Mushairib/Souq Waqif​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interviewee: Essa Al-Hazza

Today we have a person from Old Doha, which was composed of many famous places and many names like, Mushairib, An Najjadah, Sharq, New Doha, El Bedde’e, Ar Rumailah, Al-Asiri, Islatah, Souq Waqif. Inshallah, today we will get new information about that time of era that we didn’t live.​

 

 

Could we, please, know your name?
Essa: Essa Hazza Abdulla Hazza Al-Hazza

And could we know when you born?
Essa: I was born in 1949  

Where did you live in that period of time?
Essa: I born in An Najjadah neighborhood. An Najjadah located near to Souq Waqif. I grew up in that place; that place didn’t have electricity and water; its buildings were built of stones and clay. In the summer you have to use to the weather. In the winter, when it is raining, the rain lake into the house from every side.

So, can you locate your Neighborhood now? Which place nowadays?
Essa: Now, they collect El Bedde’e, An Najjadah, Souq Waqif, and Mushairib; under one name and called it Mushairib.

So now it is the new Mushairib?
Essa: Yes, it is the one which they are developing. It is changed now, not like the old days.

Okay. Nowadays, where do you live?
Essa: Now I live in Al Azizieya.

Okay can you mention some families whom lived in Doha?
Essa: For example we have Al-sulaiti family whom lived in Islatah. Al-Asiri Family lived in Al-Asiri; some lived in El Bedde’e, some in An Najjadah, and many other families whom I don’t remember them.

Now this whole place is what we call Doha?
Essa: Yes, it is the large place which we call Doha.

Why did you came to this place?
Essa: Our fathers lived in that place in the past. They lived that place because on the nearest of water and Souqs. The Water was not delivered to houses; we had to carry it on donkeys.

If you don’t mind we have a question (what were the games you played at that time)?
Essa: When we return from school we finish our hw first then we divide into two teams and play football (it was a piece of leather and filled with a tube and sewed by hand) and at night we play night games such as ‘kheshishah’ (hide and seek) we also played ‘alglenah and almatoo’ old games in addition to ‘telah’ (a game using small glass balls)

Was there electricity at that time?
Essa: No, at the 50’s we didn’t have electricity yet. But some people were depending on the flash light ( old kind called ‘bujlye’) and if they don’t have a flash light they will use a portable light that works on gas (called ‘alfnr’) and people from the after noon ( around 3-4 pm) start to fill the portable light with fuel and set them in the rooms and walls. He explanned how did it look like ( made from metal base and handle and the middle part was covered with glass and it was filled with gas. I used to study under the light of ‘alfnr’ when my mother turns on the light and I write my hw on the floor.

Did you had television then and when did you first saw one
Essa: No, we first saw the television in 1966 it was black and white. We could only see few channels at night (maximum 9 pm no later than that).

At those days, were there different shops?
Essa: Not like nowadays, the most important one was Souq Waqif wich contained most of our needs such as beans and meats and clothes and underwears after that we had alsalam shops and it increased as time passes by.

Could you tell us about the different kinds of meals popular at that time?
Essa: One of the famous meals we had was the ‘makbous’ ( rice with chicken/meat/fish) which can be with grilled meat or with ‘marag’. Our main courses were the lunch and dinner while we had fresh goat or cow milk for breakfast

How was the education back then
Essa: At first I started with a small school close to my house then I transferred to a school called `Khalid bin alwaleed’. When we first entered schools we didn’t have chairs nor desks, we sat on the floor. After couple of years we had chairs and desks. Then the school started to give us a breakfast meal (a boiled egg, a piece of bread and a glass of milk) in the recess. Then we started to have a cafeteria at the school offering sandwiches and some juices. At that time you could buy a sandwich and juice for only half of a Qatari Riyal.

What was the kind of medication at that time?
Essa: We had a small clinic with some doctors to give us medicine. In addition to that, the schools had a special medical complex for students who get injured or sick. We also had an old hospital called ‘Alrumailah’ (not the current one, it was located at Souq Waqif).

What were the kinds of jobs your families depend on?
Essa: Our families worked in different fields such as fishing, giving directions, carpenter, they didn’t felt ashamed of working any job. Our lives were simple.

 

Thanks father (a way of respecting elder people) for your time and valuable information