Visiting Qatar, United Arab Emirates

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Our next stop is Doha, Qatar (pronounced “cutter” by most) and Abdul is our guide. By the way, most of the guides are expats from other countries as few local Emeriti’s do that kind of work. The first excursion stop is to the Souq Waqif, a shopping bazaar established in 1847. You can bargain up to 20%!o(MISSING)ff for the spices, foods and other traded items available, we’re told. This country has 2.5 million people with 200,000 native citizens. Only Qatar citizens may own property permanently with foreigners not owning land and owning housing for up to 99 years at which time it’s returned to the government. Various visas cover a variety of visits including tourist, business, and non-permanent (i.e. working). Health care for the citizens is free as is education. Auto fuel is 25 cents a liter. The 6 Gulf countries are part of “Jazerra”, hence the name of the radio/TV network. Our sea front drive, passing by the Corniche, Dhow Harbor and West Bay en route to Katara Cultural Village for a visit gives us a view of the area. A lot of the waterfront is “reclaimed” land. One of the unique aspects of this government is that they plan ahead 5 years to provide for their citizen’s future. Recognizing that oil is a finite resource they are encouraging economic and financial development in this area.

Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. is the home of the 3^rd largest mosque –the Grand Mosque – which took 12 years to build, has largest chandelier in the world weighing 9 tons with 1 million pieces of crystal, the largest single piece carpet in the world with a floral design to signify paradise, 41,000 people attend Friday prayer services, silver and gold inlays in opulence and Italian Moreno glass in the windows. While the Christian calendar has 365 days plus leap year the Islamic calendar is a lunar one with 354 days. The government has planted 100 million trees which are watered daily with recycled water. Day time temps range from 95 degrees in the Spring to 120 degrees in July and August in the shade. Gasoline is $1/gal. with no taxes. Heritage Village has recreation of an early desert village house with products from the date palm providing wood for construction, palm leaves covering the structure, food from the fruit. Recognition of the eldest member of the family provides him with the best bedding, first to eat at meals, deference in daily living. Oil money is creating Louvre and Guggenheim Museum clones. Falconry and Camel Racing are popular sports with robot jockey’s replacing young boys on the camels. Only the camel owners can bet on the outcome as Islamic law prevents betting. Crime is low because punishment is severe, elders are respected and culture doesn’t condone crime. In building the museum Shazayed Bin Sultan Al Hahyan said “History is a continuous chain of events. The present is only an extension of the past.”

Education was minimal in the 1980’s due to the desire to keep children home but then the Sheik, educated in Great Britton, offered $300/per child/per month for school attendance, resulting in a high literacy rate. Early exported products included crushed stone, cement, iron, copper, granite from the mountains. Now have date palm products, corn and tobacco, besides oil money. An oil pipeline is now connecting Abu Dhabi and Fujairah to allow oil delivery without going through the Strait of Hormuz. Forts in Fujairah are being restored to signify the history of this part of the country. The mountains on this side are quite different from the Abu Dhabi sandy desert side.

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