About Traditional Souq Waqif

Souq Waqif --- it was an very old Souq, until government of Qatar decided to make it down and build a new Souq that looked like an old Souq designed.
My surprise at the time I saw it's really amazing, government made it a very great job on it.
First it looks the part. Beautiful stone has been used for the buildings, and it as created the narrow pathways and maze-like interior you would expect of a Souq. Men with white beards and grey turbans wait in the pathways with wheelbarrows ready to carry your purchases.

Now a huge range of shops and it will be still growing more and more. What it’s famous for in Qatar, anyway is its dried herbs and spices, and in some areas the air wafts with the scent of them. Incense that looks like rocks is arranged alongside the herbs, lending themselves to the array of colors that make these shops so attractive.
Colorful Indian dresses hang the walls outside the shops, or you may choose material for a tailor to make it become a dress. The traditional Qatari clothing is also available white for men and it's called tub, black for women and it's called abaya. You’ll see Qataris shopping here  a couple of middle aged ladies, covered head to toe in black.

Both antiques and replicas are available here, along with old photos of Qatar and its culture. These included traders haggling over piles of pearls, pearl divers being hauled up by their handlers and Bedouin nomads in their traditional camps or alongside their camels.

The Souq Waqif Art Center is located inside of the restaurant area of the Old Souq, opposite Le Gourmet and close to the Bandar Fish Market. The Center combines a selection of small & artistic shops with a number of exhibition rooms laid out around a long narrow courtyard. Outside the rooms lie suclptures and chests inlaid with turtle shell. Exhibition have included The Islamic Arts exhibition, with displays of ancient calligraphy, some dating back centuries, and displays of carpets and photography.

Shops include The Art Source, where paintings can be bought or framed. The Art Source is also an art consulting company and the sole GCC distributor for GCC De Concilio.

I recommend you to visit this and I think it's great traditional market I have ever seen.

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