After months of speculation, official closure notices, clearance sales, and a two-month deadline extension, the Souq Najada shopping complex has finally been shut down.
Shopkeepers at the complex, often referred to as the ‘mobile phone souq’, were first served with government notices on Feb 28, with one month to relocate before utilities were shut off.
But after cries from store owners that they would suffer huge losses trying to meet that deadline, the official cut-off date for power and water was extended to June 1.
As of today, most shops at the complex are abandoned and shuttered, with a few stragglers still clearing out inventory today. That hasn’t stopped shoppers from visiting, given it’s popular location for low-income workers in the city on a Friday.
Most relocated
We spoke to a half dozen shop keepers there, who said they had relocated to other complexes in the area, including Souq Waqif, Souq Asiri and Filipino market, and the Al Watan complex behind New World Center. A large number of the 300-some shops were also reportedly relocating to the Industrial Area, while still others were heading to Barwa Village.
At least one shopkeeper, who said he couldn’t afford to relocate, was there selling remaining inventory on clearance outside his old store. “Finish, no more store,” he said.
Another said he couldn’t find a new location at the same price he paid at Souq Najada - standard rents were around 10,000-11,00 QAR a month - but that his new place in Al Watan Center was a much larger space for 15,000 QAR, which he was satisfied with.
The government acquired the Souq Najada property a few month ago “in the public interest.” Adjacent to Souq Waqif and across from the new Msheireb downtown development, it’s a prime location. The shopping complex will almost certainly be demolished, but it remains unclear what will be built in its place.
Credit: Photos by Omar Chatriwala
Hope you can join us tomorrow.
Reblogged from DohaNews:
We’re partnering with our friends at ILoveQatar.net to hold a community meeting tomorrow at the Intercontinental Doha.
The tragic events of the Villaggio Fire brought us all together to share information online, now we want take it a step further and meet in person.
Sign up on Facebook to let us know you’re coming. All are welcome, and we especially want to invite the families of the victims to share their words and prayers with us.
Sponsored by the InternContinental Doha, they’ll be hosting us in the Gazebo around back of the hotel (near Mykonos), and proving drinks and snacks.
It’s short notice, we know, but we hope you’ll be able to join us!
Scenes from the aftermath of the Villaggio fire
A day after 19 people were killed in a fire at the Villaggio Mall, many in Qatar have spent the day mourning those lost in the blaze.
Hundreds of people gathered for vigils and prayer services at Aspire Park, the Pearl-Qatar, Abu Hamour cemetary and the church complex to pay their respects to the dead.
Other mourners opted to leave flowers at the Villaggio sign, while inside the mall, firefighters and clean-up crews were still at work.
After sunset, an unusual darkness shrouded the normally brightly-lit mall, which will apparently remain closed for at least two weeks.
Flowers left for the dead outside Villagio Mall (Taken with instagram)
Villaggio fire: The day after (live blog)
Nineteen people, including 13 children, were killed in a fire that broke out at Villaggio Mall Monday morning, according to officials (yesterday’s live blog here). Details about the cause of the blaze are still unknown, but as Qatar struggles to pick up the pieces, we’ll provide the…
We’re keeping up with the latest in the aftermath of the tragedy. Follow the live blog here.
Today is a sad day for Qatar. My heart goes out to the families of the children, teachers and firefighters who perished in the Villaggio fire. May God comfort you all through this difficult time. (Photo from Doha News)
Qatar reels after Villaggio fire kills 19, including 13 children.
Still adding to this story. Check Doha News for the latest.
A fire broke out at the Villaggio Mall around 11am this morning, according to witnesses. Details are still coming out, and the extent of the damage is still unclear. Here is the latest we have on the blaze.
UPDATE |5:36pm:
We’re at National Central Command waiting for the Ministry of Interior to share more details about what happened at Villaggio today.
Brian Candy was at the mall earlier today and share these images with us:
UPDATE | 4:24pm: As speculation about the death toll abounds, the Ministry of Interior has called a press conference for 6pm tonight:
Public will be updated on details of the press conference through our facebook and twitter pages.
— MOI, Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) May 28, 2012UPDATE | 3:51pm: We spoke with a mom whose child attends Gympanzee. She is at the hospital attending to children who were at Villaggio during the fire.
She said 12 children have been confirmed dead, though not all necessarily from Gympanzee. Parents who are looking for their kids should go to Hamad’s Women’s Hospital Emergency Room.
UPDATE | 3:33pm:
Still no details but it’s looking more likely that a number of people were either injured or killed in today’s fire at Villaggio.
The concerned authorities are taking toll of human casualties and material losses at Villaggio fire. All the details will be updated.
