Green Mansions
The housing here is amazing. I have never seen such a diversity, or opulence, in architecture. Houses fall into three categories. First there is housing for foreigners, who are eighty percent of the population of Qatar. Accomodation for foreign workers varies widely depending upon the person’s job and country of origin. At the lower end of the scale people tend to live in apartments or rooms attached to or near their places of employment, negating the need for a commute. At the upper end, 5 or 6 bedroom villas are the norm, usually with separate accommodation for several servants. Housing may or may not be included in a person’s employment contract, depending upon the individual case. Those who do not receive housing from an employer rent a place of their own choosing.
Housing for Qatari citizens falls into two categories. The less affluent live in traditional houses. These are typically more than ten years old, though quite large and modern, but a bit non-descript from the outside. They tend to be rather boxy conglomerations of rooms and extensions, sometimes with a few external flourishes like archways or parapets. They usually run about 2000 square feet or so (200 m²); Qataris have large families, so they need space. Virtually all Qatari houses have walled yards. The traditional houses are usually one to two stories at most, and are difficult to see unless the gate is open.
More affluent Qataris, perhaps a third or more of the population, live in newer, larger houses. These incorporate a wide array of architecture styles, but most reflect some elements of traditional Arabian design. They are huge by American standards, usually 4000 square feet and up…. in many cases way up. They are at least two stories high, but often three or more. They may have large compounds walled within containing gardens, green grass etc. The outer reaches of town are filled with these places; they go on for miles.
The houses here reflect a certain aesthetic for it’s own sake, independent of function or practicality. Areas of the world that have cultivated that at any time usually become famous for it eventually (Paris, Barcelona, Rotterdam etc). Commercial construction often follows suit, and some of the new skyscrapers here are absolutely whimsical.
It is often supposed by westerners (not living here) that affluence in the Gulf is somehow limited only to a tiny well-connected elite. That is certainly not true of Qatar. While there definitely is a tiny well-connected elite here, they don’t have a monopoly on prosperity. The poorest Qatari citizens are still very well off by anyone’s standards (even “poor” Qataris have maids), and most have few material worries. An offshoot of this is that money itself is not as much of a motivator as you might expect. People care more about reputation, honor, friendship, piety, etc. than about wealth.
Construction here is probably second only to oil & gas in its importance. Materials are largely made locally, concrete, paint, even steel. Labor is imported, mostly from India. Construction costs are very low, because of the relatively inexpensive labor, thus Qatari citizens can afford great housing.
The interiors of homes are difficult for a man to see. I have been in plenty of majlises (the front room, for receiving guests) but rarely any farther. My wife has seen many more than I have. What I have seen is magnificent. Many Qataris furnish their homes with ornate Louis the 14th type stuff. Walking into some of these places is like walking into the Louvre. Also popular are traditional Bedouin style furnishings, low tables, carpets, lots of cushions and couches low to the floor. Some places even have permanent Bedouin style tents erected inside their homes, as a design feature… they sub-divide large rooms quite well. The furniture here is outrageous, and very inexpensive. You can have anything you want made, and what is available in the showrooms is outstanding. Art Deco bedroom sets, Renaissance style dining room tables, traditional Japanese furnishings…. anything you might want is here and cheap. One of the best pieces of furniture I have seen was a table with a built in telephone. The phone was this huge pearlescent antique style monstrosity built into a tall and narrow Victorian table… it was almost pointless… pointless extravagance, that goes a long way in describing Qatar.
Another thing you find here is lots of grass. There are many public parks etc, plus lots of private landscaping. Highway medians are mostly landscaped too. All of the grass is dependent upon water, and all of the water is from desalinization plants…. go figure. Water is “free” to Qataris, ie they don’t have to pay for it. Utilities are “free” for them as well. Once in a while you may find collections of westerners gathered in certain roundabouts when the grass is being cut. They are there to smell the grass.
Many Qataris have second homes in the “countryside”. They call them farms, and this is technically true, as typically they may keep some camels, horses or sheep out there. The best land looks a lot like Nevada; rocks, gravel, and sand interspersed with an occasional hardy shrub. The less fertile regions are barren moonscape like areas. The most desolate land is found in the southern reaches of the country. This is part of the Empty Quarter as it extends beyond the Saudi border. This area contains absolutely no life, and is a seemingly endless sea of 300 foot shifting dunes. Many people have gotten lost and even died there over the years. The dunes are great for sliding and jumping, some even ski on them.
The Qatari “outback” contains a lot of abandoned villages, now in ruins. These are the result of migration into the city after the oil revenue started to flow. You can still get a feel for what life in these structures must have been like. They were simple affairs of mud brick, small and Spartan. There are still Bedouins living in the country, but they don’t migrate anymore and they live in standard housing rather than tents. Many people have compared the Bedouin to “cowboys”, tough and independent ranchers who largely govern themselves. Water can be a problem in these country places, frequently it’s trucked in, and all places have a large cistern.
Some Qataris trace their lineage back to wandering Bedouins, others descend from tribes that fished and pearled along the coast. Both legacies are recent. The oil revenue didn’t make a big impact until 1973. Before that, Qatar was a forgotten backwater. Qatar is so remote that even now, it frequently is left out on maps.
