What to buy in Qatar? — +11 must-buy souvenirs, gifts & best things to buy in Qatar - Living + Nomads – Travel tips, Guides, News & Information! (2024)

Qatar is one of the famous tourist destinations in the Middle East, this wonderful destination not only attracts visitors by its beautiful landscapes from sea to desert, spectacular skyscrapers, magnificent mosques, state-of-art design of museums, delectable cuisine but also attracts visitors by its unique indigenous culture, a mysterious capital city of Doha. Qatar is also a land with countless specialties, gifts worth to buy that make any visitors want to take home after their trip. So, what to buy in Qatar as gifts? The suggestions below will help you have the most perfect answer. Now, let’s check out our Qatar shopping guide with the suggested top +11 best gifts from Qatar, best souvenirs from Qatar, best things to buy in Qatar, cheap things to buy in Qatar including best things to buy in doha to help you find out some meaningful souvenirs and gifts to bring home as well as where to buy in Qatar, best places to shop in Doha to clear the answer!

What to buy in Qatar: Gold, pearls and jewelry

The richest country in the world by per capita is well-known for its gold, amber and pearl jewelry, so these are also the great choices if you don’t know what to buy in Qatar, best gifts from Qatar, best souvenirs from Qatar and best things to buy in Qatar. There are quite a few choices of jewelry you can choose small pieces of jewelry such as rings, earrings, bracelets, or necklaces… that attached Qatari pearls, amber or diamond come in various designs, colors, shapes. They are very luxurious, sophisticated items with high value.

Qatar is the richest country in the world, and the world’s top pearl producer. There are many shops with beautiful jewelry made from pearls. In addition to pearls, there are also intricate jewelry made of gold, amber and other precious stones.

You can find Qatari jewelry sold across this country from jewelry shops in the capital Doha, gold souq (gold market) to luxury shopping malls such as Mall of Qatar, or on The Pearl artificial island with the world’s top luxury malls and stores, even at jewelry stalls at Hamad International Airport.

What to buy in Qatar: Spices and herbs

Let us tell you that there is one thing that visitors are very impressed with in Qatar: Spices. Stepping into any supermarkets, shops or any market, you always smell the scent of all kinds of spices from saffron, cardamon, cumin, cinnamon, chili… and a variety of dried herbs. The spices and herbs are contained in baskets, bags, trays, rising like mini colorful mountains.

Qatar in particular or the Middle East countries in general is famous for their high-quality spices, so this is also one of the best things to buy in Qatar and best gifts from Qatar, the price is also inexpensive. Colorful bags of spices sold in shops or spices souq (traditional market) always capturing the eyes of visitors because of their vivid color as well as their fragrances.

Qatari spices have a strong scent and are quite diverse. You can touch, taste or smell at will and ask the seller to explain the use and origin of each type when choosing to buy. For those who love cooking, a gift of bags of spices from the Middle East will make them extremely happy. You can choose to buy for yourself single spices or mixed spices like masala by asking the shop owner select and mix.

Best things to buy in Qatar: Fabrics and textiles

Qatar offers a huge number of fabrics and textiles. Markets often sell fabrics in a variety of colors, styles and materials at very affordable prices. So, they are one of the cheap things to buy in Qatar. If you want to sew for yourself gorgeous clothes, fit your body bearing bold Qatari style, pick them as a gift, that’s great. The fabric quality here is very durable and hard to fade. You can also buy handmade rugs or Qatari traditional costumes, pillows… made from these woven fabrics.

Qatar is very famous for textiles, especially its traditional fabrics. Therefore, this is also one of the good gifts that you can choose to buy before leaving Qatar. Fabrics in Qatar are very diverse, rich in patterns, colorful, very good quality and do not fade. The price of fabrics is also quite cheap, so you do not need to think too much when choosing to buy.

Best things to buy in Qatar: Pashmina Shawls

Qatar pashmina shawls and scarves are both beautiful, useful and available in a variety of colors, very high quality, smooth, soft because they are handmade from one of the most expensive wools in the world, call Cashmere (or pashmina) from goat hair in Kashmir region. You can buy several shawls with different colors, designs to wear on many special occasions or in everyday life. They are not too expensive compared to other places, so try to take some home for your women.

Best things to buy in Doha: Decorative wooden boxes

One of the great Qatari traditional souvenirs is beautifully decorated wooden boxes. They come in all shapes and sizes and make a perfect gift. They are inlaid with very precious metals such as silver, gold and precious stones, amber, very intricate and exquisite. The boxes are both beautiful and very useful for storing smaller items such as pearls, jewelry or simply for display.

