Made-in-Qatar Products: What Travelers Can Shop for in Qatar

The best made-in-Qatar products to take home are fresh Qatari dates such as Khalas and Khenaizi, date paste and date syrup, cardamom Arabic coffee with a brass dallah pot, bakhoor incense and oud perfume blended in Souq Waqif, Al Sadu woven textiles, pearl jewellery that recalls the country's pearling past, and dairy products from Baladna, the farm that grew out of Qatar's push for food self-sufficiency. Most of these are sold in Souq Waqif, the Katara Cultural Village and the gift shops of the national museums.

This guide focuses on what to buy and how to tell the real thing from imports. If you want the malls instead, our shopping guide to Qatar's malls covers Doha Mall, Mall of Qatar, Villaggio and the rest, and the Qatar travel guide has the basics for a first visit.

• Date varieties to try first: 3
• Products in this guide: 17
• VAT in Qatar: 0%
• Local currency, the riyal: QAR

Made-in-Qatar products at a glance

Qatari dates and food products to bring home

Food is the easiest category to buy honestly "made in Qatar". Date palms grow on farms in the north and centre of the country, and local dairy and food brands expanded fast after 2017. Pack food in checked luggage and check your home country's customs rules on dairy, honey and fresh produce before you buy.

1. Qatari dates (تمر)

Dates (تمر), whether Khalas, Khenaizi, Barhi or Sheshi, are the fruit of the date palm, sold fresh in summer as rutab and dried or semi-dry the rest of the year. They keep for weeks to months, cost from little to a lot depending on grade, and are eaten with Arabic coffee; they are the classic gift and a Ramadan staple.

Dates are the national fruit and the first thing a Qatari host offers a guest, usually with a small cup of coffee. Khalas is the favourite in Qatar: amber, soft and caramel-sweet. Khenaizi is darker and richer. Barhi is eaten fresh and yellow in early summer, when it tastes almost like apple, and Sheshi is firmer and cheaper, good for everyday snacking.

Every summer, usually from late July into August, Souq Waqif hosts a Local Dates Festival where Qatari farms sell their harvest directly. It is the best moment to buy. Outside the festival, specialist date shops in the souq and in malls sell local and imported dates side by side, so ask which farm and which country the box comes from. Stuffed dates, filled with almonds, orange peel or pistachio and dipped in chocolate, make good gifts.

You will find them at Souq Waqif date shops, the summer Local Dates Festival in Souq Waqif, and the produce market near the wholesale area for bulk boxes.

2. Date paste and date syrup (دبس)

Dibs (دبس), the date syrup, and ajwa-style paste are dates cooked and pressed into a thick paste for baking, or reduced to a dark syrup used like honey. Both are cheap, keep for months and go well with bread and porridge, which makes them a good pantry gift.

Date paste fills ma'amoul cookies and Qatari breads, and date syrup (dibs) is poured over bread, pancakes and the breakfast dish balaleet. Both travel far better than fresh dates and pack flat in a suitcase.

Supermarkets stock local brands at low prices, while souq shops sell paste by weight. Choose jars with a sealed lid for the flight and wrap them in clothes in your checked bag.

Look for them in large supermarkets across Doha and the spice and date lanes of Souq Waqif.

3. Baladna dairy products (بلدنا)

Baladna (بلدنا) is a Qatari farm company that scaled up after 2017 to supply the country's milk, and its local milk, laban, cheeses and ghee are inexpensive. Fresh lines have a short shelf life, though ghee lasts much longer. Buy them for breakfast and for a taste of modern Qatar.

When Qatar faced a regional blockade in 2017, Baladna flew in thousands of dairy cows and built one of the largest farms in the Gulf. Today its milk, laban (a salty yoghurt drink), labneh, halloumi and cheese are in every supermarket.

Fresh dairy will not survive a long flight, so try it during your stay. Ghee and long-life products are the realistic items to pack.

