Are you sure it was a genuine sandstorm?
In over 15 years I only ever saw one genuine sandstorm in Qatar and that was in the early 90's I think.
Hundreds of feet high, miles long and rolling in like a tidal wave. Totally black inside and a howling wind. There was a photo of a mosque somewhere in west Bay. Half the mosque was in sunlight and the rest of it couldn't be seen for blowing sand.