While Qatar has become a modern Middle Eastern nation boasting a sophisticated culture and up-to-date facilities, the traditional open-air market in Doha, Souk Waqif, has remained a top draw for tourists visiting the city.
According to Kevin Brass of The National, a publication from the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, the Souk Waqif provides travellers with “a fusion of sights and smells” and “provides a welcome break” from the otherwise modern city.
Souks exist in cities and market towns across the Arab world, and have long been a centre of local commerce wherever they’re found, bringing together merchants, highly-skilled traditional cooks and shoppers looking for bargains for hundreds of years.
While the skyline of Doha may be accented by modern high-rise towers and skyscrapers, and the building of new hotels in Doha has facilitated an increased tourist presence in the city, the Souk Waqif provides a bastion of tradition in the city, according to Brass.
“The [souk] is the place to find a deal on a handmade rug or questionably antique silver jewellery to bring home to friends and relatives who couldn’t make the trip,” Brass wrote for The National. “Haggling is expected and an art form, a challenge against shopkeepers who have been bartering over goods for generations.”
As Doha, and Qatar as a whole, has opened up to the Western world, more international businesses have established a presence on the outskirts of the souk.
However, Brass attests that many activities of the souk continue on such as they have in centuries past, with locals both young and old still making the marketplace a welcoming atmosphere.
