Doha stopover: what to see in the Qatari capital – falcons and world-class museums – what to eat and things to do, such as paddle boarding
- Doha in Qatar offers a trove of Middle Eastern culture, from its falconry and souks to museums featuring Islamic art and local artefacts
- A single woman shares her experience of a two-night stopover in the city, sampling the food and soaking up its ancient-meets-modern culture
Rows of falcons perch on railings, the eye-covering leather hoods around their heads giving the birds the look of blind medieval knights with talons instead of swords.
Except for a few black-covered wives accompanying their husbands, I am the only woman here, but when I enter one of the shops during feeding time and ask if I can photograph the falcons, both the storekeepers and customers are surprisingly accommodating.
Brightly coloured leashes, falconry gloves and short pedestals line the shop’s perimeter.
In the middle, rows of short, narrow walls covered with bright green strips of AstroTurf stand in a giant sandpit and act as perches for a dozen tethered falcons.
A man in a long, sand-coloured thobe brings in a white dish of raw chicken legs, which he hand-feeds to the birds. They anchor their meal with their talons and tuck in.