Citizens of 80 countries – including China,
Singapore, Japan, India and Indonesia – will
now be able to enter Qatar visa-free and
stay for up to 60 days, the Qatari embassy
announced in August last year.
To give tourists a better understanding of
what to expect when visiting the country, the
Arab state has published a guide to Qatari
culture and traditions, such as pearl diving
and folk dancing.
Visitors can expect to see local falconers
and their birds hunt down the houbara bustard
- a bird that migrates south across Qatar –
during the winter hunting season, and discover
more about the oysters that grow in the waters
around the Qatar Peninsula, which is said
to produce some of the world’s finest pearls.
Today, locals no longer harvest these oysters
given the booming artificial pearl industry,
but in the past, pearl diving was a common
livelihood for Qataris.
Another cultural highlight is the arda, a
synchronised folk dance performed by men
at weddings to the beat of handheld drums.
Performers still carry swords and wear cross-
belts in a nod to its history as a war dance.
Visitors will also be treated to warm Qatari
hospitality in majlis – places set aside for
welcoming visitors with food and drink –
where they will be served kahwa, tiny cups
of coffee brewed with cardamom and served
from a quaint-looking coffee pot.
Visa-Free Entry to Qatar Now
Available for Citizens of 80 Countries
QATAR
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