Eid al - Adha .. The big boom season in the sheep market in Qatar

Imad Murad-Doha

Eid al-Adha is a great opportunity for Mehdi Abdullah to make double profits compared to the rest of the year as a sheep trader. He is eagerly awaiting these days annually with preparations several months ahead.

Mahdi, who has been working in the sheep market in Doha for more than 35 years, is preparing to provide a large number of sheep from different Arab markets to satisfy all tastes, as well as to secure her food and drink until sold this week.

According to Al-Mahdi, sheep sales are more than 50 times higher than normal days. Everybody in Qatar is keen to offer the sacrifice and prefer sheep.

Local and Syrian
Local and Syrian lambs are the bestsellers despite the high prices of between 1,000 and 1300 riyals (about $ 375-274) and despite the presence of Somali sheep, which does not exceed 450 riyals (about $ 123), but Mahdi is keen to have all kinds of displayed.

The trader adds that Qataris and residents are keen to buy sacrifices a week or two before Eid al-Adha, especially that with the approaching days of Eid, where the market is full of buyers, everyone wants to stay away from this congestion, as well as the relatively different prices between the two periods, which rise during the Eid period due to the high demand.

Terms
Mahdi gave advice to those who want to buy the sacrifice this year, explaining that the buyer should take care of some elements in the sheep or any other sacrifice, the most important of which is to be intact without any fractures, and have teeth full of ear and eyes healthy because they are essential conditions of the sacrifice.

A month before Eid al-Adha, the man goes home only for a few hours, so how can he leave this season, the annual lifeline to make big profits? The day begins immediately after Fajr prayer, waiting for his customers known by name for him, but there are people who do not come to the market but knows their request And go to them the number of sacrifices agreed annually.

Cattle market
Al-Jazeera Net toured the cattle market divided into several sections, there is a section for cattle and another for camels and a third for sheep and goats, in the middle of a section for the various fodder needed by those who purchase the sacrifice to secure her food until the date of slaughter, in addition to the Department of slaughterhouse dedicated to slaughter operations.

With the dawn of the day, thousands of people flock to the market in search of a proper sacrifice. The visitor first takes a tour of the market to find out the prices before making a decision.

ceremony
During the long years of work, Mahdi talks about the differences in supply, sale and purchase between the past and the present, explaining that 20 years ago the market was modest and the turnout is very low due to the small population in the country at the time, but now and with the big boom both in population and per capita income has been achieved A big leap in sales not only at Eid al-Adha, but all days of the year.

The slaughter of the sacrifice is one of the ceremonial ceremonies in the Qatari house where the family members gather, and after the slaughter is complete, the children of the house distribute meat to the remaining houses of the Freej (neighborhood) will be a feast for all members of the family gathered at the feast.