The Great Mosque of Aleppo

Initially I didn’t intend to show pictures or write about mosque in my Syrian series anymore, but this morning, I heard the news that the Minaret of one of the great mosques has finally fallen down to rubble due to the civil war in Syria. I also saw a flash of picture on tv of something that used to be a well preserved and beautiful mosque.

So what is so important of this minaret anyway? Well, this is a small fact: it is the oldest part of the mosque that is prominent and noteworthy square 45 m² minaret. The Minaret’s earliest restoration dates to 1090 during the Seljuk dynasty. The Minaret boasted intricate bands of carved Kufic inscriptions along its length that alternate with bands of stylized ornaments in patterns and moqarnas

Here are some pictures that I managed to take in 2011, a memory from it’s hay day, just days before the war erupted.

The Minaret is located at the North East end of the Mosque as seen from the inner court of the mosque

The Great Mosque of Aleppo was also called Umayyad Mosque. It was also built during the Umayyad period in the Middle East, 10 years after the Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Originally this Great Mosque of Aleppo was built on the site of a former Roman temple and Byzantine cathedral built by St. Helen (mother of Constantine the Great). The mosque was founded by the Umayyad Caliph al Walid in 715 AD, and completed by his successor Caliph Suleiman.

Illumination tower, that should be illuminated when day turns to dark.

Ablusion gazebo, a place where people ‘wash’ before they go to pray inside, so that they are ‘clean’ in front of God

Like its sister mosque in Damascus, this one is also built off the souk. The main entrance to the mosque was directly at the extension of the souk with great traditional open market atmosphere. Thus the idea of a mosque is a place for the people gathering, not only a place to worship.

Throughout its history the building has endured multiple renovations and reconstructions in response to natural disasters (earthquakes and fire) and to modify its use, resulting in the development of its surroundings. Nural Din rebuilt in in 1169 after a great fire and the mosque was destroyed yet again during the Mongol invasion in 1260.

Inside the mosque where people used to pray

Corridor around the inner court of the Museum

The shrine inside the prayer hall, where the Shiite Muslim pay their respect to John the Baptist’s body

Because of the above reasons, the recent mosque design and layout was totally different from what was originally built, except the minaret that had survived so far. When I visited the mosque, it looked so immaculately beautiful, as it has undergone an extensive renovation (2003-4) during which, the minaret were especially restored. However, today’s civil war destroyed the mosque yet again, and this time including the long standing Minaret.

This was then, when I visited, the last time it looked beautiful, now it’s only history

The Minaret that survived for more than a thousand years…..

I think this photography collection is now precious. And another proof of the history of human civilisation has now gone just like that because of the conflict between humans. Worse of all, the destruction from the current war has the worst impact of destruction, approximately five out of six World Heritage Buildings have been damaged in this war according to UNESCO.

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26 Apr 2013

The Umayyad Mosque

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the most important mosques in the history of Islam; it holds a special significance to the Shi’ah Muslims. This was where the Prophet Muhammad made the walk from Baghdad (Iraq).

The history of the building:

Built originally as a temple by  the Arameans to worship the god of storms and lightening or a temple of Hadad-Ramman. When the Romans conquered Damascus in 64 CE they assimilated Hadad with their own god of thunder or better known as Temple of Jupiter. Under the direction of Damascus-born architect Apollodorus, the Romans continued to expand the Temple as the new Greco-Roman Temple of Jupiter which was intended to serve as a response to the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem.

Temple of Jupiter at the end of Al Hamadiyyah Souq and at the entrance to the mosque

Part of the temple and Umayyad mosque wall

Towards the end of the 4th century, in 391, the Temple of Jupiter became a church, and converted into the Cathedral dedicated to Saint John (John the Baptist) by the Christian emperor Theodosius I (r. 379–395). Legend has it that Saint John’s head was buried there. It served as the seat of the Bishop of Damascus, who ranked second within the Patriarchate of Antioch after the patriarch himself

In 636 CE, after the battle of Yamouk, Damascus was conquered by the Muslims under the leadership of Khalid-bin-Waleed, and the prayer space became a shared space between the Muslims and the Christians. The Muslims prayed on the eastern section and the Christians prayed on the other side. But soon this space was not enough for the Muslims and the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al Walid I negotiated with the Christian leaders to take over the space, and pay compensation for the Christians to move to the other side of the Old Town, as it is now.

