Jump to full article: Agence France Presse (AFP) (fr), 2006-09-25
Author: Faisal Baatout
Intro: Across the entire Gulf, major hotels are using massive luxury tents to attract those breaking their fast at nightfall during the month of Ramadan when they can once again eat and smoke.
The Sheraton in the Qatari capital Doha has this year opted for the open air, putting up a giant Bedouin-style air-conditioned tent looking out over a lagoon.
"We named our tent 'Children of the Medina', after the masterpiece by the Egyptian writer Nagib Mahfuz", the Nobel literature laureate who died last month aged 94, the hotel's Shukri Hussein told AFP. . . .
The cheapest charge for entry to these Ramadan soirees is 75 riyals, or about 20 dollars.
During Ramadan, Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from the rising of the sun to its setting. But when night falls they make up for it. The evening gatherings often last until "suhur", the final meal before fasting resumes at dawn.
Restaurants, hotels, cafes and especially Bedouin tents brim with those paying lip service to the temperance urged during the holy month, when long evenings are often marked by sessions with a shisha water pipe. . . .
It is the same in all the main cities of the Gulf's other monarchies. Whether it be Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Jeddah or Riyadh in Saudi Arabia or in Kuwait, restaurant owners and hoteliers compete to outdo each other in their efforts to attract as many Ramadan patrons as possible.
Jump to full article » |