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Nation |
Sunday, March 31, 2013 07
The page title ‘Liwan’ (
) is a traditional Qatari room facing north. It is the coldest part of the house where the Qataris used to receive guests.
It is of great value
for those interested in
the local history and
culture, so we went
to the festival,
looking to connect
with some of these
cultural manifestations.
Several people
engaged in showcasing
different aspects of the
country’s heritage
provided insightful
observations on it.
BEHIND THE SCENES
AT HALAL QATAR 2013
RAMY SALAMA
DOHA
THE second edition of the
annual Halal Qatar Festival,
now on at Katara, while primarily
revolving around the
breeding of livestock, also comes as
an excellent opportunity to showcase
a wider variety of activities and
products from Qatar’s heritage.
It is of great value for those interested
in the local history and culture,
so we went to the festival,
looking to connect with some of
these cultural manifestations.
Several people engaged in showcasing
different aspects of the
country’s heritage provided
insightful observations on it.
Abdullah al Kuwari is an authority
on the breeding of goats and
sheep. An old gentleman, he is a
consultant of sorts in the field.
Underlining the important role
these animals have played in the
history of Qatar, he said “Halal is
our word for these animals, goats
and sheep, and they’ve been with
us from time immemorial, and to
this day they continue to be important
in our lives.
“The Bedouins raised them for
their wool, their milk, from which
they made butter and other food
substances, as well as their meat.
Many of the breeds may have been
imported from overseas, but
they’ve lived here for a long time,
perhaps hundreds of years. They
were spread throughout the GCC
by these Bedouins, and there has
been a strong connection between
them and the people throughout
this region.”
He referred to the changes in
methods of rearing the animals,
noting that “back in the olden days,
the animals were, of course, reared
in the desert, close to oases where
they could graze. Nowadays, they
are reared in pens, or in barn-like
enclosures.
“It’s not as easy as some might
think. One would need to spend
years learning about raising the
animals, and understanding them,
I suppose, and would then be able
to raise them well. One would then
know that the animals need to
graze, what kind of things they eat,
and even be able to tell whether
they were well or ill based on their
behaviour.”
Abdullah enumerated the different
kinds of animals (many of which
are on display at Halal Qatar), and
described some of the characteristics
of each, adding that “there are
goats here, and sheep. The goats are
of different breeds including Shami
(or Damascene), Assihiyah, Persian,
Alkamori, Al Aaridhi, and Rabhi, or
Omani goats.
“The Shami goats originated in
Al Sham (or the Levant countries
including Syria, Lebanon and
Cyprus) and are large, and have
thick, dark hair, and long ears.
Assihiyahs, in contrast, are hairless,
and come in many different
colours, including black, white and
also red. These are very common in
the south of the Arabian Peninsula,
such as in Oman.
“Persian goats are small and covered
with thick hair, and they live
in the mountains, in Iraq and Iran.
They are well-known for the quality
of their hair, which can be woven
into fabric. Alkamori originated in
India, but are comfortable in hot,
humid climates, and produce a lot
of milk.
“Aaridhi goats are well known in
Qatar for being tough, and capable
of withstanding the fluctuations of
a desert climate. They tend to be
black, produce lots of milk, and
have long, straight hair that can
also be used for making textiles.
Rahbi goats come from Oman, and
come in a range of colours, from
light brown to black. These are
known for being quite fleshy.”
He continued, “Arab sheep are
the most common here, are big in
size, and come in a variety of
colours. They do not have horns,
but produce lots of milk.
Al Harya sheep originated in the
Arabian peninsula, and are usually
pale in colour, and are known to
yield lots of meat. Najdi sheep are
also popular here, and are thought
to have originated in the Peninsula.
They are usually black, with a white
head. They have a lot of endurance,
and produce a lot of milk.
“There are two breeds of sheep
from Africa that we have here, one
is known as Al Bershen, are white
with specks of black or brown, and
produce plenty of milk. The other is
Arfidya, sometimes called Tamtam,
and are small and hornless. Syrian
sheep have a lot of soft wool, and
produce a lot of milk, and are more
common in the Northern Arabian
Peninsula.”
Abdullah al Haddad was making
bird traps out of wood, a skill
he learned when he was a child.
He began by discussing the bird
traps, and made an important
observation about events such as
(PHOTOS BY HANSON K JOSEPH)
Halal Qatar.
“This is a traditional bird trap.
When it rains, in the winter, a lot
of birds tend to migrate to Qatar,
and stay until spring. Back then,
people would hunt these birds, as
a hobby, and the majority of
Qataris, if they are old enough,
would have a recollection of using
traps just like these.
“When these people walk by,
and see me making these traps,
they are nostalgic, it brings back
fond memories of their childhood,
when they used to use this contraption.
Some stop and talk to me
about the old days, and relate a
story they remember from their
younger days. It makes them
happy, thinking of the good old
days, so I am enjoying being here
and working on these traps,”
Abdullah said.
Umm Abdallah was engaged in
weaving palm fronds at a booth, as
she does daily. She said that “I
learned to weave palms like this
when I was ten years old, as a
hobby. I have been doing it for
many years, and make baskets,
and other things, as you can see
here. I learned it from my mother
and grandmother, and my aunts
also weaved palms like this.”
Daily performances of ‘ardha,
Qatar’s best-known dance, are
performed during Halal Qatar.
Ba’eij Khalifa is one of the performers
of the ‘ardha, with the
lulua (or Pearl) ensemble. He has
been performing the dance for
over 25 years.
He expressed his joy at being a
part of the festival, and his high
regard for his heritage, stating
that “heritage is the original identity.
As you can see, there are so
many people here! This, I think, is
because people have a fondness
for, an attachment to their history,
and their heritage, which is our
origin and identity.
Discussing ‘ardha in particular,
Khalifa added “Thanks be to God
that ‘ardha is being well maintained
here in Qatar, and you
could say it is our national dance.
The proof of this is that every year,
there are contests for old and
young, even children know the
‘ardha. When people who are not
familiar with this dance see it, or
visitors from overseas, they are
always curious, and they ask us
about it. And we tell them that the
‘ardha is performed at official, formal
events, and weddings. We are
proud of this facet of our heritage.”
For events and press releases contact Ramy Salama by email at qatar.editor@gmail.com or call (974) 44422077.