The wonders of Qatar

FREE FOOD, good coffee and a Henna tattoo, also for free.  The Qatari exhibition currently running at the International State Fair in Nicosia is open from 10am – 10pm to the general public with the aim being to encourage cross-cultural understanding.

The exhibition is held to coincide with National Day, the Qatari holiday which celebrates the accession to the throne of Shaikh Jasim, the ruler who secured Qatari independence from the Ottoman Empire.

President Demetris Christofias, who attended the exhibition yesterday, expressed the gratitude of the Republic of Cyprus to Qatar`s leadership for choosing Cyprus as the hosting-county of the first international exhibition about Qatar.

“We deeply appreciate Qatar`s stance on the Cyprus problem and the Emir`s assistance with a view to proceed towards a solution of the Cyprus problem and to promote the prospects for developing the multilateral financial and cultural relations between the two countries,” he said.

At the exhibition visitors are invited to sample a number of quite filling Qatari national dishes from falafel in pita to small, sweet pancakes fried on the spot in the traditional way.  Arabic tea and coffee is also on offer as are temporary Henna tattoos done in the traditional way, which last for around 14 days.

When fresh the Henna stands out in relief, and is black.  Once this has dried, you peel off the relief and are left with a brown pattern which dries over time to a deeper brown.

“Qatar’s aim, in all areas, is to show a good example,” said Maryam Ali Al-Beshri, the official co-coordinator of the event “We aim for perfection, so as to be a role model”.

The exhibition runs until this evening.

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