Get up close and personal with beautiful horses in the heart of the city
Qatar Horses
Across the road from Emiri Diwan or the Presidential Palace, there is a paddock full of purebred Arabian horses that are relaxing and waiting for their next ride. These horses belong to the Emir or King and are sometimes ridden by him and his staff.
During breaks (most of the time), the horses are docile and friendly, and those that poke out of the paddock fence are usually happy to be petted. These extremely photogenic horses even have a gorgeous backdrop to pose against – behind them are the rows of stables in the Souq Waqif area.
Shopping at Souq Waqif – Standing Market
Qatar Bazaar Souq Waqif
Souq Waqif means standing market, and this historic place is named after the tides that keep traders standing as they buy and sell their wares. Every day, goods such as fish and pearls change hands, commodities that made up the local economy before Qatar discovered its oil fields in the late 1930s.
Today the bazaar is packed with locals and expatriates, and any corner of the market is perfect for people watching. I fill a small grocery store with nuts, dates and dried figs, which are displayed in open boxes and sold by weight.
“Which dates do you recommend?” We asked the clerk, pointing to the five different varieties on offer.
“Try them,” he said simply, and then we all chose our favorites.
If trinkets and pretty things are more your thing, look for souvenirs such as rugs, hand-stitched cushion covers, jewelry and gold.
Visit the dunes and camels of the coastline desert
We visited the Coastline Desert, named for the inland sea formed by the intrusion of the Persian Gulf waters, riding the towering dunes of silky white sand and jumping down steep waterfalls that seemed almost insurmountable.
Thrown around like rag dolls in the back of a 4×4 vehicle, all attempts to document the journey were met with shaky and nearly unusable footage. So I put away my camera and took in the desert landscape, sparse and beautiful, with mounds and craters that felt like another planet.
A little later, I hopped on the back of a camel as it made the short trip through the desert. 20 Qatari riyals (7.46SGD) was only a five-minute ride, which was enough to take pictures and enough to satisfy my butt! Thankfully, the ride was fairly stable – the camels were calm and docile, and mine had a small wooden frame that I could comfortably hold onto. The only wobbly bit was when I dismounted and the camel suddenly straightened its legs out!
