Welcome to Qatar

Souq Waqif: All you need to know

If you’re visiting Qatar or even living here, Souq Waqif is one place that everyone tends to fall in love with. Located in the heart of the city and normally buzzing with tourists and shisha lovers, Souq Waqif is the ultimate tourist destination in the country.

A hub of entertainment, culture, food, and tourism, Souq Waqif has made its name for tourists and locals alike. Mud-daubed buildings, the aroma of spices in the air, that familiar scent of Doha’s famous ananas shisha, explore the traditional nooks and alleys of the souq as you take in one of the finest meeting spots in the country. The labyrinth of passages in the Souq will always welcome you with old-school toy shops, local kaftans, and those mesmerizing oudh shops. Souq Waqif is metro-accessible with the Doha Metro’s Gold Line.

The traditional souq with Doha’s modern skyline as a backdrop makes it an experience to cherish. The streets bustle with tourists on the hunt for discovering the finest cuisine, and shops and taste the authentic Doha lifestyle.

Souvenirs

If you’re looking to take some souvenirs back home with you, Souq Waqif is the place to get some of the cutest, funkiest and local favorites in town. You will find kiosks and shops laden with small little souvenirs that include wallets, sand art, paintings, and magnets to name a few. You can explore the shops to get kefaya, thobes, kaftans, and abayas as you soak in the culture of Qatar as you shop at the local bazaar. Home decorations include plates with iconic landmarks or statues of falcons and camels, highlighting the most popular features of the country.

A favorite would be the salt and pepper food shakers dressed in traditional Qatari dresses. If you’re lucky, you will find Aslam baba outside Tandoor restaurant making live marble jewelry while singing the funniest tunes! Get yourself a bracelet and an unforgettable experience.

Dining

The minute you enter the food street, the aroma of spices, shish kabobs, and some of the local favorites will take over your senses. Whether you choose to dine at the famous Parisa for Persian cuisine with its breathtaking interiors or choose to enjoy the outdoors at Al Bandar, Souq Waqif will elevate your gastronomic journey in Doha. Take in a little Italian at Pizza Maria or a little taste of Argentinian cuisine at La Boca or settle for some famous BBQ fish at Danat Al Bahar, there’s something new for everyone to enjoy. If you're looking for some of the most-loved restaurants in the city, try out the renowned Syrian restaurant Damasca One or some Indian cuisine at Royal Tandoor. And if nothing else works for you, settle down in one of the many cafes and sip local qehwa.

Jewelry and watches

As you’re exploring the myriad of alleys in Souq, you’re bound to come across various jewelry and watch sellers. From decorative headpieces to gold-plated rings and bangles, artificial jewelry is a favorite for many in this country. Stop by the Lovely Boutique to get yourself a few local pieces or explore Al Misbah watch gifts and perfumes or Truth trading company and choose gifts for yourself from an impressive range of watches.

Cafes

The souq is known for its tranquil atmosphere in the middle of the city's bustle. The setting is breathtaking and unquestionably puts visitors in a trance. There are many cafes in the souq namely AlKoot Café, Khariss Café, Coffee Beanery, Kane Mochi, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Asherg Coffee and so on. These spots are perfect to relax and unwind over the weekend. Sipping soothing coffee and munching some delicious snacks with a couple of friends.

Attractions for kids

Souq Waqif has a lot of activities that kids can enjoy doing. For starters, children can go on a pony, horse or camel ride. A beautiful royal carriage ride is also available for an affordable rate of just QAR 10 for two rounds. Parents can accompany their offspring as well. There’s also a joyful train ride that takes kids around the souq. Apart from these fun activities, you can also indulge in some happy spending and gift your kids with some helium balloons that are sold around the souq. Shops also sell a lot of soft toys and other toys for really attractive prices.

Decorations

The handicraft center in Souq Waqif showcases a variety of goods for sale, including antiquities, hand-woven baskets, embroidered pillows, carpets, clay pots and vases, as well as offering customizable alternatives for the majority of the goods. They provide a distinctive variety at reasonable prices that are also open to bargaining. Attractive lamps are also available that will absolutely light up your living rooms!