Al Gharbiyya Minaret as the most beautiful minaret

They built the Mosque on its current location in 706 to 715 CE.  The construction of the mosque was based on the mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Madinah.  It was built with the help of skilled workers from the Byzantine Empire and that reflected on its exterior style of the building, as well as the interior decoration in the main prayer hall. The middle columns supporting the building have the Corinthian order.

The grandeur of the Damascus’ Umayyad Mosque, breath taking, considering this was built in the 8th century.

Facade of the inner courtyard elevation with Byzantium decoration

Mihrab or the niche/chamber in the mosque indicating the direction of praying

Prayer hall inside the mosque, with Corinthian Columns

The Minarets:

This mosque has 3 towers, or in the term of Islam architecture the word for tower is ‘minaret’:

1. On the Eastern side of the Mosque it located Minaret of Jesus the tallest of the three minarets at 77m, and where the locals believe that this is where Jesus will descend during Judgement Day.
2. On the North side of the Mosque is located the Minaret of the Bride, the oldest minaret
3. On the South-West corner of the mosque is located the Al Gharbiyya Minaret,

Minaret of the Bride, the first minaret built on this location

A small structure inside the prayer hall lies the head of John the Baptist, which they found during the excavation for the building of the mosque.

The shrine that housed John the Baptist’s head inside the prayer hall of the mosque

Yes, I understand, that the above information is a bit hard to take in, however, it is because of it’s richness of history and it’s existence up to the present day.  My visit to this mosque as well as the whole of Syria, made me want to learn more about the history of Near East as well as to comeback to Syria provided the condition of the country is not as it is today.

If you are interested on my other posts on Syria, check out: I’ve been to Syria

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12 Apr 2013

Qatar’s New Airport

When I landed in Doha for the first time back in 2005, I was surprise that I had to take the stairs and walk on the runway to the bus to take me to the airport arrival lounge and the immigration counter. Then I learned that for 2006 Asian Games, Qatar would use a new airport, for the athletes.  As the time got nearer to the event, I wondered when would this new airport open. Then I heard the gossip that ‘they’ couldn’t make it for the Asian Games and instead they would open a temporary arrival lounge especially for the Asian Games athletes and officials.

Hamad International Airport – Doha

Now, more than six years on, Qatar is still working on the New Doha International Airport, or rather the Hamad International Airport; but it’s now very close to the opening time, at least the authority is sort of announcing the soft opening date, the 1^st of April 2013.   The question is whether this is for real or an April Fool?

I think this is now for real, as now I am part of the team involved in the construction of this new airport, at least I know how far it is to go for the finishing of the airport and at least I know and I can see how the airport will look like; as six years ago, I never knew anything about the design or the shape of the airport.

The Bridge towards the parking area

Did I mention that it’s only a soft opening? As only 10 airlines will fly from HIA on the 1^st of April, namely:

1. Air Arabia,
2. Flydubai,
3. Air India Express,
4. Biman Bangladesh Airlines,
5. Iran Air,
6. Nepal Airlines,
7. Pakistan International Airline,
8. RAK Airways,
9. Syrian Air
10. Yemen Airways,

The first 10 airlines that have the privilege to try out the brand new airport in Doha

So for the frequent flyers with Qatar Airways  and from the other bigger airlines, they will have to wait until at least the end of the year when officially the airport will be fully operated.

Here are some interesting facts about the new airport as of Doha News which said:

“There are 41 contact gates in the main passenger terminal – Those gates have some 88 Passenger Loading Bridges. That means no more long bus rides to and from the planes – passengers can just walk down the bridge onto the plane, like at many other airports in the world. Also, the terminal itself should be able to handle 28 million people a year.”