Arabic coffee pots

The brass Dallah coffee pot or Arabic coffee pot has been used for centuries in Middle East to make the typical strong spicy flavor of coffee. They are not only used to make coffee, but also beautiful and luxurious decorative items with their sophisticated and meticulous design. These are both collectibles and perfect gifts for the true coffee lovers.

The Arabic coffee pot is also known as the Dallah coffee pot. This is a pot commonly used by Qataris to make their special spicy coffee. Not only used to make coffee as its function, but this item also used as a nice decoration, so no matter what purpose you buy it, this is still a great choice.

Best things to buy in Doha: Dried fruits and nuts

In each market, you can find dried fruits such as grapes, dates, dried nuts, peanuts, cashews, sunflower and pumpkins seeds… These are locally grown agricultural products and are very popular in Qatar. What many visitors don’t know is that there are varieties that come in different sizes, colors, and sweetness.

Dried fruits and nutsare very popular gifts for women. This country is very famous for its dried fruits such as grapes, dates, dried nuts… Usually, dried fruits or nuts are grown locally, then they will be processed and sold to tourists or locals. Dried fruits and nuts are usually benign, less marinated, so the taste is very natural. In markets, sellers often divide them into many types by size, color and sweetness, so you can freely choose according to your preferences.

Best souvenirs from Qatar: Hookahs

Coming toQatar, you will be impressed by the beauty of the sparkling colorful hookahs (water pipes that are used to smoke dried fruits or herbs such as such as apple, mint, cherry, chocolate, coconut, licorice…). As expected of a rich country, just looking at these hookahs is enough to see how luxurious this country is.

Best souvenirs from Qatar: Essential oil, fragrances, myrrh and frankincense

Most women like seductive and passionate scents and so do Middle Eastern women. They always keep their fragrant body under the heat of the wind and the sand of the desert thanks to essential oils. And Qatar essential oils and fragrances from herbs such as rose, rosemary, lavender… are a gift that should not be missed for women, the scent is super seductive and especially long lasting. In addition, myrrh and frankincense from Oman and essential oils extracted from them are also a precious gift.

Best gifts from Qatar: Other souvenirs

In addition suggested Qatari souvenirs above you can buy other things to bring back as gifts such as refrigerator magnets, Qatari traditional costumes, handicrafts, paintings, headscarfs, frankincense, mugs, dolls, pottery…

Qatar shopping guide: Where to buy in Doha?

With its vast and duty-free shopping malls, most people think that shopping options in Doha are limited to regular duty-free chains, but the truth is that you can experience much more, everywhere.

Whether you are looking for the latest designer products (some of the biggest brands even produce special edition handbags for the local market) or a quirky Qatari-made item, you can get a lot of what you want in these shopping places in Doha! With a little know-how, patience and your own shopping ability, you’ll be rewarded with an incomparable experience. Get started with the following shopping spots around Qatar’s capital city.

Omani Souq

Address: omani Market، Doha, Qatar
Hours: 7AM–8PM

A row of shops and stalls in an open warehouse just behind the bustling Wholesale Market, this market is a treasure trove and well worth the effort to find. It got such a name because of the market’s history influenced by nearby Oman neighboring country, the market is home to hawker stalls, pottery, pomegranates and more.

During the rainy season, this is also the place to find the desert truffles, known locally as fa*gga. This kind of truffle is cheaper than truffles in Europe, but it is also expensive. The rare white fa*gga from Oman (even scarcer than the local Qatari variety) can be purchased for up to $274 per tray or $823 per kilogram.

What to buy in Omani Souq: Colorful woven baskets, dates and Oman frankincense.

Gift shop at the Museum of Islamic Art

Address: 7GWQ+6M7, Doha, Qatar
Hours: 9AM–7PM/Friday: 1:30–7PM

On the ground floor of this wonderful building, there is a gift shop which offers many souvenirs from quality replicas, handmade glassware and art books to stationery and jewelry, pottery with Arabic designs…

You will find meaningful gifts inspired by museum exhibits – most of the items are tailored for the store, so you’re sure to find something unique.

In addition to the gift shop at the Museum of Islamic Art, almost Qatar museums also have their own shops in each of their premises, including Al Riwaq, Mathaf. If you missed out on shopping for any of these, visit the In-Q store at Hamad International Airport.

What to buy at these shops: This shopping place in Doha is famous for its natural desert roses formed from plaster or baryte and grains of sand. The desert rose is a rare phenomenon formed in certain weather conditions and other items as we mentioned right above.