Traditional Attire

Souq Waqif is a reservoir of Qatari traditional attires and the cherry on top are the extremely affordable prices. In Qatar men generally wear Thobe - a white long shirt that runs up to the ankles along with a square piece of head covering - usually white or white and red checkered called the Guthra. The Guthra is held in place by a twice-looped coil called the Igal. The women of Qatar generally wear an Abaya, which is a long black cloak that is worn over clothing. Some ladies generally wear a maxi dress called a Djelabia under their abaya. They cover their hair with a scarf called the hijab.

Be it a Thobe, Guthra, Igal, Abaya, Djelabiya, or Hijab, clothing shops sprawl the souq alleys and you can find the best fashion option for each. Tafaneen, Al Zahra Abayat Company, Al Bazaz for tailor and textiles, and Abayath Marwa are a few shops to name.

On the go

1) Food

If you wish to try some Qatari cuisine while on the go, there is an open square brimming with live food stations serving fresh food made by local women. The portions are generous and the prices start at QAR 10 only! They sell a variety of local dishes including but not limited to Biryani (Spiced rice with meat/chicken), Harees (cracked wheat mixed with meat), Margoga (small pieces of bread mixed with sauce and cooked vegetables), Madroba (mixture of boneless chicken, coriander leaves, lentils, and Qatari spices), Luqimaat (Fried dough balls that covered with honey to give them sugary flavor), and Khubz Regag (Crepe-like breads).

2) Henna Tattoos

Get yourself a temporary souvenir, apply henna tattoo made by on-site artists - generally local women, seated along the edges of the souq’s alleyways. Prices begin from QAR 10 and range up to QAR 25 depending on the intricacy of the henna design chosen from their catalogs.

3) Selfies with FIFA WC installations

Like most places in Qatar, Souq too is currently adorned with new and magnificent FIFA WC installations. Themed to suit the traditional market, these are animals - Oryx, Camel and Horses - in the official colors of the 2022 WC. Clicking selfies with these along the backdrop of Souq would be a wonderful memoir.

Souq Waqif Art Center

The Souq Waqif Art Center is an iconic gallery that displays some really beautiful artworks from local and regional artists—all inspired by Middle Eastern and Islamic heritage. Enter the gallery and you are sure to be taken in by the stunning Turkish lamps hanging from the traditional ceiling beams. The long passageway gives you ample chance to look at the paintings and artworks on display. Right from canvas portraits to still-life paintings and unique calligraphy artworks, the art gallery is sure to impress you with its sheer vibrance and innovation. If you’re lucky, you can even catch an artist in action as they work on their craft.

Perfume souq

A visit to the Souq definitely cannot go without shopping from the myriad perfume shops that sell oudh, attar, loban (frankincense) and bukhoor. With a fragrance for every budget, the scents are something you can always carry back home as a souvenir or as a gift for a loved one. Visit any of the local perfume shops hidden in the Souq’s alleyways, such as the Yasmeen Perfumes, Al-Sharkia Perfume, Perfume Sami, Al Haramain Perfumes and so many others. Most stores even sell oud/bukhoor burners so you can get that as well along with your bukhoor purchases.

For the more premium-priced perfumes, you can head to the new Perfume Souq, tucked inside an indoor courtyard right in the middle of the handicraft bazaar. Head inside the handicraft bazaar and be sure to find a door that leads right here, or simply ask any of the local vendors. Entering the courtyard is sure to tantalize you with a heavenly whiff of aromas as each shop burns their own signature bukhoor to lure you in their shop. Not only can you get upscale fragrances for homes, but even perfume for the hair and clothes as well. Brands like Barzan Perfumes, Future Perfumes and Oudh, AbuTurky Oudh and Dehen Oud, and others are sure to leave you mesmerized with their fragrances.