Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Crafts
The traditional Bedouin skill of weaving for carpets, tents, rugs and curtains was practised
by modern Qataris until only about two decades ago, when machinery and cheap imports
shut down the industry. Carpet wool, however, is still often prepared in the traditional
way. The wool is washed and soaked in lemon juice and a crystalline mixture to remove
impurities and oil, boiled for about 10 hours, dried in the sun and then dyed (often with
imported dyes from India and other Gulf States). Goat hair is still used to make tents (par-
ticularly the black tents with white stripes, which are now seen more readily in the garden
of a wealthy villa than in the interior). Camel hair, plaited using two hands, one foot and a
strangely shaped piece of wood, is used for ropes and bags. A form of basket weaving,
called
al-safaf
(using palm leaves and cane) is still practised in the villages.
Jewellery making is a craft that continues to thrive: while the traditional Bedouin pieces
of silver and stone are now difficult to find, expert local goldsmiths and jewellers engage
in centuries-old practices of sword decoration and bridal ornamentation. The
burda
(tradi-
tional Qatari cloak) is still worn in Qatar and the cuffs and sleeves are decorated by hand,
using thin gold and silver threads.
FLOTSAM & GYPSUM
Look up at the door lintels or window frames of any old house or mosque in Qatar and chances are it will be dec-
orated with a filigree of white plaster - only it isn't plaster, it's gypsum, otherwise known as calcium sulphate.
Found in abundance locally, and sometimes combined with chippings of driftwood washed up on the beach, it
was used to clad the exterior of houses, forts, mosques and wind towers, as an improvement on mud. Able to
withstand extreme changes in temperature and humidity, this durable material lent itself to moulding and carving.
Some of the abstract plant designs and geometric patterns that can be seen on important buildings across the Gulf
illustrate how working with gypsum has evolved into a complex craft.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Environment
The Land
One would expect the area of a country to be finite. Not so in Qatar, where extensive re-
clamation programs keep adding a square kilometre or two to the total. The Qatar penin-
sula is generally given as 11,586 sq km, about 160km long and 55km to 80km wide, and
includes 700km of shallow coastline. It includes one or two islands, but not the neigh-
