Souq Waqif in Qatar, Doha, Qatar

You can almost step back in Qatar time by visiting Souq Waqif. Souq in Arabic means market. Waqif means to stop or to stand so it can be translated to the Standing Market. (I was so proud when I heard my tour guide in Jordan tell the driver Waqif, waqif and I knew what he was saying without even thinking about it.) Over the years, Souq Waqif fell into disrepair, and much of it was falling down. Then in 2006, the then Qatar Emir, and his wife set about to restore Souq Waqif. Realizing that the past is important, they opted to keep the traditional feel of the old souq and the current buildings are made in the traditional way with mud and wood. If you were visiting from the past, you would only notice that the souq is no longer on the waterfront due to the land reclamation and that cars and camels no longer go down the main street. The first hotel in Qatar is in Souq Waqif and is still there today.

In Souq Waqif, you can buy almost anything you could possibly want. There are luxury goods, such as hand-punched metal lamps from Egypt, and there are everyday items, such as kitchen supplies. You could cloth your entire family in the ready-made clothes or buy fabric to make your own. I think many Qataris do their grocery shopping there as you can buy spices and other foodstuffs in Souq Waqif. There is a bakery that sells fresh Arabic bread made in the souq for 1 riyal for five pieces. 1 riyal is about $0.27. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).