Souq Waqif, the heart of local shopping
Souq Waqif has a touch of Disneyland about it, with its brightly-lit, colorful little train to entertain children, and its impeccable maze of alleyways and galleries: everything is dapper, not a piece of paper on the ground, souvenir stores alternating with restaurants and cafés. Of course it attracts tourists, but Souq Waqif really is a popular authentic Qatari shopping heart, which comes alive from late afternoon onwards, especially at weekends. Souvenirs and gifts are easy to find in this maze of local stores. It's frequented by families living in Doha, a cosmopolitan heart of the city where all nationalities meet. Qataris no longer make much of anything themselves, apart from the art of maintaining tradition. Among the crafts that have disappeared from local life, embroidery was practiced by women until the advent of oil. The an-naqdah technique consists of sewing gold and silver thread embroidery onto abayas and scarves. These can be found at the Souq Waqif, in a few dedicated stores. Similarly, handcrafted jewelry is one of Qatar's oldest trades. Today, designers create top-flight jewelry, while jewellers and jewellers are grouped together in the Gold Souq next to Souq Waqif. You can pick up some beautiful objects in the brocanteurs or in the boutiques, which are actually quite Turkish. Pottery, earthenware, bags, colorful lamps... the items are beautifully made and affordable, making you want to buy them all! Other items are made in the Middle East: splendid, colorful handmade Iranian and Syrian carpets. Don't hesitate to haggle for up to 30% of the price. There are some madcap items: gold swords, the price of which we won't mention, solid gold jewelry, richly embroidered wedding garments, traditional carpets.... But you can also do some simple shopping in the spice, incense, perfume, candy, fabric and clothing markets... a real pleasure.
Enchanting spices and perfumes to glean
If you like to cook, don't be afraid to bring back spices sold by weight in large burlap sacks, the better to let your senses choose. These include turmeric, saffron, curry, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, ginger, coriander, mint, oregano, candied lemons, rosebuds and hibiscus tea. Dried fruits, each more beautiful than the last, take pride of place in small wicker baskets: pineapples, papayas, mangoes, figs, grapes, apricots, prunes and bananas. Seeds of all kinds bring colors ranging from emerald green to intense black. Pistachios, pecans, almonds and pine nuts are just waiting to be crunched or carefully packed into a suitcase. Candy stores sell tempting pistachio nougats and other Arab sweets.
The art of perfumery is an integral part of Arab Muslim culture. For over 5,000 years, traditional "noses" have been composing heady tones of jasmine, amber, musk and oud. The Souq Waqif is full of stores with windows decorated with pretty crystal bottles, where you can be tempted to buy small vials for a few riyals. Of course, you can smell all the compositions beforehand. Another interesting purchase: incense and a beautiful burner. The two most popular scents used in Qatari home incense are oud (agarwood) and bukhoor. Oud is a naturally scented incense wood, while bukhoor is a blend of different perfumes and incenses. You can also buy oud oil directly, reputed for its ayurvedic virtues.
A henna tattoo, a beauty classic
It has to be done on the last evening at the Souq Waqif before going home: the henna tattoo! Once you've perfected your tan, if you like that Oriental lace that stays on your arms and fingers, don't deprive yourself. This ephemeral tattoo with natural brown dye is used in the Arab world to decorate hands and feet with arabesques, especially on festive days to make yourself look beautiful. The women who work at the Souq Waqif (near the pancake and street food stalls) are amazingly quick and precise. The designs are presented on notebooks, with prices clearly indicated. An ephemeral souvenir to take home on your arm, requiring 20 minutes drying time on site and 1 hour before washing to print the motif properly.
Shopping, XXL mall version
New shopping malls open every year. American-style malls with increasingly daring architecture: giant, undulating, delirious... sometimes with theme parks inside. Fun for all the family and plenty of reasons to spend your riyals. The Al Hazm Mall frequented by Qataris is an architectural extravaganza inspired by the sumptuous decors of 19th-century Milan, with marble everywhere and luxury boutiques... This one you can only visit if you can't afford to buy anything. The Mall of Qatar, the largest, boasts 500 stores and 100 restaurants, where you can lose yourself in an overabundance of commerce. The Villaggio Mall, with its inner canal, is criss-crossed by crazy Venetian gondolas amidst 200 stores. The Doha Festival City, with its amusement park and children's snow park, is a shopping immensity. Katara Plaza, a blend of elegant French and Italian neoclassical styles, is home to Galeries Lafayette. Le Printemps will open in September 2022 in the Doha Oasis, a futuristic complex featuring an amusement park, 4D cinema and bowling alley... plenty of fun in between shopping sprees. France is also very much in vogue in Doha, with another new shopping center called Place Vendôme opening in Lusail in 2022. It replicates the iconic Parisian jewelry and luxury district in a stunning Haussmannian décor. Nothing is too luxurious, too big or too crazy for Qatar, which is building Disney-like dream worlds in these new temples to consumerism andentertainment.
