Doha Office Tower

• Qatar is a peninsula in the east of Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia.
• The land is mainly flat (the highest point is 103 meters) and rocky.
• Notable features include coastal salt pans, elevated limestone formations, and massive sand dunes.
• Of the islands belonging to Qatar, Halul is the most important. Lying about 90 Kms east of Doha, it serves as a storage area and loading terminal for oil from the surrounding offshore fields.
• Doha is the capital of the country and the major administrative, commercial, and population center.
• Qatar shares its land border with Saudi Arabia.
• Qatari is technically an “Emirate,” ruled by an Emir.
• Islam was established as the official religion and Arabic the official language.

HISTORY

• Archaeological artifacts and inscriptions indicate the first signs of human habitation in the Qatar Peninsula dated back between 10 000 – 8000 BC.
• Evidence of Qatar’s ancient nomadic history can be traced to the 1st Century CE by Pilny, the natural philosopher, who described the nomadic tribe as the “Catherrie”.
• Qatar flourished with its popular fishing villages. These centers gave rise to the famous Qatar pearl trading industry.
• Islam reached Qatar around the middle of the 1st century and thrived in the Abbasid period.
• With the expulsion of the Portugese, Qatar formed part of the Ottoman Empire for 4 centuries. However, Qatar’s power remained local.
• In 1971, Qatar claimed independence from Britain when Britain withdrew from the Arabian Gulf.
• A provisional constitution declaring Qatar an independent state was adopted.

Doha Cityscape

• Hotel prices are on the rise in Qatar, and you can expect to pay as much as US$100 for an ordinary double room in a mid-range hotel.
• To avoid additional charges it is best to take travelers cheques in US or STLG
• Banks are open Sat – Thurs, 8am – 1pm
• Taxis are extremely expensive – 20-30 QAR and another 1 QAR per 0.62 miles
• Beer 15-20 QAR
• Three course dinner in restaurant 50 QAR
• Fast food meal 20 QAR
• Coffee in bar or café 10 QAR

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Luxurious Resort

• The emergency phone number for police, ambulance or fire department is 999.
• Western women might experience harassment, but it will likely be more annoying than threatening; such as having a man circle around the block whilst you walk down the street, or whisper at you to get your number in the store, but for the most part it will be men staring.
• Haze, dust storms, and sandstorms are common. An abaya, the long, black cloak and headscarf worn by local women, can be purchased at a variety of places in Doha.

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Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

• The weather in Qatar remains almost the same all throughout the year, except the few winter months that the country gets.
• Qatar weather is dry and very hot.
• The sun shines brightly on almost all the days in the country.
• Since most of the country is a desert, the temperatures rise above 45ºC.
• June to September is the peak summer time in Qatar.
• During summers, the temperatures soar to about 50ºC.
• Humidity is also quite high during the summer months.
• Weather of Qatar is pleasant during the short winter time, spanning from December to February.
• The winters have a mild climate; temperatures remain in an endurable range.

Best Time to Visit:

Summer (June to September) is extremely hot and intensely humid. Winter is cooler with occasional rainfall. Spring and autumn are warm and pleasant.

Required Clothing:

Lightweight cottons and linens are recommended during summer months but avoid wearing silk, which sticks to the skin with the humidity. A cardigan is useful for over-cooled malls in the summer and a jacket is a must for cooler evenings during the winter. If you intend to take a camping trip in spring or autumn, you’ll be glad of an extra layer of clothing at night.

Pearl and Oyster Fountain in Corniche

Al Zubarah Fort

• Situated just 100 km west of Doha lies the town of Al Zubarah, an important archaeological site famous for its old fort
• This fort-turned-museum was constructed in 1938
• The fort itself is square-shaped with circular towers in three of its corners and a rectangular tower in the fourth
• With high, thick walls, this fort also served as a coast-guard station and, until the mid-1980’s, was used by the military

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Barzan Towers

• Originally built as watchtowers, Barzan Tower is the western tower of two that were erected around the Umm Salal Mohammed area
• This Tower was built during the late 19th century and it “T” shape is considered a unique architectural style in the Gulf region
• It is a rectangle construction with three levels and an external staircase
• It has now been completely restored

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Blokarting

• Depite being invented in only 2000, blokarting enthusiasts are already taking blokarts to the beaches and desert of Qatar
• A blokart is a wind powered go-kart designed and manufactured in New Zealand in 2000
• Blokart sailing (karting) is rapidly becoming the world’s number one land based sail sport

Doha Fort (Koot)

• Al Koot Fort Museum is one of the old military fortresses in Doha
• Al Koot means fort and also jail
• Located in the Al Bidda area of Doha, it was built in 1880 as a police station and afterwards it was used as a jail in 1906
• Today it is used as a museum
• Qatari traditional handcrafts, products and photos of daily life with illustrations are housed there
• Exhibits include Bedouin Sadu, handcrafts, gypsum and wooden ornaments, fishing equipment and boats, historical photos, artwork including oil paintings of craft workers and daily life

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Communication Etiquette:
• Contact between unmarried men and women is non – existent
– Recently acceptable for married couples to hold hands in public
• Always shake hands when meeting and leaving
– Standard greeting for men is a kiss on both cheeks for good friends
– They will question your health and other matters
– You should do the same to them to show respect
• Friendly to foreigners
– Respect the Islamic culture
– Have Arabic translations of all important documents

Business Etiquette:
• Great emphasis is placed on personal relationships between associates
– Always prefer to do business with familiar people
– Be patient in the first negotiations
– Long relationships are worth the patience
• Qatar is a hierarchical style management
– Decisions are made from the top
• When meeting your associates
– Shake the most senior official first
– Exchange business cards to everyone at the meeting
– Have Arabic printed on the reverse side
– Always spend time looking over theirs before putting it away
– Use titles where appropriate
– To indicate your respect for them
– They will be far more interested in you
– Make sure you can deliver everything you promise
– Business meetings will be lengthy
• Schedule meetings before if you are traveling internationally
– Confirm a few days before
– Business schedules change rapidly