Does this now mean a competition between 3 airports in the region? (namely Abu Dhabi Airport, Dubai Airport and Doha Airport) and is there a need to have 3 hubs in the region? I just try to compare the competition of airports in the ‘80s between Amsterdam and Frankfurt airport, when both tried to be the European air hub, but never fulfilled it’s expectation.

“Terminal 1 will have 150 passenger check-in stations. That includes 14 check-in booths for First Class and 16 check-in desks for Business Class. Ideally that also means no waiting in long lines, although that remains to be seen.”

I guess Qatar is gearing up toward the 2022 World Cup (which is 9 years away from now) when they will expect an influx of tourists and football fans. But between now and then, I can’t see any possibility that Qatar will have so many visitors except business people and expats. I wonder what will happen after the World Cup? I just remember the building of new airports in Barcelona, just for the Olympic Games, but after that, the airport was too empty….

“The next phase of the airport will handle 50 million passengers a year. Dubbed Phase 3A, and due to be completed by 2017, it will include the development of an expansion of Terminal 1 and the addition of a training center, rail station, car rental facilities, a “sea rescue” harbor and a multi-story parking structure.”

Gate 3 to go into the airport with a reflection of the parking area in front.

Well, I don’t think I will be there by the time the next terminal opens. Will I still be a Seasoned Traveler and using  Qatar Airways to see the “New” terminal…? Who knows…..

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29 Mar 2013

Informasi Umroh Lewat Darat

Movenpick Hotel di Medinah

Saudi Arabia tidak mengenal “turisme” sama sekali. Tapi bukan berarti negara ini pantang di kunjungi; ada beberapa cara untuk berkunjung ke Saudi Arabia:

• Yang paling populer cara orang mengunjungi Saudi adalah dengan menunaikan ibadah Haji. Jalurnya sudah sangat standard yang ditetapkan sejak jaman Nabi Muhammad SWT, dan obyek wisata yang boleh di kunjungi adalah yang sudah ditetapkan oleh Beliau.
• Sesudah itu adalah Ibadah Haji kecil, atau dengan kata lain Umroh. Dan obyek wisata yang dikunjungi juga standard.

Padahal jaman sekarang banyak orang yang mencari alternatif lain dan istilahnya adalah: ‘Off the beaten track” – jadi bagaimana mengunjungi Saudi dengan jalur yang unorthodox ini? …. TIDAK MUNGKIN! Sisi lain dari Saudi tidak boleh dilihat oleh awam… artinya sangat tertutup. Mereka tidak senang untuk di ‘tonton’ oleh orang asing!

Cara menunaikan ibadah Haji dan Umroh dari Indonesia sudah sangat standard. Datang saja ke agen perjalanan untuk ibadah yang diatas itu, maka mereka akan mengurus semuanya…. Dari mulai pengajian persiapan sampai pulang kembali ke tanah air. Lalu bagaimana dengan orang indonesia yang dirantau? Seperti mereka-mereka yang bekerja di negara tentangga Saudi?

Ini yang menarik untuk saya…. Karena Ibadah Umroh atau Haji bisa di tempuh lewat jalan darat, tidak Cuma Terbang – datang ke Saudi dengan pesawat.

Berikut ini catatan teman saya Uyok, yang sudah menunaikan ibadah Umroh nya dari Qatar dengan rombongan Indonesia:

Ada 3 Hamlah yag selalu ada orang Indonesianya untuk umroh , berdasarakan jumlh orang indonya yg terbanyak sbb :

1. Hamlah Doha Transpot, paket Umroh biasa, sekitar QR.1000,- ; VIP, QR.1500,-.Orang Indonesia yang bisa di hubungi: Ustad Nizam , mobile No. 55279159 – tentu saja ini No. Qatar.
2. Hamlah Labbaik , kantornya di sebelah Family Food Center, Jl. al Nasser lt-2, ada paket bus regular tarifnya sekitar QR.1200,- ada juga paket mobil minibus, max 7 orang. Orang Indonesia yang bisa di hubungi: Ustad Nizam , mobile No. 55279159.
3. Hamlah Haramain, paketnya yg biasa QR.1200,-; VIP QR.2500,- . Saya kemaren pake paket VIPnya. Contact person : Mr Ali, mobile No. 30199393.

