Visit us in the Falcon Souq at Souq Waqif
Our shop is in Souq Waqif, inside the Falcon Souq in the centre of Doha: Al Huwaila Hunting Equipment. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 8:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 22:00, Friday evening only 16:00 to 22:00, closed Saturday. Before you set off, ring 4465 0041 or send us a WhatsApp on 5094 7142 and make sure what you want is on the shelf.
Where exactly is the shop, and how do I get to it?
The Falcon Souq is part of Souq Waqif: the lane with the falcon and bird shops in it, close to the Falcon Hospital. Anybody working in the souq will point you to it if you ask. If you are driving, the Souq Waqif car park is underground, and from there it is a few minutes on foot.
First time coming? Call us from the car park and we will tell you the nearest entrance. That is easier than going round the souq looking for it, especially at night when the crowd builds up.
What are the hours, and when is the best time to come?
- Sunday to Thursday: 8:00 to 13:00, and 16:00 to 22:00
- Friday: 16:00 to 22:00 only
- Saturday: closed
To take your time and go through things properly, come in the morning, Sunday to Thursday: the souq is quiet and there is room to try and to ask. If only the evening works for you, early evening after 16:00 is calmer than late at night, because Souq Waqif fills with families and visitors after Maghrib, Thursday and Friday most of all. And if you are putting a kit together for a weekend out, come at the start of the week rather than on Thursday night, when what you wanted may already have gone.
What will I find in the shop?
The shop is laid out in eight departments, in the same order as on the site:
- Flashlights: from pocket lights and head torches to long-range throwers
- Camping and trip supplies: from coffee and tea sets to lighting and chairs
- Hunting knives: folding and fixed blade
- Butchery and kitchen knives
- Hunting supplies
- Weapon accessories
- Binoculars
- Electronics
We hold 13 official agencies: ACEBEAM, FENIX, NITECORE, XTAR and RovyVon in lighting and power, COLD STEEL, SCHRADE, Spyderco, OPINEL and Cudeman in knives, ARCOS and F.DICK in butchery and kitchen knives, and Smith's in sharpening. Beside them we carry goods imported under the Al Huwaila name, and the shelves hold 48 brands in all.
Why try a flashlight in my hand before I buy it?
Because the spec sheet does not tell you everything. The lumen figure measures the total light a torch puts out, not how far it reaches: the reach comes from the lens and the reflector. A 1000 lumens light with a deep, narrow reflector throws further than a 2000 lumens one with a wide beam. Looking for something far off over the dunes, you want a tight beam; lighting the inside of a tent or the pot you are cooking on, you want a wide one that does not blind the eye.
Other things you can only judge by hand: the weight with a battery in it, whether the switch falls under your thumb with gloves on, whether there is a lock to stop it coming on by accident in a bag, how hot the body gets on the highest setting. Come to the flashlights section and try four or five in a row. You will feel the difference in the first minute.
Why not just order a knife or binoculars online?
A knife that looks handsome in a photograph can sit heavy in the palm, or the handle may not fill your hand. Hold it, see whether the weight leans to the blade or to the handle, and try opening the folder one handed. The steel makes a real difference: a carbon steel such as XC90 comes sharper and is easier to bring back on a stone, but it rusts if you do not dry and oil it, while a stainless such as 12C27 or 440C is more patient with damp and sea salt and wants finer sharpening. No steel is better than all the rest; there is a steel that suits the way you use it.
Binoculars are the same story. The two numbers on them, 8x42 or 10x42, are the magnification and the diameter of the front lens in mm. Divide the second by the first for the exit pupil: 42 divided by 8 is 5.25 mm, and that is what shows you more in the half light and the early part of the night than a 10x42, whose exit pupil is 4.2 mm. High magnification also shows up every shake of the hand, so 10x without a rest tires the eye after a while. Pick a pair up in the binoculars section, look at something far off and compare for yourself before you decide.
Can I order from the site and collect from the shop?
Yes. Choose what you want on the site and complete the order; payment is by bank card online through the SkipCash gateway. And if coming in does not suit you, there is delivery inside Qatar.
Why collect from the shop? You get the thing in your hand and switch it on, and if the size or the weight does not suit the way you will use it, you are standing at the shelf and can compare it with something else there and then instead of waiting.
How do I get in touch before I come?
- Shop phone: +974 4465 0041
- WhatsApp: +974 5094 7142
- Instagram and Snapchat: al_huwaila
WhatsApp is the quickest: send the link to the item from the site or a photograph of it, ask about the size or the type you want, and we answer during opening hours. If you are coming from outside Doha and it is a long drive, make sure before you set off, above all ahead of the camping season, when some items are in heavy demand and leave the shelf fast.