Qatar

C

Way of Life

Traditional values tend to shape the average Qatari person’s social and cultural life, which remains strongly centered on the family. The father has the dominant role in the family. The place of women is still overwhelmingly the home, but with the government’s active encouragement, women are increasingly entering government and private business employment. Unlike in neighboring Saudi Arabia, gender segregation in the workplace is not strictly enforced in Qatar.

Qataris have used their oil-derived incomes to build new houses with modern amenities, purchase automobiles, and travel overseas. Dress remains largely traditional. In the hot season men wear a loose-fitting cotton cloak called a dishdasha, over which, in cooler weather, they don a bisht, or woolen cloak. Qatari women wear a loose, concealing garment called an abaya, and are frequently seen veiled or wearing a beak-like leather mask called a burka over the face. The Qatari diet features lamb, rice, and local fish. Coffee is not merely a beverage but an important focus of ceremonial and social life as well. Most social recreation is in the home, although increasingly Qataris enjoy eating out and driving in the desert interior. South Asians and other expatriates maintain their own distinctive lifestyles. There are no major tensions between ethnic groups, nor between Sunni and Shia Muslims. The crime rate in Qatar is extremely low and poverty is almost unknown.

D

Culture

Qatari craftspeople are traditionally known for their jewelry, embroidered clothing, and camel saddles. Graceful Arabian sailboats called dhows are perhaps the best local example of artistic beauty combined with practical purpose. Qatari men perform traditional Bedouin dances on special occasions, such as weddings, and in exhibitions. The country’s theaters and television stations present dramas and other productions. Qatari authors write on themes of local interest, such as the clash of tradition and modernization, and are also known for political and social satires.

The Qatar National Museum (founded in 1975), housed in the palace of a former emir at the eastern end of Doha, presents exhibits on the peninsula’s geology and archaeology and displays of artifacts that illustrate the traditional Qatari lifestyle. Also in Doha, an ethnographic museum in the restored Wind Tower House (built in 1935) demonstrates how traditional Qatari houses were ventilated and cooled before electricity and provides a view of life before the oil era.

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IV

Economy

Although foreign investment is encouraged and many small businesses exist, the Qatari government dominates the economy. Like most of its neighbors, Qatar used its oil wealth to fuel rapid growth and development, relying overwhelmingly on imported labor and expertise. However, with its small oil reserves and vast natural gas deposits, Qatar began to emphasize gas extraction and processing, as well as other industrial ventures, starting in the late 1980s. The increased industrialization helped Qatar weather periodic downturns in world oil prices. In 2005 Qatar’s gross domestic product (GDP) totaled $42.5 billion and its GDP per capita was $52,239.70.

More than 90 percent of Qatar’s labor force is of foreign origin, reflecting the lack of indigenous skills and training necessary for the operation of the country’s economy. The government promotes the placement of more Qatari citizens in the workforce, but the economy remains heavily dependent on foreign workers.

A

Industry

The industrial sector—including mining, manufacturing, construction, and power generation—produces about half of Qatar’s GDP and employs 38 percent of the country’s labor force. Petroleum accounts for much of industry’s share of GDP, but the government has encouraged diversification of the sector. Consequently, numerous new enterprises were established in the late 20th century, including a petrochemical plant, a fertilizer factory, steel and aluminum smelters, a flour mill, and a cement plant. Qatar’s gas and oil reserves power thermal generators that produce enough electricity to meet all of the country’s needs.

B

Services and Agriculture

Services—including government employment, trade, finance, and tourism—make up about half of the GDP and employ 59 percent of the workforce. The government promotes tourism in Qatar, and several luxury hotels have been constructed since the 1990s. In 2005, 913,000 tourists visited the country. Qatar opened an official stock exchange in 1997.

Qatari farmers cultivate dates, cereals, and vegetables and raise livestock, including camels, goats, and sheep. Agriculture contributes little to the country’s GDP, but the government has subsidized farms and greenhouses in an ambitious goal of making Qatar self-sufficient in food production. While that goal has yet to be accomplished, most of the vegetables, fish, and milk consumed in Qatar are produced domestically.

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