Qatar National Day (Week) Schedules!
Found this in today’s Peninsula. Could not find a copy online, nor on the official website, so pardon the poor quality of the photograph of the schedule directly from today’s Peninsula:
Doha Gets a Drenching
A wonderful day, a day that started with a downpour, and never cleared up the whole day, with intermittent showers continuing to give the soil the moisture it so desperately needs. I love the thought of Doha getting a good wash with Qatar National Day being celebrated this entire week. 🙂
Some Rainy Day photos from Doha:
For my Kuwait friends – you are WELCOME, see! There is even an Al Kout coffee shop!
Snug and warm having breakfast at Tagine:
Rain Drenches Doha
No, rain is not lashing Doha, but we woke up this morning to a God-bless drenching of Doha. I know my friends in the great Pacific Northwest will not get it – but rain here is rare, and wonderful. Just seeing the rain dropping heavily on the streets, the children running around screeching for joy – oh, what fun!
The laborers are all bundled up as if it is the middle of a snowstorm in Chicago – two sit shivering under an umbrella while one brave man continues sweeping:
I have to run around checking all the windows. Fortunately, today the rain is coming straight down, but when the rain is truly “lashing” Doha, our windows are not so good at being watertight, and I have a supply of old towels I use to sop up the excess which burbles inside:
A wonderful, wet Friday, a great day for a drenching when people don’t have to get to work and can stay safely inside. Because Doha doesn’t often get drenched, the drainage systems don’t work well, and parts of streets are flooded.
Qatar National Day Locations
I am guessing that this map from the National Day Event Organizing Committee shows the locations of events which will take place on the actual National Day, December 18. I found it on their website.
The weather is great, and this is a cultural spectacle. Go, take your camera, for a day you will never forget.
By the way, if you look closely, it appears that a good part of the Corniche will be exclusively a pedestrian zone on Saturday, December 18. You might want to plan your travels accordingly. 🙂
Qatar Horse Race and Camel Dressage
This is one of the coolest times of the year, with totally amazing heritage events – why is it so hard to find this information?
There is a Qatar National Day website you can get to by clicking on the blue type. It is beautiful, and it tells the history of Qatar / national day and it is in both Arabic and English.
When you click on events . . . it says “coming soon”
I found the below by clicking on “news” . . . stay tuned! At least we know it will happen on December 12th!
THE STATE NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (SNDCOC) ANNOUNCES MASSEELA HORSE RACE & CAMEL DRESSAGE COMPETITIONS AT DARB-A-SAAI
Doha, Qatar – 6 December 2009: Two traditional Qatari sports events – the Masseela Horse Race and Purebred Arabian Camel Races – are being run on Sunday 12th December as part of Qatar National Day 2009 celebrations, race organizer the State
Qatar National Day Events to be Broadcast Live
According to today’s Gulf Times Qatar National Day Events will be carried live on television, Al Doha TV
National Day events to be telecast live
Al Doha TV, the official National Day television station, will be offering live broadcasts of National Day activities plus cultural, entertainment and documentary series through December 18.
Free-to-air Al Doha TV is an initiative of, and funded by, the State National Day Celebrations Organising Committee (SNDCOC), made its debut on December 18 last year, on the occasion of National Day.
Al Doha TV channel can be seen on Bader4 (Arabsat), Frequency: 12111mhz
Qatar celebrates its National Day on December 18 in commemoration of the historic day in 1878 when the country’s founder Sheikh Jasim, succeeded his father, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Thani, as a ruler and led the country toward unity.
The event is considered as an opportunity for all Qatari nationals and expatriates to recognise and celebrate what it means to live in modern day Qatar.
The 2009 schedule features programmes produced by Al Doha TV in its state-of-the-art production facilities or outsourced to renowned Qatari and international production companies.
Al Doha TV is to telecast documentaries which capture aspects of traditional and modern Qatari life.
‘Mosque Tales’ tells the history of Qatari mosques and reveals fascinating stories behind them. ‘Sport’ shows how the country is investing massively to create a culture of sporting participation amongst its citizens.
‘Destination Doha’ discovers how Qatar Tourism Authority attracts record numbers of business and vacation tourists by investing in hotels, museums, parks, new town and cultural attractions.
‘Health’ visits hospitals, health centres, and research centres to interview doctors and hospital managers and get the lowdown on the most up-to-date equipment and health techniques.
‘In Vision for Education’ depicts men and women who have the responsibility of graduating Qatar’s first generation of doctors, designers, and diplomats, and how the independent schools are helping raise standards and grades.
Qatar’s long-term economic prosperity is the focus of ‘Qatar Is Booming,’ a 60-minute documentary examining recent developments and future plans in Qatar’s energy, industry, commerce and agriculture sectors.
The complete list of National Day 2009 events and activities is available on the official website, http://www.ndqatar.com
Qatar National Day 2009 sponsors are the following:
Qtel (official sponsor)
QNB (official bank)
Barwa, Commercialbank, Qatari Diar (platinum sponsors)
Qatar Petroleum, Teyseer Group, United Development Company(gold sponsors)
Doha Bank, Ezdan, Qatar Airways, The Diplomatic Club (silver sponsors).