4. Arabic coffee (gahwa) and spice blends (قهوة)

Gahwa (قهوة) is lightly roasted coffee ground with cardamom, often with saffron or clove, brewed thin and served in small cups. Sealed, it keeps for months and costs a low to moderate amount, and it is always served with dates as the core of Qatari hospitality.

Qatari coffee looks nothing like espresso. It is pale gold, aromatic and slightly bitter, poured from a dallah into a tiny handleless cup called a finjan. Hosts keep topping up your cup until you give it a small shake to say you have had enough.

Spice shops in Souq Waqif sell ready-mixed gahwa blends and will grind them for you. Ask for the cardamom ratio you like, and buy whole spices if you want the aroma to last longer. The same shops sell bzar, the Qatari spice mix of cumin, coriander, cinnamon and dried lime used in machboos, the national rice dish.

Shop for it in the spice lanes of Souq Waqif; coffee roasters in Katara and the malls.

5. Karak tea blends (كرك)

Karak (كرك), a strong spiced milk tea, is black tea boiled with evaporated milk, sugar and cardamom: the everyday drink of Qatar and a daily ritual for many. Dry blends are cheap, keep a long time and go well with chapati or paratha.

Karak arrived with workers from South Asia and became Qatar's own street drink, sold for a couple of riyals from roadside cafés where you order from your car. Many tea shops sell their own dry blend of tea and spices, and some brands sell karak premixes in sachets.

Take home a bag of the dry blend with a tin of evaporated milk and you can make it in five minutes. It is a cheap, very Qatari gift for anyone who loves tea.

6. Arabic sweets and Qatari halwa (حلويات)

Luqaimat, halwa and ma'amoul are the traditional sweets (حلويات) to look for: fried dough balls in date syrup, saffron and rosewater halwa, and date-filled cookies. Prices are low to moderate, they keep for days to weeks, they pair with gahwa, and they appear at every Eid and wedding.

Qatari halwa is a glossy, jelly-like sweet flavoured with saffron, cardamom and rosewater, often studded with nuts and sold from big copper pans. Luqaimat, crisp dough balls drizzled with date syrup, are best eaten hot at the souq. Ma'amoul, the date or nut-filled shortbread, travels well in sealed boxes.

Sweet shops pack halwa in plastic tubs and boxed sets for travellers. Eat luqaimat on the spot; take ma'amoul and halwa home.

The best sources are sweet shops in Souq Waqif and the Katara Cultural Village; bakeries in the malls.

7. Honey from local farms (عسل)

Small-batch Gulf honey (عسل) comes from farms in Qatar and the region and is often sold by flower type. It keeps a long time, sits in the mid-to-high price range, goes with bread and tea, and is a popular health gift.

Honey is prized across the Gulf, and some shops sell honey from Qatari farms alongside honey from Yemen, Oman and further afield. Sidr honey, from the jujube tree, is the most expensive and the most commonly faked.

Ask where the honey was produced and buy from shops that let you taste. Many countries restrict honey imports, so check customs rules before you pack a jar.

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Perfumes, oud and bakhoor made in Qatar

Scent matters in Qatari homes. Guests are welcomed with incense, and clothes and hair are perfumed with oud smoke before going out. Perfume blending is one of the most authentic purchases you can make, because shops mix to order in front of you.

8. Bakhoor incense (بخور)

Bakhoor (بخور) is scented wood chips soaked in perfume oils, resins and sugar, burned on charcoal in a mabkhara burner to scent a room or clothes. A supply lasts months, prices run from low to high, and burning it is part of the welcome ritual.

Bakhoor is burned in homes, offices and majlis rooms, and the smell drifts through Souq Waqif every evening. Each shop has its own blends, from sweet and fruity to dark and woody, packed in decorated tins or jars.

Ask the shop to burn a sample before you buy. Bakhoor is light, cheap and impossible to find in the same quality at home, which makes it one of the best souvenirs in the country.

Buy it from perfume and incense shops in Souq Waqif and the traditional perfume houses in the malls.