Souq Waqif

Address: Doha, Qatar
Hours: 8AM–12:30PM, 3–10PM/Friday: 3–10PM

Qatarhas a lot of fun places to shop, but there’s no better place for traditional souvenirs than the local markets (souq). The largest and most interesting market for visitors is Souq Waqif. This is a very popular and famous shopping place in Doha with tourists as well as locals. Souq Waqif is a mix place of restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops, jewelry, spices stalls… Most of the items are arranged into separate areas, so visitors can easily observe and compare between different stalls and items.

For visitors, it’s also the good place to find gifts like silk pashminas, shawls, traditional rugs, passionate oud perfumes, essential oils, frankincense and traditional Qatari costumes…

Leave the main promenade and get lost in the alleys, where you can see Arabic lamps, handcrafted glassware and pottery. Bustling streets with stalls selling dried fruits, nuts and boxes full of candy, sweets are must-visit spots, as well as shops filled with stamps, swords, coins, and other antiques.

Adjacent to the market is the newly opened Gold Souq. A jewelry lover’s dream, the building houses dozens of shops with jewelry made of precious metals, diamond and sparkling stones. Simply shop by looking for a unique piece – as with most stores in Souq Waqif, bargaining can be helpful when you’re looking to buy something here, even with jewelry.

When planning a tour to this Doha shopping spot, just note that the shops in both markets tend to close around 1pm and reopen after 4pm.

Art lovers can visit the Souq Waqif Art Center, which showcases the artworks of many talented Qatari and international artists. You not only can see the finished works, but you can also observe the artist’s creative process in the workshops.

In this “standing market”, visitors cannot ignore the Falcon Souq, where there are many trained falcons. This is a cultural, historical feature and also a sport of the Qatari people.

What to buy: Colorful rugs with geometric patterns, spices, handicrafts. A lovely souvenir from Gold Souq is a necklace with your name translated into Arabic calligraphy and then engraved.

Torba Farmers Market

Address: Doha, Qatar
Hours: Saturday: 7PM–1AM

Open seasonally from November to March, this market focuses on organic products and handmade items, lined up to give the impression that its stalls will be run by in-house chefs and craftspeople, although you can find some stalls from popular local restaurants and cafes also here.

What to buy: Homemade sourdough bread, locally roasted coffee beans and organic oils.

Mall of Qatar

Location: Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Al Rayyan, Qatar

As the king of retail in Qatar, this shopping destination in Doha is about 9 km from the city center and with the total retail floor area of 464,515 sqm for you to shopping, entertaining and dining.

For a shopping experience you won’t soon forget, head to the chic boutiques, luxury stores (naturally lit by the 30m-high skylights) or stroll along the nearly 500 international fashionand homewares stores, including the world’s top famous brands such as Bulgari, Tory Burch, Gucci, Prada, Valentino…

There’s a large main stage with the changing of entertainers and a 19-screenmovie theater that houses the largest IMAX screen in the Middle East.

To make the space even more interesting, dancing fountains and huge two-story artificial trees adorn the center of the complex.

What to buy: Anything can be bought! – this shopping mall in Doha is sure to please even the most demanding shopper.

If your schedule doesn’t allow you to experience the large-scale shopping at the markets, shopping malls, the ultra-luxurious duty free zone at Hamad International Airport is your shopping destination with the biggest and best brands in the world.

Villaggio Mall

Address: Al Waab St, Doha, Qatar
Hours: 9AM–10PM/Friday: 9–11AM, 12:30–11PM

Villaggio Mall is one of the luxurious and modern shopping mall of Doha with an area of ​​​​nearly 360,000 square meters. Located on Al Waab Street to the west of the city and in the Aspire area, Villaggio welcomes close to 50,000 visitors a day and around 1.5 million monthly. This place is also home to the world’s famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Gucci, Valentino,…

With an interior design in Italian Venetian style with outdoor canals, curved bridges that resemble a mini of Venice and a roof painted with a dimmable sky representing day and night, Villaggio offers visitors a dreamy Venice experience with canals and Gondolas boats right in the heart of Doha.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Doha you can refer to

• Doha Hamad International Airport Transfers
• North of Qatar Tour from Doha
• Doha Day Tour
• Doha Desert Safari Day Tour
• Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) Lounge Service
• Doha Al Wakra Souq Tour
• Desert Safari and Inland Sea Tour in Doha

Read more Qatar travel blog — The fullest Qatar travel guide for first-timers and Qatar guide and here.