Places to go and activities to do to embrace Qatari culture!

Every country has a culture and aspects to it that makes it stand out from other countries. Qatar has many activities that show what their culture is all about. Here are four places you can visit to say “you have seen Qatar”.

Falcons:

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Falcons play a crucial role in the Qatari culture. Falconry is part of their cultural and national identity. Qataris enter competitions, it’s not only a sport. In fact, falcons have Qatari falcon passports so their owners can legally take them to other countries, whether via car or airplane. There is a Falcon Souq you can visit which is located somewhere within walking distance from Souq Waqif. There is a falcon hospital and different shops you can visit to check out the accessories falcons require. Don’t be scared of the falcons you would see there, they would be covered with hoods so that they wouldn’t jump at you. You can also run into a man who makes falcon hoods from scratch. If you can’t buy a falcon, buy a falcon hood to take as a souvenir back to your hometown.

Oryx Farm:

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Have you ever traveled with Qatar Airways? Well if you haven’t, the animal they have in their branding is an oryx. Arabian Oryx is a national animal of Qatar, you can say it’s like a mascot of Qatar. There is a farm located in Al Shahaniya where endangered oryx are protected and you can get the chance to visit them and learn more about these beautiful animals and their impact on the Qatari culture. To learn more about the facilities, click here.

Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum:

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When we visit a country and get a souvenir it’s usually a magnet or a mug or those overrated t-shirts that say “I heart [country name]”. Well, that wasn’t the case of Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani. His museum is not any ordinary museum. It is architected in a traditional Qatari courtyard and beyond the first doors are artifacts collected from around the world by Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani. His definition of souvenirs is bringing cars from around the world, carpets, a house interior (not a replica but the actual interior of a house).

You have probably visited many museums in your life that have different and unique themes, but this museum is a rare kind. To learn more, please click here. 

Msheireb Museums:

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Msheireb Museums have four Houses that have different themes. Mohammed Bin Jassim House, Bin Jelmood House, Radwani House and Company House. Each House represents a different time and aspect of Qatar and its history. Most of these museums were renovated, not built from scratch.

Mohammed Bin Jassim House was a house for a man who went by that name. He was wealthy and loved to help out people. He used to occupy a small portion of the courtyard and have the rest of the space for either providing free housing for people who can’t afford housing on their own or he would provide space for start-ups. There, you will learn more about this man, see artifacts from the past and learn how Msheireb was a town of firsts; first pharmacy, first street was called Electricity street and more fascinating information.

Bin Jelmood House is a daunting and upsetting one among the four. Its theme is slavery and how people were enslaved and ended up in Qatar. They have videos of real cases where there are family members who were enslaved and then freed. They also have a new section called DNA where they provide interactive devices and provide information to learn the biology of human and how race shouldn’t be a problem in our lives.

Radwani House is a more family-oriented house. It was owned the Radwani family and it is meant to give you the feeling of stepping into an old courtyard where a family occupies it. You see the shift in time before technology and after as you move from one room to the other. There is also an archeological section where you see an extension of the house had been added after the original house was built.

Company House walks you through a timeline of the oil industry in Qatar. How it all started, the interruptions of the World War, the time when the British were in Qatar and everything. They also have a real-live motor that was used back in their days. You can’t miss this one, it has a big red truck right outside the building.

To learn more about Msheireb Museums and how you can book a tour, please click here.

What other places do you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.

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