Yg bisa saya cerita ya Hamlah Haramain , dengan QR.2500/orang, sudah termasuk :

• Mekkah : 5 malam tinggal di hotel bintang 5 (Hotel Al bayat) tepat di depan Masjidil Haram, sudah termasuk sarapan.
• Medinah : 2 malam tinggal di hotel bintang 5 (Hotel Movenpick) , tepat di depan Masjid Nabawi, sudah termasuk sarapan
• Visa Umroh ( QR.250,- )
• Selama perjalanan di bus dpt minum/softdrink.buah2 – gratis.
• Dapat 2 kali sholat jumat ( di Mekkah & Madinnah )

Kekurangan nya :

• Duduk di bus tidak diatur, jadi siapa dateng duluan bisa milih depan
• Tidak ada pembimbing selama menjalankan ibadah.
• Keberangkatan bus ‘molor’, karena menunggu sampe semua penumpang kumpul.
• Paket tournya sangat standard, tidak ada tour ketempat2 bersejarah .

Catatan tambahan:

1. Dari cerita temen2 lain, paling populer digunaka oleh orang Indonesia adalah dari Hamlah Labbaik dengan mobil kecil/minibus, karena:
   • Rombongan maximum 7 orang, cocok untuk 2 keluarga
   • Paket tour bisa fleksibel, Karena harga sewa mobil dengan rute Doha-Mekah-Medinah-Doha sekitar QR.4500.
   • Door to door service, artinya, Dijemput dan diantar kembali sampai depan rumah
   • Hotel bisa pilih sendiri dan lama perjalanannya juga bisa di tentukan sendiri, mau diurusin hamlah Labbaik juga bisa.
   • Sopirnya semua orang Indonesia .
   • Visa QR.250,- per orang.
2. Selama di Makkah saya merekomendasi untuk menghubungi : Ustad Syafei HP +966 554 287 012 apabila ingin diantar untuk:
   • Bimbingan Umroh.
   • Tour keliling Mekkah, atau
   • Cari oleh-oleh.

Ustad Syafei ini sangat saya recommendasi untuk dihubungi, karena orangnya juga sangat baik. Untuk Umroh saya ini saya juga memakai jasa beliau tidak Cuma di Mekkah saja, tapi juga Tour ke Jeddah, KSAR. 400,- untuk 4 keluarga dengan menggunakan Toyota (minibus) isi dengan kapasitas 12 orang.

Siapa yang berminat ‘mencoba’ untuk melakukan Umroh lewat darat silahkan menghubungi Hamlah pilihan. Saya sendiri belum mencobanya… sepertinya asyik juga tuh petualangannya.

Terima kasih untuk Uyok Haryono yang sudah berbagi cerita tentang Umrohnya dengan keluarga

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31 May 2011

Politic, Woman and Islam

 As an Indonesian, who’s know with a very moderate and liberal Muslim country, I am proud that woman in Indonesia was not very restricted as in only other Muslim country in the world. But these view were changed lately , as more and more Indonesian Muslim are being very religious, not only from the way they dress but also in their mannerism. Even though some of the time it was only surfaced look only.

I have to admit, Muslim in Indonesia are different from Muslim in the Middle East. Most of Indonesian are not exposed to the lifestyle in the Middle East, they don’t know how it is in the Middle East. What they know is only about Muslim in Saudi Arabia, while the rest of the Arabian Peninsula and Arabian Country are still majority are Muslim, with different depth of Islam, yet, they are no less religious than the one in Saudi or Indonesia.

