A Glimpse of the Middle East

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A Glimpse of the Middle East March 29-31, 2007


It would be impossible to imagine a greater study in contrast than our experience in beautiful but impoverished Lesotho and our short stay in Doha, capital city of Qatar, one of the richest countries in the world. An 8 hour flight can indeed take you to a whole other world.

We flew Qatar Air from Johannesberg, SA to Doha and even as the bus made its way from the aircraft to the terminal, we were able to glimpse the rounded turrets of mosques beyond the airport’s perimeter. Because our flight path en route to London then Spain took us via Doha, it seemed only sensible to stay for a few days and catch a glimpse of life in the Middle East. (or at least that is the conclusion that my good friend, Melinda, and I reached while studying the itinerary over a pre-trip lunch at Pano’s !)

Of course, that decision conjured all kinds of doubts, now that we were actually here. Would we be safe? Would we feel comfortable? Would it be worth the extra costs and effort?

Doha is a fast growing city situated on a beautiful crescent shaped bay that forms part of the Persian Gulf. It is a center of business and commercial development and, to say the least, business is booming! One local business man told me that rental costs for his business have increased 24% in the past year! There is construction happening everywhere, and the new offices, hotels and shopping complexes sparkle in the intense sunlight with high tech and ultra modern designs.

The Corniche is the name for the beautiful tourist walkway that circles the tourquoise harbour. As we walked, we heard the Friday morning prayers being called over the loudspeaker and saw people kneeling, facing the east, in prayer. (our hotel room even had an arrow on the ceiling indicating in which direction was Mecca). Old style wooden boats called Dhows act as ferries from one section of the Corniche to another and crossing the bay this way gave us a terrific look at the cityscape. The main pastime of the city seems to be consumerism! There are large areas of the city called souks, or markets. Unlike our version of a traditional market, the souks are really more like collections of small independent stores, grouped by like merchandise. One might be dozens of small shops selling fabric, another section will be mainly jewelry shops. In most cases, these shops are small, crowded, and (we discovered ) closed in the afternoons to be reopened for evening shopping. There is one souk that has been restored in a more traditional Middle Eastern style, an attempt to retain some of the culture of the past.

Western influence is everywhere. Vehicles are large, plentiful and fast! Not withstanding the Jags, Mercedes and BMW’s, the most popular seems to be the Toyota Land Cruiser, white in colour…there were hundreds (gas prices are clearly not a worry!). The City Center Shopping center is five floors housing every designer name brand store that I have ever heard of (and more).
Because it was air conditioned and the heat was close to 40, we wandered there one afternoon. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw an ice skating rink in the center rotunda of the mall. Some of the local people were trying their hand at skating. It was cute to watch them go as fast as they could from one side of the rink to the other, grasping at the boards on the other side to stop..it was the only way they knew to do so!
The other surprise was a huge banner announcing an International Hockey Tournament, being hosted by the College of the North Atlantic (they have a campus in St. John’s Newfoundland!) that was to be held the weekend we were there. We made a point to come back just to see it, and again, it was interesting to observe what is essentially a piece of Canadian culture in such a foreign environment. The ice surface was so tiny, there were no blue lines or face off circles, both teams shared the same bench and the ‘puck’ was a kind of rubber ball, but the spirit was the same. Fascinating for us was the great interest shown by the spectators, many of the men dressed in the immaculate white robes and turbans of Qatari business men, and the long black dresses and/or burkas of the women.

We were told by everyone we asked that the country was safe for tourists. English is spoken everywhere (although one young boy did inform me that he was not English, he was Arab!) There is very little crime in the country, due perhaps to the high employment rates (and the tough penalties). Everyone seemed happy with the country. Taxi drivers from Napal spoke of the good company they worked for and praised the current king for economic prosperity. Airport workers told us it was a free country and we could wear whatever we liked (although we dressed very conservatively and covered our legs and arms out of respect). We never once felt unsafe.

There were a few times, though, that I felt just a little uncomfortable. Like the time we took a local bus downtown, and I realized while waiting for the connection at the central terminal that there were no other woman, anywhere….not one. Hundreds of men, and me. No one was disrespectful in any way, nor was I stared at, but it just felt strange. Likewise, when we walked to find a restaurant one evening from our hotel. There were shops, stores and restaurants filled with men, but no women diners. When we asked a woman about this later, it was suggested that women do not ride the bus because it just isn’t a nice way to travel, and the restaurants where woman go would be more upper class than where we were.

