1800's (but most of it has been refurbished--the architecture remains but the materials are improved or replaced).

The is Souq Waqif, the market by the water in Doha. It is a general souq, with all kinds of textiles, furnishings, antiques, coffee shops, smoking bars, cafes, and other stuff. Doha has a number of other souqs, too, but this was our first. And it ROCKS. I loved every minute of it, except perhaps the oldest, most conservative Muslim men who occasionally stared at me as if to scream, "YOU BRAZEN AMERICAN HUSSY WOMAN!" Now, in fairness, perhaps that is not what they were thinking as they glared...in fact, most of the did not glare, but a few went out of their way to glare at me (because my blonde hair was uncovered? I was dressed in long pants/sleeves, so that is my only guess). The glaring was by the occasional older man--all of the middle aged and younger people couldn't care less about my hair. The glaring was just a little odd.

I did make a borderline fool of myself (wouldn't you be disappointed if I didn't somehow stick my "heathens abroad" foot in my mouth?). Some of the souq cooking stores have HUGE stock pots and HUGE platters. I mean a pot that is three feet across and a platter that is four feet long. Upon seeing one of the huge platters, I exclaimed, "Good grief! What do they put on there, a whole roasted PIG?" (Lest you forget, Islamic folks don't eat pork...) I caught myself at the last minute and sort of went "PIIIahhhhhggggmmm." But John and Hoddie both ducked and ran.

Anyway, this B.A.H. is moving on...


The side of the souq--John and our guide (I'm not sure how to spell his name, but it sounded like "Hoddie"). This guy was awesome--really nice and knowledgeable and I think he argued on our behalf when I was playing the haggling game with a guy in a scarf stall.

This is the front of the souq--it is a warren of hallways and small stores/stalls, a maze of interesting stuff. I could have spent all day there! But we only had about an hour.

A store full of tea and coffee accessories. You can take pictures of the stuff but not of the people. You have to ask a man permission to take his photo, and you cannot photograph women or children (these are Islamic rules).

Ohhhh....this is the spice store, full of nuts, spices, candies, candied fruit, etc. It smells like HEAVEN, and you can sample anything you want. I could spend hours in here!

More spices and legumes (lots of lentils).

A major Qatari sport is falconry! At this souq are a 6-7 falconry shops that sell the birds and other supplies. A bird will cost from 300 to 6,000 dollars (most are likely on the higher end). A sport of the rich. :)

Another falconry shop. The birds are all wearing head covers.


This is the falcon hospital. I dare say it was nicer inside than many people-clinics, even in America...

This is just a sample of what we got to see today--the museum and souq, as well as the waterfront activities (Doha used to have an economy centered around pearl diving!)--we only got a tiny taste of each piece, and this was only scratching the surface.

Trent asked in a comment about crime. There is almost no crime. First off, it's a police state--they have their own rules applied their own ways. Second, Doha is 70-80% immigrants, and most of these people work in service jobs for small pay that they then send home. Although the pay is small, it is much greater than they can earn in their home countries. Any criminal activity, or even accusation of trouble by a citizen high up on in the pecking order, and you are deported. Third, people take these service jobs very seriously. They take pride in what they do--in doing it well, and faster, and with less expense, and in a way that is satisfactory to the client. They build up reputations and don't want to ruin them. As John's post below discusses, you have an incredible mix of cultures in a fast-paced city that is growing so rapidly that I can't even really describe all the huge buildings and construction. Probably the worst part is the driving/traffic.

Tomorrow John has more interviews and I go to the GROCERY and to the mall. Then we leave for London tomorrow night. More to come!

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