Doha unscathed by downturn: PM
He’s the prime minister. I guess I am wrong. I thought I saw a lot of constructions at a stand still. It looked to me like the population of laborers has dropped. People are slipping away, expat management level workers, being let go, heading home. There are some empty units on our highly-sought after compound. Few people at Villagio are carrying shopping bags; most of the bags leaving City Center appear to be Carrefour groceries or Home Center: on sale. Rents are dropping.
It looks to me like something is dragging on the Qatar economy, it looks to me like there may be some empty seats on flights in and out. But I must be wrong.
You can read the entire article by clicking on the blue type below, which will take you to the article in The Peninsula.
Doha unscathed by downturn: PM
Web posted at: 12/8/2009 2:8:12
Source ::: The Peninsula
By Nasser al Harthy
DOHA: The global economic downturn has not affected any of Qatar’s projects, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, said here yesterday.
Addressing the opening of the fourth edition of the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC), Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem said: “We, in Qatar have overcome the consequences of the crisis with minimum damages and that the crisis has not affected any of our projects being implemented, whether in the oil sector, gas sector or development and infrastructure projects undertaken by other state sectors.”
“We are moving forward with full determination to implement all our ambitious plans which focus on sustainable development in which oil, gas and industry play a basic role and constitute one of its strong pillars,” he added.
The Prime Minister noted that the world economy passed through a difficult period of recession last year leading to a sharp drop in oil and gas consumption in world markets and energy prices in general.
Compare Kuwait and Doha Weather
People are always asking me, “which do you like better, Doha or Kuwait?”
It’s apples and oranges. Kuwait is big city, with big city problems and big city shopping. Kuwait is just bigger, with faster roads. Doha is growing, solving a lot of problems Kuwait has still to face, but the two are so different that they just don’t compare. I like them both, for different reasons.
One of the things that is hard to get is that while they are so close, the weather is not the same. Kuwait gets hotter in the summer and colder in the winter.
Here is the forecast for the next five days:
Kuwait 5 day forecast December 8 - 12
Doha five day forecast December 8 - 12
Week of Celebrations For Qatar’s National Day
Wouldn’t you think these celebrations would want lots and lots of observers, helping celebrate? So . . . where and when is the camel dressage? (I really, REALLY want to see that!) Which day is the parade? When are the fireworks?
Announcements like this are tantalizing, and hard information often difficult to come by.
Gala planned for National Day
Web posted at: 12/7/2009 1:27:32
Source ::: The Peninsula
BY HUDA N V
DOHA: Qatar is set to celebrate National Day, which falls on December 18, on a grand scale this time. A series of exhilarating programmes have been lined up for the week-long celebrations starting six days ahead of the landmark date.
Beginning from December 12, various competitions, symposiums, parades and other events meant for family and children would mark the celebrations. The first day would witness two traditional Qatari sporting events — the Masseela Horse Race and Pure bred Arabian Camel Race.
Highlighting the country’s penchant for Arab horse racing and camel dressage, the National Day Masseela Horse Race will take place at the Darb-a-Saai Camp in Rawda Umm Rouman (Al Rayyan).
The horse race will be organised in the traditional Qatari way, whereby pairs of riders will challenge each other in a test of courage with the winning rider advancing to the next round.
The Masseela Horse Race, featuring both Arabian horses and Qatari riders dressed in the traditional attire of the ancestors is an apt way to introduce the young generation to the traditions of their ancestors.
Arabian camels from Qatar’s leading stables will compete in two contests — camel dressage and ‘Best Behaved Camel’. In the dressage, a camel has to complete a routine within a specific time and it is to be judged on the way it has been dressed up.
The ‘Best Behaved Camel’ competition will judge a camel on its ability to overcome obstacles and distractions such as water and food. Other events include a poetry competition for Qatari men and women focusing on their recitation skills. Various Qatari tribes will also showcase the traditional sword dance — Ardha — accompanied by music composition using traditional musical instruments. A symposium will also be held on the occasion.
Al Dawha satellite Channel, which was launched during the National Day in 2008, will be on air again this time with documentaries highlighting the progress, history and culture of the nation. On day, the Corniche will witness a huge military parade and a colourful rally. The 5km stretch of will be bejewelled in light. The grand finale of the week-long celebrations would be marked by a spectacular pyrotechnic.
Qatar University will also celebrate the occasion. Over 500 students have signed up for various activities to be held on December 16. A huge parade showcasing the history of Qatar, the visions of various rulers right from the first to Qatar Vision 2030, some of the greatest events in Qatar such as the Asian Games and the Qatar’s World Cup bid 2022 will also take place.
“Rain Lashes Doha!”
After lunch and a good visit, my friends were leaving. Sauntering to the car, the very few small raindrops didn’t even touch us, but we were exhilarated by the joy of these first drops, the first we had seen after long, dry months.
“Rain lashes Doha!” one of the quipped, parodying the local press, exaggerating the tiny things while leaving out major crimes. They danced toward their cars, yes, it’s a western compound and once in a while you might find one or two of us dancing in the street, we wild women of the West.
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