10 years or more so ago, when Suharto or maybe during the Indonesian Lady President (Megawati), no body object when the First Lady or the Lady President made a handshake with the opposite gender. Why now, when the American First Lady handshake with one of the Indonesian Ministry… there is critisism about it:

Tifatul Sembiring, the Information Minister who says he never touches women who are not relatives, admits he shook Ms. Obama’s hand, but adds he was basically forced into it.

“I tried to prevent [being touched] with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me [so] we touched,” – posted on  http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/handshake+that+shook+Indonesia/3804098/story.html

Tifatul Sembiring shaking hands with Michelle Obama

What’s wrong by shaking hand with other gender? Is it to rude to do so, or is it too sexual? I think Indonesian has to stick with their own tradition, ( which maybe now it has been invaded with the “Muslim “  rule and regulation and), who’s diluted which one is tradition and which one is religion.

Regardless all those things, I would like to share my experience as I live in Qatar, a neighboring country to Saudi. Here, we have the Emir as the ruler of the country and his high profile wife, we call her Sheika. I have to accept that Sheika Mouza (who travel with him wherever he goes on official business trip) doesn’t appear as high profile as the husband, but that doesn’t mean that he needs to walk a few steps behind him or cover her face or even wear traditional Abaya. Yes, she is still covering her head but she wear it in such a way that it’s part of the head accessories. She is still showing a bit of her hair, she also showing off her beautiful long throat, part of her arms and a small bit of her legs. The very fashionable Sheika Mousa is also shake hands with the opposite gender as part of the mannerism on her international official trip, and no body criticized her .

Sheika Mousah shaking hand with male counter part - not a taboo

To be honest, I was really sad with Titaful Sembiring who says “never touches a women who are not relatives…” Is Indonesia going backward? Where was the Indonesian who were once used to be very tolerance and open minded?

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10 Nov 2010

Expatriasi ke Doha

Dengan semakin sulitnya mencari pekerjaan di Indonesia, semakin banyak teman-teman saya yang ingin melakukan expatriasi, bekerja di luar negeri. Banyak persepsi yang kemudian di tangkap oleh kebanyakan orang di Indonesia dari cerita-cerita mereka yang sudah berhasil berangkat dan bekerja di Luar negeri.

Pertanyaan yang paling sering di lontarkan oleh mereka-mereka yang ingin mendengar cerita hidup dinegeri orang tentunya adalah bagainama gaya hidup kita di negeri orang dan bagaimana adaptasi dengan lingkungan baru. Pertanyaan yang sama juga mungkin di lontarkan untuk orang-orang yang akan berangkat ber ekspatriasi; bagaimana harus beradaptasi dengan lingkungan baru…. apalagi kalo negara tujuan memiliki budaya yang jauh berbeda dengan Indonesia dan tidak begitu banyak propagandanya.

Ketika saya mempersiapkan diri saya untuk berangkat bekerja di Qatar, karena informasinya sangat sedikit tentang Qatar di Indonesia, saya harus mempersiapkan segala kemungkinan, salah satunya adalah cara berpakaian. Ketika itu pemikiran saya adalah, sebagai perempuan
kami harus memakai kerudung, tak boleh memperlihatkan lengan dan betis dll. Saya pikir waktu itu tidak masalah memakai celana panjang terus menerus dan berbaju lengan panjang, tapi harus berkerudung… hmmm ini masih membingungkan saya…. Tapi sebagai persiapan di Indonesia, saya tetap membeli kerudung; meskipun untuk memakainya, saya masih berpikir beberapa kali.

Lalu bagaimana dengan komunikasi? Selain bahasa Indonesia, saya cuma bisa bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa kedua. Persiapan saya waktu itu adalah dengan membeli DVD “Learning Arabic.” Saya juga kemudian membayangkan bagaimana komunikasi dengan orang-orang Arab itu, yang mana bahasa Inggrisnya pasti terbata-bata, sama seperti kebanyakan orang Indonesia yang lain. Mungkin di Kantor tidak begitu masalah, tapi bagaimana dengan hal-hal lain selain kantor, seperti misalnya belanja kebutuhan sehari-hari, di restaurant atau transaksi di bank? Saya pikir waktu itu adalah minimal saya harus mengerti “angka” dan “hari” karena ini sangat penting.

