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Culture Of Qatar
Qatar’s culture is similar to that of other eastern Arab countries and is strongly influenced by Islam. Qatar’s National Day, celebrated annually on 18 December, has played an important role in developing a sense of national identity. It is celebrated in commemoration of the succession to the throne of Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani and the subsequent unification of the country’s various tribes. Since 1 July 2008, Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari has been the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage in Qatar.
Art And Museums In Qatar
Several prominent members of the Al Thani family, which rules Qatar, are major collectors of Islamic and contemporary art.
Opened in 2008, the Museum of Islamic Art is considered one of the best museums in the region. This museum, along with several other Qatari museums such as the Arab Museum of Modern Art, is under the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), which is headed by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, sister of the ruling Emir of the State of Qatar, and the eminent collector and patron Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed Al Thani. The QMA also sponsors art events abroad, such as the major exhibitions of Takahashi Murakami in Versailles (2010) and Damien Hirst in London (2012).
Qatar is the world’s largest buyer in the art market by value. The Qatari cultural sector is developing to enable the country to gain global recognition, to contribute to the development of a country that derives its resources mainly from the gas industry.
Media In Qatar
Qatar’s media was classified as “not free” in Freedom House’s 2014 press freedom report. Television broadcasting in Qatar began in 1970. Al Jazeera is a major television station headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera was originally launched in 1996 as an eponymous Arabic satellite news and current affairs television channel, but has since evolved into a global network of several specialised television stations collectively known as the Al Jazeera Media Network.
It has been reported that journalists practice self-censorship, especially against the government and the ruling family of Qatar. It is illegal to criticise the government, the Emir and the ruling family in the media. According to Article 46 of the Press Law, “the Emir of the State of Qatar may not be criticised and no statement may be attributed to him without the written permission of the director of his office”. Journalists are also liable to prosecution for insulting Islam.
In 2014, a law on the prevention of cybercrime was passed. This law would restrict press freedom and provides for imprisonment and fines for common reasons such as endangering local peace or publishing false news. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights described the law as a threat to freedom of expression and called for the repeal of some articles of the law.
The news media has expanded in recent years. There are currently seven newspapers circulating in Qatar, four of which are in Arabic and three in English. There are also newspapers from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka whose editions are printed from Qatar.
In terms of telecommunications infrastructure, Qatar ranks first in the Middle East in the World Economic Forum’s Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator used to determine a country’s level of development in information and communications technology. Qatar ranks 23rd in the NRI 2014, unchanged from 2013.
Music In Qatar
The music of Qatar is based on Bedouin poetry, song and dance. Traditional dances are performed in Doha on Friday afternoons; one of these dances is the ardah, a stylised martial dance performed by two rows of dancers accompanied by a range of percussion instruments, including al-ras (a large drum whose leather is heated by an open fire), tambourines and cymbals with small drums. Other percussion instruments used in folk music include galahs (a large clay vessel) and drinking cups made of tin called tus or tasat, which are usually used in conjunction with a tabl, an elongated drum beaten with a stick. Stringed instruments such as the oud and the rebaba are also commonly used.
Sport In Qatar
Football is the most popular sport in Qatar, both in terms of the number of players and spectators. Qatar’s U-20 national team finished runners-up at the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship after losing 4-0 to West Germany in the final. In January 2011, Qatar hosted the 15th Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup. It was the second time Qatar hosted the tournament, the other being the 1988 edition.
On 2 December 2010, Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup? despite never having qualified for the World Cup finals. The local organisers plan to build 9 new stadiums and expand 3 existing stadiums for the event. Qatar’s winning bid for the 2022 World Cup was greeted with enthusiasm in the Persian Gulf region, as it was the first time a Middle Eastern country had been chosen to host the event. However, the bid was the subject of much controversy, including allegations of corruption and interference in the investigation of corruption allegations. European football federations also opposed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for a number of reasons ranging from the impact of hot temperatures on the physical condition of players to the disruption to the calendar of European national leagues if the event was moved to winter. In May 2014, Qatari football official Mohammed bin Hammam was accused of making payments totalling £3 million to officials to support the Qatari bid. However, a FIFA investigation into the bidding process in November 2014 cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing.
The Guardian, a national British daily newspaper, produced a short documentary entitled “Abuse and exploitation of migrant workers in emirate’s preparations for 2022”. A 2014 Guardian investigation reported that migrant workers who built luxurious offices for the 2022 World Cup organisers had not been paid for more than a year and that they were “now working illegally in cockroach-infested accommodation”. In 2014, a Nepalese migrant involved in the construction of infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup died every two days. The Qatar 2022 organising committee responded to the various allegations by saying that hosting the World Cup in Qatar would act as a “catalyst for change” in the region.
Although football is the most popular sport, other team sports have also achieved notable success at senior level. In 2015, the national handball team finished runner-up in the Men’s Handball World Cup behind France, who hosted the tournament, but the tournament was marked by many controversies about the host country and its team. In addition, Qatar won the men’s 3×3 Basketball World Cup in 2014.
