The Souk in Doha .....

This is back in Doha again (after Oman & Dubai) but these pictures are still about 10 days late! The Old Souk as it is called is made up of tiny shops lining the streets. When you enter the souk you will be hit by the noise and the hustle-bustle of customers haggling with their sellers. It reminded me of going into Mexico from Yuma, AZ & buying from the shops there - a person also can "barter" prices there. We stopped here to have a bite to eat & we had these absolutely delicious crepes baked right here on the street. You can barely see the woman making the crepes - way over on the right side - as she is clothed all in black & has the full veil on her face. She has 2 irons for the crepes & breaks an egg over the crepes. When they are cooked, she spreads the mayo type spread on it, then puts the 2 crepes together & that's what you get. It was sooooo good!!

Here we are eating the crepe. Jenn's friend from work, Jameson, went with us. We started with one crepe & after everyone had a taste, we had to buy 2 more!! We all liked it.

We saw at least 2 shops that sold falcons. For thousand of years, falconry has been associated with nobility and wealth and it is thought to have been originated in Iran in 3000 BCE. Throughout history, images of kings and sultans can be seen with birds on their arms as they ride out to hunt. However, in Arabia the bird was also used as a practical hunting tool by the nomadic Bedouin. In the harsh desert environment, the keen eyed falcon could see for long distances, and was an excellent way of augmenting a meagre diet with meat. The use of falconry is mentioned in the Koran.

This gentleman was weaving a rug in one of the shops we were at and he graciously allowed us to take pictures. Some of the proprietors did not want us to take pictures & would let you know! He is barely started on this rug but he had many finished ones in his shop for sale. It takes so long to make one rug that I'm sure this is set up just for the tourists!