Sampai di Qatar… apa yang terjadi? Supir dan resepsionist yang menjemput dan menerima saya di hotel ternyata bukan orang arab, jadi saya cukup berbicara bahasa Inggris saja dan mereka sudah mengerti apa yang saya maksud. Teman di kantor hanya sedikit yang orang arab, semua dokumen dan surat menyurat pun dalam bahasa Inggris. Lalu bagaimana dengan belanja di supermarket atau warung dekat apartemen? Ternyata saya tidak pernah bertemu dengan pelayan toko yang orang arab, hampir selalu mereka adalah orang Filipina, India, Nepal atau malah mungkin orang Eritrea. Lalu bagaimana dengan Nonton TV atau mendengarkan radio? ternyata mungkin ada 2000 chanel TV yang bisa di tonton dari saluran antena parabola yang ada hampir di setiap atap apartmen seluruh Doha, dan tergantung channel yang mana yang ingin kita tonton, mungkin hampir semua bahasa yang ada di dunia ini ada disana, Al Jazeera TV adalah salah satu TV swasta milik Qatar, yang memiliki saluran khusus bahasa Inggris dan tidak lupa tentunya bahasa Arab. Apabila kita memasang antena yang tepat, TV Indonesia pun bisa ditangkap di Qatar ini. Bagaimana dengan berkendaraan? bagaimana dengan rambu-rambu lalu lintas di jalan? Ternyata hampir semua rambu lalulintas di tulis dalam dua bahasa, Bahasa Inggirs dan bahasa Arab dengan aksara arabnya…. hanya ini ‘arab gundul’

Beberapa waktu yang lalu teman kuliah saya, bergabung dengan saya di Qatar ini, dan dengan bangganya dia mengatakan bahwa dia megerti sedikit-sedikit mengerti apa yang dikatakan oleh penyiar TV channel lokal karena dia belajar bahasa Arab ketika kecil dan bisa membaca Qur’an. Pertanyaannya adalah apakah dengan sedikit bahasa Arab yang dia mengerti bisa membantu dia berfungsi di seantero Qatar?  Saya pikir dengan modal bahasa Arab nol tapi bisa bahasa Inggris sudah cukup untuk membuat saya beroparasi di Arabia ini; malah saya pikir dengan orang Arab dan terutama orang Qatar sendiri, apabila dia tidak bisa bahasa Inggris, malah dia yang tidak bisa beroperasi, karena pelayan toko, restoran kebanyakan adalah orang asing yang tidak bisa bahasa Arab, dan bahasa Inggris adalah media yang bisa membantu diantara mereka.

Pendapat saya? Kasihan orang-orang Arab itu yang harus menggunakan “bahasa kedua” untuk menjalankan hidupnya sendiri di negaranya sendiri. dan beruntunglah kita yang menjadi tuan rumah di negara kita sendiri…. kerugiannya adalah? kita jadi tidak bisa berfungsi di negara orang…. karena kemampuan bahasa Inggris yang minimum.

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19 Feb 2010

Natal di Doha

Beberapa waktu yang lalu seseorang beragama nasrani mendapat tawaran pekerjaan di Doha dan bertanya-tanya bagaimana dia dapat menjalankan ibadah agamanya di Qatar. Pertanyaan ini tentu tidak bisa disalahkan, karena seperti negara-negara di Arabia yang lain, Qatar adalah negara Islam, dan bisnis pun berorientasi seperti layaknya negara-negara Arab-Islam lainnya, yaitu Hari Jum at adalah weekend.

“Loh terus apabila saya beragama Nasrani, apa saya bisa ke gereja hari Minggu…” begitu pertanyaan dia… Memang hari kerja bank adalah dimulai di hari Minggu dan akhir minggu adalah hari Kamis, artinya Jum at dan Sabtu adalah akhir pekan.

