Al Souq

The souq is the traditional shop/market of the Mideast. There is a big souq in Doha built where a fort was.


The souq has many, many little stores inside. There are a lot of pathways, and it’s easy to get lost and turned around. The alley ways go in all directions and feed into the main street on the inside or to the road on the outside.


In the shops there are all sorts of things for sale, like swords, Iraqi money, clothes, and food. There are also various restaurants. Phonographs are quite popular, for some reason.


Fancy decorations are available,


as are pictures and other random things,


not to mention a boat or two.


Instead of shopping carts, there are old men with wheelbarrows who will cart around your stuff for you.


Close to this souq is the old souq, which has the pigeon masque outside of it.


There are a lot of pigeons.


Across the road from this there are the gold souqs. There are at least ten of these all bunched together.


The souqs are fun to walk around and look. It’s good because there are touristy things to buy (like little magic genie lamps, post cards, pictures, etc.) but also real things that natives buy (food, clothes, pots and pans, etc). You get a good mix of enough foreigners so you can get by in English, but also enough natives so not everyone speaks English and you have an authentic feel.