Brazilian fans wearing customised ghutras.
Doha: It’s a common sight to see nowadays — a football fan wearing a customised ghutra (headdress) with the colours of the country they are supporting, one of many ways visitors are embracing host nation’s culture.
Ghutra has been a huge hit with fans visiting the country for the first time.
Ghutra is a traditional headdress worn by Qatari men, usually made with white cloth.
Benjamin from Argentina bought a ghutra from the shop ‘Ghutra Mundo’ located at Souq Waqif metro station. “I bought this because I wanted to feel how it’s like to wear one. Surprisingly, it’s very light and comfortable, it’s also perfect because the weather is getting cooler.”
Wearing the Brazilian ghutra, according to Jerry from the US, is another way for him to support his favourite team on a different level.
Ghutra Mundo owner and founder, Khalifa Abdulhakim Al Naimi said their aim since they opened this months was “to teach the fans and people from all around the world coming to Doha a bit of the Qatari culture which is the ghutra, egal and the thobe. But mostly the ghutra and egal honestly because that’s the easier part to get; thob is like a dress, so people will find it quite hard to wear.”
For the purpose of keeping the ghutra in place on the wearer’s head, egal, the black cord, is often worn on top of ghutra. “We are called Ghutra Mundo. Mundo means world in Spanish, so ghutra for the world,” explained Al Naimi.
He said customised ghutras and thobes with Mexico and Brazil colours are the most popular with fans.
On the customers’ response, Al Naimi said: “People love it, as you can see, everyone’s asking, everyone’s getting it. Fans get a bit of both because they can get to cheer for their teams because it’s the flag, and they get to experience the Qatari culture.”
Al Naimi said that despite all the unfavourable media campaigns Qatar has been subjected to since it was chosen to host the World Cup, people should visit the nation. “Come here, experience Qatar. Qatari people are hospitable and very welcoming, and we want you to take a little bit of our culture with you.” Ghutra Mundo collections include ghutras egals, thobes. Ghutra and egal with flag prints cost QR99, while a thob designed with a country’s colours costs QR149.
Currently, the shop has branches at four metro stations: National Museum, Al Wakra, Corniche and Katara, as well as at Msheireb Galleria and Doha Port.