Housing for Qatari citizens falls into two categories. The less affluent live in traditional houses. These are typically more than ten years old, though quite large and modern, but a bit non-descript from the outside. They tend to be rather boxy conglomerations of rooms and extensions, sometimes with a few external flourishes like archways or parapets. They usually run about 2000 square feet or so (200 m²); Qataris have large families, so they need space. Virtually all Qatari houses have walled yards. The traditional houses are usually one to two stories at most, and are difficult to see unless the gate is open.
More affluent Qataris, perhaps a third or more of the population, live in newer, larger houses. These incorporate a wide array of architecture styles, but most reflect some elements of traditional Arabian design. They are huge by American standards, usually 4000 square feet and up…. in many cases way up. They are at least two stories high, but often three or more. They may have large compounds walled within containing gardens, green grass etc. The outer reaches of town are filled with these places; they go on for miles.
The houses here reflect a certain aesthetic for it’s own sake, independent of function or practicality. Areas of the world that have cultivated that at any time usually become famous for it eventually (Paris, Barcelona, Rotterdam etc). Commercial construction often follows suit, and some of the new skyscrapers here are absolutely whimsical.
It is often supposed by westerners (not living here) that affluence in the Gulf is somehow limited only to a tiny well-connected elite. That is certainly not true of Qatar. While there definitely is a tiny well-connected elite here, they don’t have a monopoly on prosperity. The poorest Qatari citizens are still very well off by anyone’s standards (even “poor” Qataris have maids), and most have few material worries. An offshoot of this is that money itself is not as much of a motivator as you might expect. People care more about reputation, honor, friendship, piety, etc. than about wealth.
Construction here is probably second only to oil & gas in its importance. Materials are largely made locally, concrete, paint, even steel. Labor is imported, mostly from India. Construction costs are very low, because of the relatively inexpensive labor, thus Qatari citizens can afford great housing.
The interiors of homes are difficult for a man to see. I have been in plenty of majlises (the front room, for receiving guests) but rarely any farther. My wife has seen many more than I have. What I have seen is magnificent. Many Qataris furnish their homes with ornate Louis the 14th type stuff. Walking into some of these places is like walking into the Louvre. Also popular are traditional Bedouin style furnishings, low tables, carpets, lots of cushions and couches low to the floor. Some places even have permanent Bedouin style tents erected inside their homes, as a design feature… they sub-divide large rooms quite well. The furniture here is outrageous, and very inexpensive. You can have anything you want made, and what is available in the showrooms is outstanding. Art Deco bedroom sets, Renaissance style dining room tables, traditional Japanese furnishings…. anything you might want is here and cheap. One of the best pieces of furniture I have seen was a table with a built in telephone. The phone was this huge pearlescent antique style monstrosity built into a tall and narrow Victorian table… it was almost pointless… pointless extravagance, that goes a long way in describing Qatar.
Another thing you find here is lots of grass. There are many public parks etc, plus lots of private landscaping. Highway medians are mostly landscaped too. All of the grass is dependent upon water, and all of the water is from desalinization plants…. go figure. Water is “free” to Qataris, ie they don’t have to pay for it. Utilities are “free” for them as well. Once in a while you may find collections of westerners gathered in certain roundabouts when the grass is being cut. They are there to smell the grass.
Many Qataris have second homes in the “countryside”. They call them farms, and this is technically true, as typically they may keep some camels, horses or sheep out there. The best land looks a lot like Nevada; rocks, gravel, and sand interspersed with an occasional hardy shrub. The less fertile regions are barren moonscape like areas. The most desolate land is found in the southern reaches of the country. This is part of the Empty Quarter as it extends beyond the Saudi border. This area contains absolutely no life, and is a seemingly endless sea of 300 foot shifting dunes. Many people have gotten lost and even died there over the years. The dunes are great for sliding and jumping, some even ski on them.
The Qatari “outback” contains a lot of abandoned villages, now in ruins. These are the result of migration into the city after the oil revenue started to flow. You can still get a feel for what life in these structures must have been like. They were simple affairs of mud brick, small and Spartan. There are still Bedouins living in the country, but they don’t migrate anymore and they live in standard housing rather than tents. Many people have compared the Bedouin to “cowboys”, tough and independent ranchers who largely govern themselves. Water can be a problem in these country places, frequently it’s trucked in, and all places have a large cistern.
Some Qataris trace their lineage back to wandering Bedouins, others descend from tribes that fished and pearled along the coast. Both legacies are recent. The oil revenue didn’t make a big impact until 1973. Before that, Qatar was a forgotten backwater. Qatar is so remote that even now, it frequently is left out on maps.
posted by dervish at Wednesday, December 08, 2004
2 Comments:
dervish, do you have a digital camera so you can blog photographs? I'd love to see-- well, everything. But in THIS entry's case, I'd like to see the old abandonned mud brick areas...
Yeah, I just have to figure out how to post the darned things. Do I make them part of a Word document, and then just post the whole thing? I'll figure it out sooner or later I reckon.
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