— MOI, Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) May 28, 2012Over the phone, both the police and fire departments sounded quite chaotic, and when asked about deaths, Doha News was told simply: “We don’t know yet.”
UPDATE | 2:56pm:
Details about the cause of the fire, the damage, and number of casualties are still sketchy. The Ministry of Interior says they will elaborate this evening:
A press conference is being convened today evening to explain about the human casualties, other losses and causes of fire at Villaggio.
— MOI, Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) May 28, 2012At least two photos have started circulating on Twitter that people claim depict deaths from the fire. Hamad Medical Corporation says they cannot comment at the moment, but will release a statement later.
UPDATE | 2:27pm:
Witnesses standing outside the mall say it hasn’t been completely evacuated, and that people are still being brought out of the building.
@QatarToday an here too. Yes ppl still inside.
— vani saraswathi (@vanish_forever) May 28, 2012All these being brought out now seem to be cops or security guards. #VillaggioFire not the end of it.
— vani saraswathi (@vanish_forever) May 28, 2012Smoke outside the building, meanwhile, is apparently dissipating.
UPDATE | 1:56pm:
Although the fire has apparently been quelled, still not a good idea to head to the Villaggio area. Police detours and traffic jams are reported on Al Waab Street.
@dohanews RT @DohaBen: @katiebakesx there’s a road block at the torch lights and ambulances are still going to the scene.
— glen coco (@katiebakesx) May 28, 2012Rumors also abound on Twitter that varying numbers of people were killed in the fire. Officials have so far said this is untrue.
UPDATE | 1:25pm:
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior is reporting that the fire has now been contained. In a post on Facebook at 1:21pm, it said:
Fire has been controlled initially. Firefighters and other concerned security persons are trying to remove smoke and cool the place. Cooperate with Police to convey only the facts.
UPDATE | 1:07pm:
Two hours into the fire, it still does not appear to be contained.
Firefighters and other security personnel are working to contain the fire at Villagio. They have already evacuated all persons in the mall.
— MOI, Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) May 28, 2012#VillagioFire Firefighters have reached the main source of fire at Villagio and surrounded the area with all means to extinguish fire.
— MOI, Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) May 28, 2012Authorities are asking people not to “spread rumors as it will create panic among people.”
So far, one person has been transferred to Hamad Hospital for medical treatment, but his condition is unknown, an HMC representative told Doha News.
UPDATE | 12:56pm:
Concerns have been raised about children being trapped inside Villaggio’s Gympanzee Nursery, but they appear to have been rescued:
Ok they are finally getting the kids out. Oh my god. #villagio
— BintAlRifai (@BintAlRifai) May 28, 2012EARLIER:
Initial reports from the Ministry of Interior (MOI) say the fire began at Gate 3, and witnesses told Doha News that the Nike store and the Go Sport shop were seen on fire.
No serious injuries or deaths have been reported, but MOI is treating some at the scene for smoke inhalation.
More details as we get them.
VIDEO:
We can’t get anyone who works at the mall on the phone, but here’s what we’ve been told by people there:
@dohanews big smoke coming out from villaggio food court
— Adria Massaguer (@adriatomatic) May 28, 2012Villagio on fire @dohanews
— Stephanie Fensom (@StephQatar) May 28, 2012@dohanews fire in Villaggio.Everyone being evacuated
— Hamish Scott (@hamishfs) May 28, 2012@dohanews i can even see ashes on alwaab street. #Qatar. Its a major fire and gate 1 and 2 all under police control. twitter.com/MohsinAltaf/st…
— Mohsin Mohammad (@MohsinAltaf) May 28, 2012@dohanews Ahem, reporting live from Ground Zero. The fire isn’t as big as it seems. In fact the alarms are off.
— Alim Salahud-din (@alimsalahuddin) May 28, 2012@dohanews Fire is getting larger.
— Alim Salahud-din (@alimsalahuddin) May 28, 2012@dohanews the picture of the inside yfrog.com/nyijwimj
— Harsh Kanjani (@Harsh_rk) May 28, 2012Villagio now. Fire has spread right the way down. #doha #qatar @dohanews twitter.com/katiebakesx/st…
— glen coco (@katiebakesx) May 28, 2012Has definitely calmed down a lot at villaggio. Think they have it contained now #doha #qatar @dohanews twitter.com/katiebakesx/st…
— glen coco (@katiebakesx) May 28, 2012@dohanews huge traffic, police diverting traffic away from area. I was with kids in bowling and I was told nothing to worry about.
