Qatari Photo Album
Doha
The Museum of Islamic Art
Souq Waqif
Gold Souq
The gold souq sells lots and lots of bright yellow gold, white gold, silver and platinum jewellery. There are necklaces, bangles and earrings to be found. Some of this jewellery is bought as dowries for weddings. If people have to sell the jewellery for any reason they can bring it back to any of the shops, the shopkeepers will weigh the gold and give the owner a price. People can also have jewellery made for them.
The gold souq sells lots and lots of bright yellow gold, white gold, silver and platinum jewellery. There are necklaces, bangles and earrings to be found. Some of this jewellery is bought as dowries for weddings. If people have to sell the jewellery for any reason they can bring it back to any of the shops, the shopkeepers will weigh the gold and give the owner a price. People can also have jewellery made for them.
Falcon Souq
Villagio
Banana Island
Banana Island is a man-made island off the coast of Qatar. There is a luxury hotel on it. |
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The Desert
The desert in Qatar is mainly flat gravelly desert but there are also some sand dunes and salt flats called sabkha.
The desert in Qatar is mainly flat gravelly desert but there are also some sand dunes and salt flats called sabkha.
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The mountains in the desert are called jebels. They are made of sandstone so are worn away by the wind and rain into very interesting shapes. |
People like to camp in the desert sometimes. |
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A sand dune is a hill of loose sand built up by the wind. |
Sabkha is the Arabic word for salt flat. This is an area that is never covered by sea water but sea water penetrates it during high tides. The sabkha can be unpredictable because cars can get stuck and have to be towed out. |
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Desert Rose
Sandstorm
A sandstorm is a strong dry wind that blows over the desert. It lifts and carries along clouds of sand and dust. It is often so thick that it blocks out the sun. It can be so bad that you cannot see anything. It can be very eerie because the light can change colour. The fine sand can set off smoke alarms. You can even taste the fine sand in your mouth. A sandstorm can last for hours. Have a look at the pictures and video of the sandstorm below. You can see the sandstorm blowing in. You can also see how the colour changes.
A sandstorm is a strong dry wind that blows over the desert. It lifts and carries along clouds of sand and dust. It is often so thick that it blocks out the sun. It can be so bad that you cannot see anything. It can be very eerie because the light can change colour. The fine sand can set off smoke alarms. You can even taste the fine sand in your mouth. A sandstorm can last for hours. Have a look at the pictures and video of the sandstorm below. You can see the sandstorm blowing in. You can also see how the colour changes.
Camels
Camels have always been very important in Qatar. They were used to transport the Bedu (Bedouin) and their belongings. The camels in Qatar are one-humped camels. They are called dromedaries. They are domesticated animals which provide milk, meat and hair for their owners. Their dung can also be burned to provide heat. They used to bring people and goods from place to place. Camels can live in hot, dry climates because they do not need much water. Therefor they are ideal for countries such as Qatar.
Camels have always been very important in Qatar. They were used to transport the Bedu (Bedouin) and their belongings. The camels in Qatar are one-humped camels. They are called dromedaries. They are domesticated animals which provide milk, meat and hair for their owners. Their dung can also be burned to provide heat. They used to bring people and goods from place to place. Camels can live in hot, dry climates because they do not need much water. Therefor they are ideal for countries such as Qatar.
Now camels are mainly used for camel racing. Watch the video below to see the camels racing. They have mechanical jockeys on their backs which are controlled by the owners who race around after the camels in their cars.
The Dhow
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The Dhow was the boat that was used when men went fishing or pearl fishing. |
The Sheikh Faisal museum has a collection of the equipment the men used when pearl diving. It also has a collection of model dhows.
Sheikh Faisal collected lots of interesting things in his lifetime. He left the collection to the Qatari people. They are now housed in a museum.
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You can also seem some weapons. There are knives, swords, shields and guns in the museum. |
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There is also a collection of jewellery. Traditional Bedouin jewellery was made of silver. It was often studded with amber, turquoise, pearls and coral. There were often little silver bells and balls on the necklaces. Bedouin women receive jewellery as part of the dowry before they get married.
Below are some other interesting things that you would find at the museum if you visited it:
The Inland Sea