9. Oud oil and custom attar (عود)

Oud (عود) and blended attars are concentrated, alcohol-free perfume oils, including oil from agarwood, applied in tiny amounts. They last years, cost anything from a moderate sum to a very high one, pair naturally with bakhoor and make a luxury gift.

Pure oud oil, distilled from infected agarwood, is among the most expensive natural materials in the world. It is sold by the tola (about 12 millilitres) or smaller. Most visitors buy attars instead: blends of oud, rose, musk and amber mixed to your taste and poured into a small decorated bottle.

Perfumers in the souq let you test a dozen oils on your wrist and build your own blend. Prices vary hugely by grade, so set a budget first and ask what proportion of real oud is in the blend.

Try independent perfumers in Souq Waqif; perfume houses in Katara and the major malls.

10. Mabkhara incense burner (مبخرة)

A mabkhara (مبخرة) is the decorated burner for bakhoor: a square or tower-shaped piece of wood, metal or ceramic that holds charcoal and incense. It lasts for good, costs from low to high, and works as home décor as much as a burner.

Traditional mabkharas are carved wood with brass trim and mirror inlays. Modern ones are electric, which is handy if you are not used to lighting charcoal. They make striking décor pieces even if you never burn anything in them.

The classic shape is a square pedestal with inward-sloping sides holding a square cup that flares outward. The cup is lined with sheet metal so the hot charcoal does not scorch the wood. Sizes run from a few centimetres to floor pieces a few feet tall. Wooden burners are light to carry; wrap metal ones well, because the brass corners scratch.

Qatari crafts, textiles and pearl jewellery

Crafts are where the "made in Qatar" label needs the most care. Much of the souvenir stock in the souq is imported, so look for workshops, museum shops and signed pieces by local makers.

11. Al Sadu weaving (السدو)

Al Sadu (السدو) is Bedouin geometric weaving: hand-woven wool or goat-hair textiles in red, black and white bands, made on a ground loom. A piece takes weeks to weave and is priced mid to high; it works best as cushions or wall hangings and makes a heritage gift.

Al Sadu is the weaving tradition of Bedouin women across the Gulf, once used for tent walls, rugs and camel saddle bags. The patterns (triangles, stripes and stylised palm and camel motifs) carry meaning within each family. The design shows up all over Qatar today, including on airline uniforms and the National Museum's branding.

Hand-woven pieces are slow to make and priced accordingly; machine-made copies are far cheaper. Museum gift shops and craft programmes in Katara are the safest places to find work by local weavers.

Reliable sources include the National Museum of Qatar shop, Katara Cultural Village craft studios, heritage festivals in the winter season.

12. Pearl jewellery (لؤلؤ)

Pearls (لؤلؤ), both Gulf natural and cultured, are set into jewellery that links back to the pearl diving that built Qatar's economy before oil. A necklace or pair of earrings will last generations, prices run from mid to very high, and pearls are a traditional choice for weddings and anniversaries.

Before oil, Qatar lived on pearling. Every summer, dhows sailed from Al Wakrah, Al Khor and Doha for months at a time, and divers held their breath for each dive. The Pearl-Qatar island, the pearl monument on the Corniche and the National Museum all tell that story.

Natural Gulf pearls are rare and very expensive; most pearl jewellery sold today uses cultured pearls. Buy from established jewellers, ask for a certificate for natural pearls, and keep the receipt for customs at home.

Shop at the gold souq in central Doha, established jewellers in the major malls.

13. Hand-built dhow models (سفينة)

Miniature wooden boats (سفينة) are scale models of the dhows used for pearling, fishing and trade. Each takes days to build, prices go from low to high by size, and they make a good shelf piece and maritime memento.

Full-size dhows still line the Doha Corniche and Al Wakrah harbour, and model builders reproduce them in wood with cotton sails and rope rigging. Small ones fit in hand luggage; large ones need careful packing.

Katara hosts a traditional dhow festival in the cooler months with boatbuilders at work. It is a good place to see the craft and buy pieces directly.

Models are sold at Souq Waqif craft stalls, Katara Cultural Village, the dhow festival in Katara.