— Ghida Khalil (@GhidaZK) May 28, 2012PHOTOS:
Credit: Photos courtesy of Babs, Candida A. Myers, Susie Billings, Ben Phillip, Udhin krisdhianto, Nodi_Qtr, Harsh_Rk, Fahad Buzwair, Ghalia Al-M, Vani Saraswathi
Has the heat brought out the hot pants? A question of Qatar's dress code, part II
As Qatar’s temperature rises, so too are hemlines at Qatar’s malls, according to a story in local Arabic newspaper Al Raya.
In an article published last week, author Aisha Buhadi asserts that more expat women are wearing short shorts and miniskirts - in violation of expectations of modest dress - and are creating friction with locals.
Here’s a translated excerpt from the story:
(Qatari women) confirm that the scene has become provocative towards the feelings of many shoppers, and has often pushed some of them to directly criticise the women who don’t respect the customs and traditions of the conservative Gulf society.
And sometimes, the discussion turns into a heated dialogue, that ends up with the Qatari woman insisting that the naked (skimpily dressed) foreign women leave the shopping mall for violating the instructions that call for modest dressing.
This forces the mall security to take the indecent foreigner outside the shopping mall.
Al Raya’s English-language sister publication Gulf Times touches on that story again today, with a salesperson telling the newspaper that “displaying mini skirts and shorts and matching blouses is a must because they are very much in demand.”
Sheikh Tariq al-Kubaisi, referred to as a cleric, is meanwhile insisting that such attire “is a sign of loose morals and it must be checked by the authorities.”
It certainly isn’t the first time the issue of what constitutes appropriate dress in Qatar have been raised.
Just three months ago, a user posted on popular community forum Qatar Living that she was harassed at Villggio Mall for the way she was dressed.
What do you make of all this? Has what’s considered “appropriate” to wear become a bigger issue in Qatar?
Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala
Cityscape Qatar winds down at the Doha Exhibition Center tonight after offering a glimpse of things to come for the city, the country and the region.
Many of the big developers in town - Barwa, UDC, Ezdan and Al Futtaim - were touting their latest and greatest projects at the three-day conference and show.
IKEA update
Al Futtaim group, which is developing Doha Festival City and Qatar’s first IKEA, had a model of the sprawling mall on display.
A representative there confirmed to Doha News that construction of the IKEA store is slightly behind schedule, and is due to open in the beginning of 2013, rather than by the end of the year, as initially announced.
She also joked that the development, expected to be the second-largest mall in the world (after Dubai Mall), will be renamed IKEA Festival City due to the sheer number of inquiries they’ve had about the Swedish home goods store.
BARWA
Over at the Barwa booth, the company was showing off three of its big projects:
Barwa Commercial Avenue: A sprawling 1,000,000 square meter commercial & residential strip being built on Al Muntazah Road. It stretches over eight kilometers and seeks to offer everything from hotels to office space, housing, food courts, groceries, doctors, and pretty much anything else you could ever need. (It isn’t clear when it will be fully open, but office and retail space are already being leased.)
Barwa Al Baraha: Also known as Workers City, the residential development will house some 53,000 low-income laborers; the largest such project in the Gulf. Announced in 2008, the project’s first phase - a large truck park - has already been completed. But the housing phase, which has yet to go to tender, won’t be done until 2014.
Barwa City: The square kilometer residential and commercial development is just south of Commercial Avenue. Barwa City’s 6,000 apartments are currently only being offered to government and businesses, with tenants due to move in on July 1. Phase two would see it expand to include schools, a hotel and hospital.
The company also used Cityscape to announce a new project: the Lusail Golf Residential Development. The 3.7 sq. km development will have both residents and sports facilities, including an 18-hole golf course and country club.
EZDAN
At the Ezdan booth, visitors could get a glimpse of the company’s upcoming Al Gharafa Mall. The three-floor, 37,000 sq. meter shopping complex on Al Shamal Road is expected to open this September across the road from Landmark Mall. No details yet on specific retailers that will be setting up shop there.
Credit: Photos from Cityscape Qatar 2012 by Omar Chatriwala. Video courtesy of Barwa, rendering courtesy of Ezdan Real Estate.
A #night view of the Museum of #Islamic #Art and the #Doha #skyline, #Qatar (Taken with instagram)
Siphon #coffee at Jones the Grocer, #Qatar (#yum) (Taken with instagram)
Siphon Coffee finally makes it to Qatar (Taken with instagram)
Inside Muneerah Mosque, #Doha #Qatar #Friday (Taken with Instagram at West Bay)
A couple sits and watches the Mediterranean on the corniche in La Marsa, Tunisia.
(by Omar Chatriwala)
People crowd the corniche in La Marsa, Tunisia on the evening of May Day.
(by Omar Chatriwala)