The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha hosted the WTA Tour Women’s Tennis Championships between 2008 and 2010. Every year, Doha hosts the WTA Premier Women’s Open tournament in Qatar. Since 2002, Qatar has hosted the annual Tour of Qatar, a six-stage cycling race. Every year in February, riders compete for six days on the roads of Qatar. Each stage covers a distance of more than 100 km, with the time trial usually being shorter. The Tour of Qatar is organised by the Qatar Cycling Federation for professional riders in the elite men’s category.
The Qatari army parachuting team has several different parachuting disciplines that are among the best in the world. The Qatar National Parachuting Team performs every year on Qatar National Day and at other major events, such as the 2015 Handball World Cup.
Horse Racing
Do you realize that the history of the nation leading up to freedom has a crucial role for Arabian horses? Bedouins under the command of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani engaged the Ottoman Empire in war in 1893 and defeated them with the help of their priceless horses, paving the way for Qatar’s freedom. At the scene of this Al Shaqab conflict, His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani commissioned the establishment of an Arabian horse breeding facility and gave it the name Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre in 1992. This cutting-edge equestrian facility’s mission is to uphold the historical history and culture of Arabian horses, who are revered in this nation.
Since ancient times, when Bedouins bred and trained horses to compete with horses belonging to other tribes in the region, Qatar has been a pioneer in the breeding of Arabian horses. The country also has a long history of enjoying horse racing as a traditional sport. The tribes took great pride and honor in these victories, and the Arabian thoroughbred horses from this region were among the best in the world—and still are.
However, it wasn’t until 1975—the year the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club went public—that horseback riding in Qatar received more notoriety and became a popular sport. This Club is tasked with organizing Arabian horse shows, promoting Thoroughbred and Purebred Arabian horse racing on a local and worldwide level, and encouraging horse owners to raise and compete the best horses to increase horse production.
Camel Racing
Without the camels that previously served as a mode of transportation for the Bedouins of Qatar and provided milk and food as well, the desert landscape of Qatar and the Arabian Peninsula would not be complete. They eventually started offering camel racing as a sort of entertainment.
In the region where it was a part of the festivities, camel racing actually got its start as a wedding custom. People travel from all over the region to take part in or watch camel racing at the Al Shahaniya Camel Race Track today, making it a lucrative sport worth millions. After camel racing became a popular sport in Qatar in 1973 with the inaugural race with 300 camels, Al Shahaniya was founded in 1972. Every Friday from October to February, local and international tournaments are held here. Major camel racing competitions, such HH the Amir’s Main Race, are held in March and April.
The employment of juvenile jockeys was once permitted, but Qatar prohibited it in 2004 and instead introduced robot jockeys that the owner or handler of the camel could control remotely. They are frequently seen riding the camels while dressed in various colors to make the camels stand out from one another and for fun.
Falconry
The national bird of Qatar and a representation of both its past and present are falcons. Depending on their breed and variety, falcons raised in Qatar may fetch prices in the hundreds of thousands.
In Qatar, falconry has been practiced as a sport since the days of the Bedouin tribes. Due to their perseverance, independence, fortitude, bravery, and, of course, the fact that they are among the quickest predatory birds in the world, falcons were trained at that time to hunt migratory birds for sustenance.
The elite in Qatar, who spend thousands on rearing these birds of prey, adorning them with extravagant headgear, and training them for falconry tournaments held even today in the winter, made falconry popular once it became a sporting activity of choice rather than a necessity to hunt for sustenance. People travel from all over the region and the world to either take part in this prestigious sport or to witness the falcons in flight and be in awe of how they maneuver through the skies.
The falcons have their own hospital and souq at Souq Waqif, where visitors can see them in all their splendor perched on the arms of their owners or on display for sale.
Football
Qatar has made significant investments in football in recent years, creating a national team that is competitive with other international teams, particularly in the Gulf region. The national squad of Qatar won the AFC Championships in 2019 by defeating the UAE.
The national sport and most played sport in Qatar is football. It’s so common that adults and kids can hardly be found in Qatar without a football in their hands or at their feet.
Qatar won the bid in a historic event in 2010, becoming the first Arab nation to host the FIFA World Cup. Since then, efforts have been made to guarantee that spectators from all over the world enjoy the competition in all its splendor and experience Qatar’s renowned hospitality. To accommodate the millions of fans who will visit Qatar, the infrastructure of the nation has been modernized. Stadiums have been built with sustainability and other considerations in mind, and new attractions are on the horizon to keep the supporters entertained.
Volleyball
Since the Qatar Volleyball Association was founded in 1962 to promote the sport, which took on its new and better form in 1979, volleyball has been a part of Qatar’s sporting landscape. Since then, the sport has flourished, with men’s and women’s volleyball teams competing both at the regional and international levels.
Beach volleyball is another well-liked sport. In 2019, Qatar hosted the inaugural ANOC Beach Games, where the Qatari beach volleyball team defeated the United States to win the silver medal.
Tennis
Professional tennis gradually grew in popularity in Qatar after a modest beginning. The Qatar Tennis Federation was founded in 1984 to advance the sport’s exposure and popularity.
The main sports clubs in Qatar began playing tennis in 1987, and by the end of 1991, the cutting-edge Khalifa International Tennis Complex was finished and opened. In January 1993, the first men’s ATP Qatar Open was held, and the rest is history.
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