14. Falconry hoods and gloves (برقع)

The burqa hood and the leather manqalah glove (برقع) are hand-stitched leather pieces used by falconers and sold in the Falcon Souq. Prices are low to mid, and they work as décor or as a gift that speaks of desert heritage.

Falconry is a living sport in Qatar. The Falcon Souq beside Souq Waqif sells everything a falconer needs, including the birds themselves, which fetch very high prices. The small leather hoods (burqa) are stitched by hand and decorated with tassels, and they make unusual, light souvenirs.

You will also see falcon hospitals and trainers in the area. Ask before photographing birds or owners.

The place to go is the Falcon Souq, next to Souq Waqif.

15. Tailored abayas and thobes (عباية)

Doha tailors make the black abaya cloak and the white thobe (عباية) to measure, with a turnaround of a few days. Prices run from low to high, and this custom-made traditional dress is worn for special events and Eid.

Abaya boutiques in Doha range from plain everyday cloaks to designer pieces with embroidery and crystals, and Qatari designers show collections in the malls. Thobe tailors cut the long white robe to fit, with a collar and cuffs of your choice.

Allow two to four days for tailoring, and visit early in your trip so there is time for a fitting. Ask about fabric origin if you want locally designed pieces.

Go to the tailors around Souq Waqif and Al Najada; abaya boutiques in the malls.

16. Design pieces from museum shops (متحف)

The shops of Qatar Museums venues (متحف) sell books, homeware, jewellery and prints, including work by Qatari designers. The range changes often and prices are mid to high, but they make good gifts and show contemporary Qatar.

The shops at the National Museum of Qatar, the Museum of Islamic Art and the 3-2-1 sports museum stock products by Qatari designers that you will not find elsewhere, from jewellery inspired by the desert rose to homeware with Sadu patterns and books on Qatari history.

Prices are fixed and higher than in the souq, but quality and provenance are clear, which makes these shops the easiest place to buy something truly local.

You can buy them at the National Museum of Qatar, Museum of Islamic Art and other Qatar Museums venues.

17. Pottery and clay incense pots (فخار)

Simple terracotta wares (فخار), from clay water jars to incense pots and decorative vessels, are hand-thrown, cheap and best used as décor or a rustic gift.

Clay pots for cooling water and burning incense were part of every Qatari home before air conditioning. Large water jars, called hibb or zeer, stood in a shaded corner or courtyard; water seeping through the porous clay evaporated and kept the contents cool. Today they are sold mainly as décor, painted or plain, and they cost very little. Some wares in Souq Waqif are still thrown by hand on a potter's wheel inside the souq.

Many pots in the souq are imported from elsewhere in the region, so if origin matters to you, ask the seller. Wrap them carefully: terracotta chips easily.

Where to buy made-in-Qatar products in Doha

Central Doha: the souqs

• Souq Waqif puts dates, spices, coffee, bakhoor, attar, sweets and tailors in one walkable old market. Many stalls close from early afternoon until about 4 p.m., and on Fridays most open only after midday prayers, so the evening is the liveliest and best-stocked time to shop. The Gold Line's Souq Waqif metro station is a short walk from the main alleys.
• The Falcon Souq sells leather hoods, gloves and falconry equipment. It sits at the western edge of Souq Waqif, next to the falcon hospital, so it fits into the same visit. Small hoods make light, unusual gifts; check your home country's rules before buying feathers or anything made from animal parts.
• For pearl and gold jewellery from established jewellers, go to the Gold Souq on the streets beside Souq Waqif. Gold is priced by weight at the day's rate plus a making charge, and the making charge is the part you can negotiate. Ask for an itemised receipt showing the karat and weight, and a certificate for any natural pearl.

Culture districts

• Katara Cultural Village has craft studios, perfume houses, sweet shops and the winter dhow festival. Katara station on the metro Red Line serves the village, and the shops are busiest in the cool evenings from November to March when outdoor events run.
• The museum shops at the National Museum and the Museum of Islamic Art carry design pieces, books and Sadu products. Their stock is made or commissioned for the museums, so labels state where each piece was produced. That makes them the safest place to buy a genuinely Qatari design gift.
• In Msheireb Downtown you will find concept stores and local brands in the restored old quarter, directly above Msheireb station, where all three metro lines meet. It is a short walk from Souq Waqif, so the two pair well in one evening.

