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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Qatar Farm

I took this picture on a trip to Al Thaqab fort, located close to Al Zubarah fort. The fort itself is disappointing - it is simply a Hollywood construction which involved bulldozing the old remains before the new ones were built. (To add insult to injury the remains were bulldozed before any excavation could take place.)

The farm which can be viewed from the fort is more interesting. The owner, who is interested in self sufficiency, runs electricity from solar panels on the roof of his farm. He also provides water for his crops and livestock from a deep well that has been known to have been used since at least 1911.


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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Cost of Living in Qatar: Inflation, Rent and Pay Rises

Inflation has increased again in Qatar, largely due to rents which rose by nearly 30% in the period July - August, according to the Gulf Times yesterday.

Inflation has also been helped by the declining dollars, and these latest figures could help speed the demise of the doomed dollar peg.

Worryingly, the figures are higher than for neighbouring countries such as the UAE, which face many of the same problems.

Meanwhile, one expert has estimated that rental prices will continue to rise for another two years, after which supply should finally meet demand.

The message is clear for potential residents - make sure accommodation is included in your contract!

However, it's not all doom and gloom, according to rumour mongers, at least for public sector workers. The whisper is that Qatar will be following Dubai with a massive pay increase.

Dubai recently raised the pay for government workers by 70%. There is a lot of competition in the job market between Dubai and Doha, and rumours have been circulating suggesting that Qatar will follow with a pay rise of anything from 20% to 100%!


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Saturday, November 24, 2007

Qatar Natural History Group: Meeting
The Qatar Natural History Group
will be holding their next meeting on December 5th at 7.30 at the Doha English Speaking College. The meeting will not feature, as originally planned, Peter Harrigan, whose talk on Saudi Arabian rock art has been postponed to after the New year.

Instead Richard Switzer, the curator at Al Wabb preserve, will give a Introduction to the Birds of Al Wabra, which will link up to the QNHG trip to Al Wabra later in the month.

You can find more information about the reserve on the Al Wabra Wildlife Preserve Website.

Shark Teeth Field Trip

The shark teeth field trip will be taking place on the 30th November and will meet in the parking lot in front of Carrefour in Villagio Mall on Al Waab Street. The departure time is at 10 a.m., however you should aim to arrive 10-15 minutes before.


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Thursday, November 22, 2007

The Horned Viper: A Close Encounter

The horned viper responsible for scaring the familyPhotograph by Paula Hoeppner
Post by Frances Gillespie

Members of the Qatar Natural History Group on a tour of the north-western forts one Friday in late October encountered a small Horned Viper which emerged from beneath the wall of Al Rakiyat fort.

One British family had just sat down beside the wall to have a picnic when the snake was spotted adopting an aggressive stance, i.e. coiled up ready to strike, within a couple of feet of their eight-year-old son.

He quickly scrambled to his feet and no harm was done, but it was a timely reminder that although the chances of being bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion in Qatar are very rare, nevertheless it is a possibility.

The Horned Viper

The Horned Viper [cerastes cerastes gasperetti] is also known as a Sand Viper. It does not always have horns above the eyes -- the specimen mentioned above had none.

It may well be the only truly poisonous snake in Qatar, and is far less dangerous than its relative the Saw-scaled Viper which is found in the UAE and Oman. It is not an aggressive animal, but any creature will defend itself if it feels threatened.

Although quite common and widely distributed it is rarely seen; people exploring the desert are far more likely to come across its curious side-winding tracks, a series of shallow S-shaped lines on loose sand or on the surface of dunes.

Update: This post has now been picked up by the Peninsula newspaper in their story Horned Viper spotted in Qatari desert - it is worth noting, though, that the Horned Viper, though rarely seen, is not rare.

Many thanks to Frances Gillespie for this post

Also see:

An Introduction to Qatar's Natural History by the same writer

A video of a captive horned viper:






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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Powerboat Racing



This week will see the start of the fifth round of F1 powerboat racing taking place along Doha’s corniche. This is not to be confused with the offshore powerboat racing which took place last week!

The Qatar round will see not one but two main races being held. Although you will be able to see the boats on the water from the 22nd November, the actual races will be held on the 24th and 27th November at 2.30 pm.

For more information see the official site F1 Powerboat Racing. You can also view the Dangerous when Wet documentary below:







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Qatar Dugongs to be tracked by helicopter

-Dugongs swimming
Qatar has the second largest population of dugongs in the world, but little is known of these secretive creatures that often avoid the ocean’s shallows.

Dugongs feed on sea grass at the bottom of the sea. The creatures are slow moving, and a recent study in California found that they avoid their natural predators, sharks, by staying in deep water.

Now these rare creatures, which may be in danger of extinction, are to be tracked by military cameras mounted on helicopters in part of a initiative by SCENR, Dolphin Energy and the Qatar Air force, according to the Gulf Times.

If you want to know more about Qatar’s marine life, watch out for the second of Frances Gillespie’s article on Qatar Nature, which will be published next month and will include pictures of dugong. The first article, An Introduction to Qatar’s Natural History, can be seen on the Natural History section of our website.

Note - image taken from Wikipedia's page on Dugongs.

Also see: Dugong on Verge of Extinction in Qatar by the International Animal Rescue site








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Qatar jobs

Read the original story in the PeninsulaIn what must be good news for expatriates seeking jobs in the Middle East, Qatar is facing a shortage of professional staff in a number of fields, according to a story in The Peninsula today.

The fields include engineering, banking, finance, medicine and accountancy.

Part of the problem may be due to the rising cost of living and the falling value of the riyal. However one recruitment consultant, Maria Brown, said that as a result companies were offering increasingly competitive packages.

