Bedouin moved across the Qatari and Arabian peninsulas according to the seasons. Constantly moving meant possessions had to play an essential part in everyday life to warrant being loaded and reloaded onto pack animals. The size of the tents and the accumulation of woven items were seen as reflections of the status and wealth of the owner. Old and worn items were discarded to lighten the burden, so few really old pieces now remain.

 

The traditional black, brown and cream tents, known as Bayt Al Sha’er (House of Hair), were tightly woven in sections using goat hair producing a windproof, waterproof shelter.

 

Weaving or al sadu was done by the women, with simple looms creating fabric in half metre widths and a minimum length of one and a half metres. They used wool from the goats, sheep and camels kept in the camps, natural dyes from plants, animals and stones dyed the fabric red, yellow, green, dark blue or black.

 

The Bedouin placed great emphasis on hospitality, and visitors were always offered both food and drink. The serving of coffee had great significance, and business was never discussed before the coffee was served, which was always prepared by the men. Although the dallah or coffee pot would remain on the fire all day, a new pot would be brewed for honoured guests.

 

Perfume and incense are still used as a sign of hospitality within the Qatari home, and as a traditional welcome for VIPs on official occasions. Incense burners are also placed under airing clothes to impart a wonderful smell to the fabrics. There are numerous shops in Qatar which use essential oils and incense to produce unique traditional perfumes, and a number of Qatari women entrepreneurs have learned the skills from their mothers and market their perfumes in Souq Waqif.

 

Both frankincense and myrrh are products of the Gulf and have been exported for hundreds of years. The true frankincense trees grow in Saudi Arabia and Oman, but the resins are sold in the market, together with agar wood (aoud), which is used in the incense burners of Qatari homes.

 

Aoud is sold by weight and grade, similar to frankincense and myrrh, and top quality aoud can retail at several thousand riyals per kilo. The best wood, full of resin, is rich in colour and smooth to the touch.

 

Balls of bokhur are also burnt, made of grated agar wood, white musk, sandalwood oil, ambergris, mystica and rose oil. The metal-lined wood or brass burners use small blocks of special charcoal to provide the heat. There are also small ‘modern’ ceramic versions – which are heated by plugging them into the cigarette-lighter sockets in cars!

 

Once a means of catching animals for the Bedouin, and the pastime of the rich, falconry now continues as a hobby. Birds are bred in captivity and when hunting, often have a small radio transmitter attached under the tail for ‘tracking’. Training a falcon is time-consuming and requires endless patience since the falconer must carry the bird on his arm for several hours each day; possible for the Bedouin but difficult to fit into a 21st century work schedule!

 

The hunting season is from October to March and the two most popular falcons in Qatar are the Saker (hurr) and the Peregrine (shaheen). The hurr is valued both for its outstanding beauty and for its ability to withstand adverse weather conditions.  The hurr completes its annual moult early and can start hunting in October, whilst the shaheen may not be ready until January.

 

The falcon has amazingly acute vision and can identify prey at a distance of several kilometres. It can fly at speeds of over 100 km per hour, approaching 200 km per hour during dives. its ability to withstand adverse weather conditions. The hurr completes its annual moult early and can start hunting in October, whilst the shaheen may not be ready until January.

 

The most beautiful and valuable birds are usually sold privately. The sinjari is the almost black Saker falcon from the mountains of the same name in Iraq, and one of the most highly prized is the ‘White’ Saker – not pure white, but very pale in colour.

 

Falcons and falconry equipment can be seen in Souq Waqif, where the falconers will be happy to talk about the birds and their training, and photographs can be taken.

 

The purebred Arabian horse, the Aseel, has been valued throughout history for its courage, endurance and speed, particularly by the Bedouin. The horses are smaller than the racing thoroughbreds in the west, but far superior in terms of beauty and stamina. A number of stud farms are once again breeding these magnificent horses, foremost being the Al Shaqab Stud owned by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Umm Qarn Farms (Sheikh Abdulla Bin Khalifa Al Thani) and Al Shahaniyah Farms (Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani).

 

Originally from the central desert of what is now Saudi Arabia, the horses are characterised by their short, slightly dished head, wide throat latch, prominent low-set eyes, wide flared nostrils, short straight back (they have less vertebrae than the thoroughbred), high tail, depth at the shoulders, straight balance, fluidity of movement and bold trot.

 

Qatar continues to host prestigious races open to locally-bred horses and an annual international horse show, purely for Arabian horses, attracts the finest in the world.

 

Camels had many purposes for the Bedouin, who used them to carry tents and people, and to weave fabric from the hair. Camel meat is very rich in protein and is still a valued commodity. The animal can also be milked up to six times a day – a 400 kg animal can yield around 15 litres.

 

Camel racing is hugely popular; spectators and trainers drive on a parallel track, yelling instructions and encouragement to the riders.

 

But camels are unusually fickle animals, being reluctant to either begin a race or even finish it! To curb the old habit of using young boys as jockeys, the Qatar Scientific Club designed Robot Jockeys which are lightweight and controlled by the trainers (now adopted in other parts of the Gulf). Camel races are held regularly at the Al Shahaniya track, both local races and an annual competition for other GCC competitors.

 

On those occasions, the holding pens and training camps at Al Shahaniya hold literally thousands of camels.

 

The camels seen wandering the desert are not ‘wild’ but are all owned and marked with special brands called wasm.

 

Qatar is one of the few countries in the world where you will see road signs warning motorists of wandering camels.

 

Permanent dwellings were one room structures built of mud bricks or coral blocks, their roofs constructed of mangrove poles covered with palm fronds and mud. Small unglazed windows, shaded verandas and thick walls combined to keep the interiors dark and cool in summer, but warm in winter. Several old deserted villages remain with crumbling houses revealing herringbone stone work or sun-dried mud blocks.

 

Only rich merchants would have had elaborate houses, with a perimeter wall and large wooden gate. Within the big gate was a smaller arched door that did not reach down to the ground.

Because visitors had to raise their feet high and bend their heads to cross the threshold, marauders could not rush through!

 

A very effective form of ‘air conditioning’ using wind-towers (badjeer) acted like a chimney in reverse to catch wind blowing from any direction and funnel it down into the house.