We saw lots of women in shopping malls, often in groups, or with their husbands and children. Many were in full (eyes only showing) burqas, others wore the robes but their faces were exposed. Family life was very evident and we saw lots of family picnics.

Our final evening in Qatar we went to the Desert Cultural Village where a model of an historic Middle Eastern Village has been recreated and some evenings are devoted to cultural displays of ‘the old ways’. We sampled traditional cooking, (breads and sweets), viewed intricate embroidery on silk fabrics (the women told me how time consuming it is), learned about the ancient skill of pearl diving from a man who had been doing so since he was 15 years old, and had a gorgeous henna tattoo drawn on my hand. It is a tradition for celebrations such as weddings, the end of religious periods etc…and it was amazing to watch this woman create it in just a few minutes. It wasn’t till later that I learned it would last from 2-5 weeks!!!
We observed all the men called to prayer at the village mosque while the women and children amused themselves at the stalls or viewing performances.

It was during this wonderful evening, as we sat and watched a performance of a Serbian dance troupe performing as part of a Multi Cultural festival, that I met a young mother of three. Fully clad in the traditional burqa, Eman struck up a conversation with me that I found far more interesting than the dancers on the outdoor stage. I learned that she was 31 and (in her words) married to a man with a strong will. (She asked me if Hector was ‘the boss’ in our family….any guesses how I answered?) She said she had to take some time (read, manipulation?) before she got her way in her household! She was a systems analyst for a computer firm. She informed her husband that she ‘was smart, had a brain, and had money’ and that she needed something to else, so she started her own business! Her mother works her shop on weekends. She also told me that she does no ‘domestic’ work…she has paid help to do all that! She works, and plays with her children the rest of the time. I learned too, that at home, the burqa is put away, and she and her friends spend lots of money on shoes and designer blue jeans (both of which I could see peeking out from many women’s robes!)

We spoke of many things…American tourists and their disrespect for Middle Eastern customs, wars and politics, Canada (she knew something about our country because of instructors from the College of the North Atlantic), family and fashion… two women from very different worlds and generations, both eager to share and learn from each other. It was one of those golden moments of travel, when you feel as if you have perhaps peeled back a layer of another culture and had a short glimpse of what is underneath. The time was cut short by the end of prayer time and a squabble between two of her kids…I regret not exchanging emails. The chance to speak again is lost but the photo Hec took will be one of my most treasured of our travels.

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Photos

Coffee Shop in Traditional Souk
This market area has been restored to original architectural astyle. It was filled with men, smoking (often from water pipes) and drinking coffee.

Park Area with Mosque
The downtown part of Doha has much beautiul parkland and walking paths, as well as pools and areas for picnics.

Ultra Modern Skyline
Doha is booming with new modern construction.

The City center mall (and rink!)
Who would have expected ice skating in the desert?

Traditional and Hi Tech
The country is an fascinating blend of traditional (dress) and hi tech gadgets. Cell phones (the man on the right) and designer accessories are everywhere.

International Hockey!
The College of the North Atlantic has sponsored this tourney (they are based in Newfoundland!).

Hockey Fans
The mall/rink was crowded with people watching the game.

Nancy and Eman
A special conversation between two women from different (and in some ways not so different) worlds.

Friendly Rivalry
The game was 4 on 4 and the teams shared the same bench!

Qatari School Girls
These girls were on a school outing. We asked permission to take the photo.

Loading the bus!
Looks a little different than bus duty at home!

School Boys
Although they dress differently, these boys were hanging around the mall, just like back home!

Nancy getting a hand tattoo
The woman created the beutiul tattoo (in henna) in mere minutes. It took weeks to wear off!

Nancy's Hand
This is considered a special kind of art and is used in marriage and religious festivities.

Pearl Diver
This man was so ineteresting. He began divng for pearls when he a was 15 and went on to be a pearl seller.

Prayer for Men Only
Even at an early age, the woman is left out of many activities.

Special Embroidery
These women are demonstrating a traditional art of embroidering/weaving fine silver and gold decorations on a garment.

Traditional Cooking
The traditional flat breads are like tasty and the sweets are a bit like small doughnuts. The Cultural Village is an attempt to preserve some of the old culture.