OK, ini ada statistik yang menjelaskan jumlah penduduk Qatar sekarang ini sekitar 1,4 juta orang; ketika pertama kali saya datang empat tahun yang lalu, penduduk mereka kurang lebih 800 000 orang saja. Logikanya populasi yang naik sekitar 75% itu tidak mungkin dari kelahiran saja, dengan kata lain pertambahan penduduk itu terjadi karena proses migrasi para ekspatriat.

Ini ada statistik lain yang mengatakan bahwa lebih dari 2 juta orang Philipina yang bekerja di kawasan Arabia. Padahal kita semua tau bahwa lebih dari 90% orang Philipina yang jumlahnya 90 juta itu beragama nasrani. Pertanyaannya adalah apakah mungkin dari yang cuma 9 juta Muslim Philipina itu, 2 juta orang bekerja di Arabia? Kayaknya yang ini mengada-ada…. Pengalaman saya di Middle East ini, saya baru 2 kali ketemu Muslim Philipina, sisanya semua beragama Katollik yang sangat taat beribadah. Pertanyaannya sekarang adalah: ‘kapan mereka beribadah?’ be flexible; geser saja hari Minggu ke hari Jum at, kan semua hari adalah baik, cuma namanya aja yang berbeda.

pohon natal di salah satu pertokoan di Doha

Yang menarik dari perkembangan Qatar yang semakin lama semakin liberal adalah, bahwa ketika pertama kali saya datang ke Qatar, tidak ada tuh yang namanya Christmas Tree di pajang di tempat umum, seperti di pusat pertokoan atau hotel atau tempat umum lainnya, tapi sekarang… pusat pertokoan kelas atas berani memamerkan pohon natalnya.

Lalu kemana orang merayakan “Christmas Brunch” traditionalnya. Biasanya mereka pergi ke hotel berbintang 5 untuk makan dan minum sekenyangnya… selama empat sampai liam jam non stop. Terus terang saya tidak bisa membayangkan apa saja yang mereka lakukan disana…. tapi sama seperti ketika bulan Ramadhan (baca - Ramadan Festival), hotel-hotel itu mengeruk keuntungan dari perayaan keagamaan seperti ini.

Makanan tradisional arabia pun tidak mau ketinggalan

Yang menarik untuk saya adalah yang datang dan yang merayakan Natal tersebut. Memang tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa yang mampu merayakan Christmas Brunch adalah expat kulit putih, yang memiliki kekuatan ekonomi. Tapi di Qatar ini orang lokal pun kekuatan ekonominya tidak kalah.

makanan pencuci mulut sepanjang koridor hotel

Foto dibawah menunjukkan bahwa mereka pun ikut bernyanyi dan merdansa bersama “Carol Singer”nya yang bernyanyi keliling ruang makan hotel…..

Bernyanyi bersama 'Carol Singer' walaupun dengan pakaian tradisionalnya

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26 Dec 2009

Livestock Prices Shoot Up

When the Eid al Adha marks the end of the Hajj (the annual prilgrimage to Mecca), Muslims communities throughout the world celebrate the holiday of Festival of Sacrifice (Eid al Adha).

The idea is for Muslims to remember the trial and triumph of Prophet Abraham (or Ibrahim as the Muslim name) of his complete obedience to the will of God. During this celebration, Muslims commemorate by themselves slaughtering an animal such as sheep, camel or goat. The meat of the sacrificed animal were distributed among families, friends and most importantly is among the poor.

Thus approaching the D-Day, people start buying livestock to then slaughter it on the Eid-al-Adha day. This is what happened in Qatar, as only a day left for Eid al-Adha, prices of sacrificial animals have risen sharply. Prospective buyers are thronging the livestock market where sheep, goats, camels and cows, from as far afield as Syria and Yemen, are on sale.

This is what happen in the market place that sells livestock in Qatar:

Shopping for an army?

While the government-owned livestock company Mawashi has issued a fixed price list for sheep and cows from different countries, buyers were

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25 Nov 2009