Supermarkets and farms

• Large supermarkets carry local dates, date syrup, Baladna dairy and karak premixes at everyday prices. Hypermarkets such as Lulu and Carrefour and the Qatari chain Al Meera stock vacuum-packed dates and sealed jars that travel well. Look for "Product of Qatar" on the label, since imported dates often sit on the same shelf.
• Farmers markets are worth a look too: Torba, Doha's organic farmers market, sells local honey, produce and small-batch food during the cooler season, usually from late autumn to early spring. Its venue and days have changed between seasons (Education City, Msheireb and The Pearl have all hosted it), so check its current schedule before you go.

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How to tell genuine Qatari products from imports

Read the label first. Date boxes from Qatari farms carry the farm name and usually say "Product of Qatar" in Arabic and English; boxes without a farm name are often blends from Saudi Arabia, Iran or Tunisia. That does not make them bad dates, but they are not local. Dairy is simpler: Baladna and the other national brands print the origin clearly, and the shelf life is short enough that nothing on a Doha supermarket shelf has travelled far.

Perfume is harder. The same oils are traded across the Gulf, so "made in Qatar" here means blended in Qatar. The value is in the blending: a perfumer in Souq Waqif who mixes oud, rose and musk to your nose is making something that exists only in that bottle. Ask to see the base oils, ask which one is the oud, and smell your wrist again after twenty minutes before you pay. Cheap oils sold as pure oud are almost always synthetic.

For crafts, look at the hands behind the stall. Al Sadu work, dhow models and leather falcon hoods made in Doha are usually sold by the maker or by a programme that names the maker. Magnets, keyrings, printed cushions and other mass-produced trinkets are imported in bulk and sold in every shop with the same design. They are fine as cheap gifts, but they tell you nothing about Qatar.

Qatar gift ideas by budget

On a small budget, buy food and scent. A kilo of good dates, a bag of ground gahwa with cardamom, a tin of bakhoor and a few boxes of ma'amoul fill a suitcase corner, cost little and are welcome in almost any home. Karak tea blend is another cheap, light gift that people actually use.

In the middle range, a custom attar blended in front of you, a carved wooden mabkhara, a hand-built dhow model or a small piece of Sadu weaving from a museum shop make a gift with a story. Allow time: a good perfumer may spend half an hour with you, and the museum shops are spread across the city.

At the top end, pearl jewellery from an established jeweller, a tailored abaya or thobe, or a quantity of high-grade oud oil are purchases people keep for decades. Buy these with a receipt and, for pearls and oud, ask for written details of what you are buying. For larger purchases, spread your shopping over a few days so you can compare shops, and combine the souq with a visit to the malls listed in our shopping guide.

Tips for buying souvenirs in Qatar

• Bargain politely. Haggling is normal in Souq Waqif, but not in malls or museum shops. Start around a third below the first price and stay friendly.
• Ask about origin. Many souvenirs are imported. Ask "is this made in Qatar?" and look for local farm names on date boxes. For pieces designed in Qatar, look for replicas of National Museum of Qatar objects, such as its incense burner, sold through the Qatar Creates market.
• Pack liquids right. Attar, date syrup and honey go in checked luggage. Ask perfume shops to seal bottles with tape, then wrap them in clothing.
• Check customs at home. Dairy, honey and fresh produce are restricted in many countries. Dried dates and sealed sweets are usually fine.
• Shop in the evening. Souq Waqif is busiest and most atmospheric after sunset. Many traditional shops close from about 1 pm to 4 pm, open on Friday afternoons only, and keep different hours in Ramadan.

If you only buy one thing, make it a box of Khalas dates from a named Qatari farm: it is the taste every visitor to a Qatari home remembers.

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