Something kind of fun about eating in others countries is that not only can their cuisine be new and fun, but Qatar also has new and fun neighboring cuisines mixed in with their culture as well.
Damasca One Restaurant was just the cool place across from our Souq Waqif, Doha hotel, but I later realized that it was serving Syrian food.
Ernie's love of hummus has really taken flight on this trip. When ordering we were a bit out of our depth so we just took a few swings at items that sounded good. Lydia ordered:
"Fattet Hummus Bil Labban
Dried, fried, or toasted Arabic pita bread, soaked with chickpea stock, topped with yogurt and tahini dip, and garnished with nuts fried with ghee"
"Nakanek
Sausages stuffed with lamb cooked with ghee, garlic, lemon and green coriander served on a bed of potato cubes"
"Manakish are a popular Levantine (cooked here in the Damascene style) open-faced pastry well-appreciated as breakfast and all day street food." They had several flavors but I went with one that I was familiar with:
"Zaatar
Sesame and thyme blend with olive oil"
There was a much less populated area near the main market: the Falcon Souq. Everything being sold here was either a falcon or something to help falcons... do whatever it is that falcons do. Catch mice or something? The falcon is Qatar's national bird.
I don't know if these guys were for sale or if this was like a falcon kennel type place.
There was even a falcon hospital for the birds to go for tweetment.
We walked from the souq over to the Museum of Islamic Art. This part of the city was not the most pedestrian friendly but we saw a lot of cool stuff. Like this line of old school wooden boats.
Al-Andalus was the name for the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. I'm fascinated with the history of this time period and the mixing of cultures that took place. Our visit to Alhambra in Granada, Spain always comes to mind.
The museum had a tour in English so we tagged along for a bit.
The "Franchetti" Tapestry
Unsurprisingly the Museum of Islamic Art had Qur'ans all over the place.
"Royal Qur'an manuscript
Made for Shah Sulayman (r. 1077-1105 AH/ 1666-1694 CE)
Iran, Isfahan
Safavid period, dated 1094 AH (1683 CE)
Ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper"
This museum is the first time I think I realized that there is an Islamic calendar, called the Hijri calendar. Its years count up from when Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina. You can see its latin initials AH above, for Anno Hegirae.
Qur'ans for days.
I was excited to try the Doha Metro to learn a bit more about society here. It became operational in 2019 and I'm assuming it was pretty much built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"There are three types of train car used on the metro network: standard, goldclub, and family cars, which allow families and single women but not men." The number of countries that go out of their way to make families' lives easier to a greater extent than the United States is.. numerous.
There were still some lingering signs that we were riding the soccer train to soccer town. It might seem extreme to spend so much money on one event but I imagine it was quite a big deal for Qatar. "It was the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East and Persian Gulf countries, and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan."
We rode it to our most beloved of places: the mall.
The Mall of Qatar. How exciting.
Minus 5 points for allowing Chicago cuisine to taint the national mall. Sad.
A lot of malls in the Persian Gulf have plane chunks in them. It's a weird flex.
I try to give Lydia the culture of the world but sometimes all she wants to do is Grill & Chill at Dairy Queen.
I think the Qatari flag is really fun.
Msheireb Downtown Doha seems to be a hip new district. It's probably where I would want to live if I moved here.
There was a lot of evidence of support for Palestine.
We got some toys. The lion one we bought at a mall on our cruise, and the green one is from 1984 when I was a baby. I'm sure it contains all of the chemicals and vitamins a growing boy needs.
I'm not going to lie, I definitely choose to eat dinner at Saasna because it said "Qatari Restaurant" above the door and I wanted to make sure we got a good helping of local food in our bellies before we returned home.
I had the Goze Lamb with Saffron Rice.
Lydia got the Shrimp Majboos.
I had no choice but to order some Karak Chai, which is a lovely spiced tea with milk. I'd like to drink this every day. Through the window was very fun people watching while we ate. I'm especially interested in the local fancy women's fashion. They were often wearing the hijab but in very stylish and I have to assume boundary testing avant-garde ways. They often had really fancy/sparkly shoes as well. Maybe I should have taken some pictures of them but I didn't want to go to jail, so here we with only our crummy imaginations.
There was a fancy showing of 1996's Matilda happening just outside. This was extra fun because it was one of Lydia's favorite childhood movies. We stood and watched a bit of it before moving on. I got emotional at this point. I was here on the last night of our journey exploring the world with the people I care about most. It was also nice to know that despite all our cultural differences that the people of the world can bond over our shared admiration for Danny DeVito.
There was no way that I was going to have that powerful cinema experience and then pass up a random Arab World's Cinema Exhibition.
"Arab cinema has undergone a unique transformation in recent years, emerging as an influential and globally recognized industry. INTAJ 2023 serves as an opportunity to delve into the rise of the Arab world’s cinema through its past and current journeys. Through this exploration, we aim to shed light on the diverse narratives and the captivating cinematic experiences offered by Arab filmmakers.
The journey of cinema in the Arab world can be traced back to the early 20th century when filmmakers like Brothers Lama, Al Taher Hannash, Togo Mizrahi and Albert Samama-Chikli pioneered the industry in Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, and Algeria. Since then, cinema has experienced numerous challenges in the region, yet managed to flourish against all odds and witnessed significant progress during the Golden Age of cinema from the 1940s to the 1970s.
In recent years, cinema in the Arab world has broken free from conventional storytelling patterns and embraced a more diverse and experimental approach. The region has emerged as a hub for critically acclaimed films that have garnered attention at international film festivals, such as the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival, where many Arab filmmakers gained worldwide recognition, highlighting the rich cultural tapestry of the Arab world through their thought-provoking narratives. These films transcend language barriers, allowing global audiences to connect with the authentic human experiences depicted on screen.
By examining the rich history and current journey of challenging stereotypical representations—it is evident that Arab cinema has evolved into an influential force fostering empathy, cultural understanding, and appreciation worldwide.
Through INTAJ 2023, we pay tribute to the pioneers of Arab filmmaking, those who relentlessly dedicated their lives to telling the most compelling, poignant, and powerful stories despite the many obstacles and limitations they had to overcome. We hope to highlight the history and achievements of Arab cinema and offer the opportunity for our community to experience first-hand a unique exhibition of filmmaking over the past 100 years."
I thought the area devoted to Hollywood's 1963 Cleopatra was really fun. Here it wasn't about Arab cinema so much as the depiction of the Arab world through the lens of US cinema. I thought that was a fun angle.
Yes, we just bought a box of sweets from Halwa Al Saigal yesterday and we were back again to try another flavor. Don't judge me.
This time it was gummy. They weren't selling this in any smaller of a box and this was our last night in town. Such problems only trouble the weak of stomach and poor of spirit.
