Vibrant Traditionally!

Qatar at first may seem very reserved culturally but give it time and it soon starts unravelling itself to you. Doha is the capital city of Qatar, with a significant portion of the 2.2 million Qatar’s population living within it. An interesting fact, only 12% of the total population is Qatari nationals and the rest is expatriates. Arabic is the national language of Qatar but due to a large expatriate population that resides here, Hindi, English, Urdu, French, and Malayalam are also widely used.

Doha has a hot desert climate with a long summer, from May to September, with an average temperature of 45°C. Winters are warm with temperature rarely going below 7°C. Most Qatari men wear thobe, a long white dress, and a ghutrah, a traditional Arab scarf while women wear abaya, a black robe, whereas, the rest of the population is expected to dress modestly as a sign of respect to local customs and culture. The daily office-work schedule begins early with weekends falling on Fridays and Saturdays.

Qatar might be tiny, but it’s one of the world’s richest countries by GDP per capita. Although Qatar is originally a desert, it has a diverse range of flora and fauna. Purple Island is an example of this. Purple Island is a fish-shaped island dotted with several low limestone cliffs throughout it and a mangrove forest that has a range of fish, shellfish as well as birds, including pink flamingos which transit through Qatar during their seasonal migration. Souq Waqif is one of Qatar’s most vibrant social hotspots. It is a traditional cultural bazaar, which houses a variety of shops selling traditional products as well as a range of restaurants serving a variety of cuisines. Every winter, traditional camel races are held in Al Shahaniya, which are not to be missed. While in Doha don’t forget to catch on the iconic stadiums that Qatar is building being the FIFA World Cup host in 2022.