Living at Qatar

- Culture
Qatari culture (music, art, dress, and cuisine) is similar to
that of other Arab countries of the Arabian Gulf. The
culture in the Arabian Gulf region varies little from country to country.
Qatar explicitly uses Sharia law as the basis of its government.
Electricity
Voltage is 240 AC at 50 cycles [As for electrical sockets,
British Style Plug with one grounding blade and two flat
blades are used. Even Indian/South African style plugs
with two circular metal pins above a large circular
grounding pin can be used.]
Driving
Since all transportation will be secured to trainees, one
might not need to drive. On arrival at Qatar, a trainee,
can drive in the country if he/she holds a valid driving
license for seven days (including the day of arrival). In
case the visitor is a foreigner, and becomes involved in
an accident, s/he will be deported back to his/her home
country, instead of a fine, as in other countries. Therefore, opting for a taxi would be best, rather than risk
oneself with driving in a new place.
Important Telephone Numbers:
Police, Fire, Ambulance: 999
Doha Airport: +974 4656666
Telephone Directory: 111
General Post Office: +974 4466000
Flight Enquiries: +974 4622999
Weather Info: +974 9001009
Eids
Eids are the two Muslim celebrations of the year. During
the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr,
Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and
normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many
restaurants are closed during the day and there may be
restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption
may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr and Eid
al-Adha are observed for 5 days.

Nightlife
Qatar isnt renowned for its nightlife but, that said, times
are changing and as Doha hosts an increasing number
of high profile international sports events, inevitably the
after-hours options are growing to meet demand. Many
of the hotels offer jazz evenings, live bands, food promotions and even cookery classes. There are also many
cinemas showing English-language films while the Doha
Players perform plays in English.
Activities
During your stay at Qatar, you will enjoy multiple excursion trips which will depend heavily on your contract
with training company and also on Qatar University
summer semester. In general, activities will include
visiting:
The Islamic Art Museum.
Souq Waqif- the old market.
Education city.
Horseback riding & camel riding activities.
Aspire academy, aspire park and aspire dome.
Other sport activities and trips.
Katara, the cultural village.
The Pearl - Qatar.
Sea trips
Flag

For more information:

Exchange Programs Section
44033805
studentexchange@qu.edu.qa
www.iaeste.qu.edu.qa

Qatar Booklet
For IAESTE Trainees

Dear Trainee,
Warm Greetings from Qatar.
You have made a great decision to participate in
IAESTE training at Qatar. This booklet is designed to
deliver practical information that every trainee needs
before coming to Qatar. It also contains some practical
information about your stay at Qatar. We guarantee you
that this will be the adventure of lifetime .llookingLooking forward to meeting you at Qatar.
Your summer friends from IAESTE Qatar
Visa (Student Visa)
A student entry visa under QU sponsorship will be
issued to IAESTE trainees. A clear copy of the trainees
passport should be sent to IAESTE Qatar no later than
two months before arriving to Qatar. The passport must
be valid for six month from the first day of arrival in
Qatar. The entry visa will be sent by email to trainees
before leaving his/her country. The trainee should verify
the information in the visa to be identical to what is in
the passport. In the event of any error, the student
should notify us to correct it. Before coming to Doha,
the trainee print out the visa on paper, and keep it with
him/her to be presented to the officials at the Doha
International Airport.
Map

Accommodation
You will be placed either in the student/staff Dorm or in
the private accommodation, based on your training
contract. The details will be provided to you shortly
before arrival.
Transportation
Qatars road infrastructure and transport system is
being further developed and enhanced every day to
ensure a comprehensive and modern system across
Qatar. Below you find the contact information for the
different transportation options in the country.
Taxi
The national transport company Mowasalat operates
the bus, taxi and limousine service Karwa. To book a
taxi:
Tel: (+974) 4458 8888 Taxi fares around Doha will be
between QR10 (US$2.70) and QR20 (US$5.00).
Bus
Buses run an extensive route through Doha and most of
the other large suburbs, and the fare is currently QR3
(US$0.82) inside Doha City, QR4 (US$1.09) in Greater
Doha.
Transportation during training
Your transportation will be secured for everyday training
and for activities of the schedule.
Shopping
Stores and services offices are usually open with lunch
breaks.
Most common operating hours:
Weekdays: 8:00 - 13:00 and 16:00 - 22:00
Fridays: 13:00 - 23:00
Saturdays: 10:00 - 13:00 and 16:00 - 23:00
Some of the larger stores and shopping malls have
longer opening hours and work without lunch breaks.
Banks are generally not open on weekends.
The official currency of Qatar is Riyal. Credit cards can
be used in most stores: AMERICAN EXPRESS,
MASTER CARD and VISA.

Quick facts
Official name
Capital

State of Qatar
] ]] Dawlat Qatar
Doha

Other cities

Messaieed, Al-Khor, Dukhan,

AlShemal.

Population

1,696,563 (2 October 2010)

Area

11,437 km2

Categories of
population

Arab 40%; Indian 20%; Filipino 10%;

Nepali 13%; Pakistani 7%;
Sri Lankan 5%; other 5%.

Language

Arabic is the local language; English

is widely used as a second language.

Religion
Time zone
Climate
Average
temperatures
Currency
Country calling
code
System of
measurement

Islam
UTC+3
Hot and humid, with
a mild winter
July: 46 C - January: 13 C
Riyal (QAR)
+974
Metric