A perfume shop at the Souq Al Wakrah. Pictures: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
As the cold weather is approaching, activities at the Souq Al Wakrah are slowly flourishing. The change in the weather and opening of the beach has helped the area and it has been seen as an ideal destination for people who want to get away from the busy streets of Doha.
Other attractions for visitors at the Souq Al Wakrah includes the ambience of the area, ample parking space, choice of restaurants, the bird market and a chance for shopping.
It has become a new attraction for beachgoers. “Souq Al Wakrah is different from any other place. The atmosphere is very calm and the beach is very clean. It’s not far from Doha, so we come here often. Children will have a swim and we have dinner at any of the restaurants,” said Umm Malik, a mother of three young children.
The family beach at the Souq Al Wakrah has other facilities such as changing rooms and surveillance of life guards.
The beach has attracted major events this year, including the Spring Festival. The restaurants oversee the beach area serves visitors perfectly to enjoy the weather.
“We get more visitors during the weekends and after the opening of the beach more people are coming. Number of customers has also increased after the Spring Festival , because many people had an experience of the place during the festival,” said a restaurant employee.
Many small shops in the complex resemble traditional Qatari buildings with walls built with a mud coating and traditional big wooden doors and lanterns. The ceilings of the roofs are made of palm leaves.
With the temperatures falling, many other businesses at Souq Al Wakrah also expect more customers over the next few weeks.
“The place is busier during festivals and more customers come during the weekends compared to week days. We surely get more customers and higher sales during the winter season. We expect a good season this year,” said a shop keeper selling readymade garments.
“Some customers have got used to the place and they come regularly,” he added.
Another shop keeper selling Arabian perfume said, “Usually during the winter we get more customers. We have already seen more visitors in the past couple of weekends, hope it will increase in the coming weeks.”
Souq Al Wakrah, also houses a mosque with gates and walkway made of wood and a well symbolising the old lifestyle in Qatar. Its ample parking space makes it convenient for the visitors unlike other high end commercial complexes.