Demand, though high in all fields, was particularly strong in the banking sector.

Those accepting jobs may get an unexpected benefit in the coming months. It is looking increasingly likely that the Qatar riyals - as well as other local currencies - will be devalued. If so, the value of any savings or remittances will increase. But I'll leave it to all those bankers to work out exactly how much extra they will benefit!

Browse jobs in Qatar and the Gulf


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Monday, November 19, 2007

The Elusive Al-Wajbah Fort

There's several posts on Al Wajbah forts on the internet, but no images, so I was keen to visit and photograph the place.

Al Wajbah is of significant historical interest. It was the base of Sheikh Bin Jassim , and from the wadi below Al Wajbah, Sheikh Bin Jassim gathered the Qatar tribes people, ready to attack and defeat the Ottomans in a battle that for many would mark the start of the Qatari nation. (See The Rise of the Qatar Ruling Family and the Battle of Al Wajbah for more information.)

Al Wajbah was built in the nineteenth century, and is probably the oldest standing fort left in Qatar, although there are much older ruins in the country. The fort has sturdy walls with a tower at each corner, and slits through which arrows or bullets could be fired.

Rain water gathers below, and leads to a rare oasis. (Another example can be found on the Zekreet peninsula.)

Unfortunately, my visit was cut short before I even left the house. Ringing a friend for advice, I was informed that access to both Al Wajbah fort has now been closed.The grounds of the Royal Palace now encloses the the fort and the Oasis, and photography is no longer allowed.

Other forts, however, are still accessible, and you can read and view images of the following forts on our blog and website:

Al Koot Fort

Al Zubarah Fort

Barzan Towers

Umm Slal Mohammad: Forts Streams and Water


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Sunday, November 18, 2007

Almost Dick WhittingtonThe tickets for the Doha Player's pantomime Almost Dick Whittington are now on sale. The tickets can be purchased from the International Centre for Music on Ahmed Bin Hanbal Street (4671354) or from Music Master in Landmark Shopping Mall.

Tickets cost QAR60 for adults and QAR30 for children. Performances will be on Thursday 6th December at 7pm, on Friday 7th December at 2.30 and 6.30 pm, and on Saturday 8th December at the same time. The performance will take place at the College of the North Atlantic's Duhail complex.




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The RAF's red arrows will be flying over Doha later today as part of their Eastern tour. The flight will take place at 3.30 pm and can be viewed from Sheraton Park.

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Saturday, November 17, 2007

Aramex Shop and Ship : How to order goods to Qatar from Amazon

Review and Practical Information on the Aramex Shipping Service in Qatar



The Aramex office in Salwa RoadAs Christmas approaches, many of us will be wondering how to get presents over from the UK and USA. Not only does Amazon refuse to shop many goods abroad, when you can ship them there is the awful Q-post service to deal with. I’ve had to wait months for some packages, while others have never arrived.

Fortunately, there is an alternative, which is Aramex, a service which allows you to shop on-line to your hearts content in both the UK and US.

The Amazon website: Aramex allows you buy direct from their website

What is Aramex?

Aramex is a courier service which offers a shop and ship service to the Middle East.

First you have to set up an account with Aramex. They will then email you with log in details for their website, as well as an address in both the UK and the USA.

When you shop on-line, you have your goods shipped to your address. Then Aramex will ship the goods to the Middle East.

Shipping prices

Prices are extremely reasonable. It costs 130 riyals (35 dollars) to set up an account with Aramax. After that goods are shipped at a cost of 32 riyals (9 dollars) for the first half kilo, with an additional charge of 26 riyals (7 dollars) for each additional half kilo.

That compares to the 40 pounds (80 dollars) a courier wanted to charge me to send a CD over from the UK.

Location

I initially tried to set up an account on their website. However, this required a zip code, which I do not have. This forced me to find their office, which is located on Salwa road.

To get there drive to Ramada signals. If you are coming from the airport, take a right at the signals. Drive over the flyover, and over the first roundabout after the flyover. When you get to the second roundabout (that’s the one before Midmac roundabout), do a U turn and head back along Salwa Road. You’ll find it on the left, opposite a building site and next to the World Wide shop.

Update: As of 24th May 2008 Aramex will be moving to a new location: see this map for directions.

Service

Far too long ago I said I would update this when I had some personal experience. I have now ordered goods from both America (which Amazon sent in three different packages) and the UK. Each time the goods arrived promptly, and I received a message to pick them up on my mobile phone. When I had goods sent from the UK I actually had the goods sent to my friend's house first, as the company said they would not deliver to a PO Box, and my friend then forwarded it to the Aramex. Although this is not does not quite conform to how the shop and ship service is described, it proved to be no problem.

Obviously, I haven't had extensive experience, and I have seen mixed reviews on the Qatar Living forum (see below for the exact link), and it’s clear that if goods are confiscated by customs you have to sort it out yourself. However, I personally have had good service so far.

Contact details

Website:

www.aramex.com
Aramex: Qatar Office

Email:

Simona.Pantila@aramex.com
aramex.net@aramex.com

Address:

Aramex Building
Salwa Street
P.O. Box 23151
Doha

Telephone:

+974 450-6611

Fax:

+974 450-6622

Update:

Ordering from Amaon: Address details

When ordering from Amazon you will need to put the Aramax phone number in: 7185538740. The zip code is 11413. You need to add the # sign after your PO Box number or, strangely, you get a message saying that this is the wrong zip code.

The full address, should be something like this:

Your name:
147-29 182nd Street
DOH ____#
Springfield Gardens, NY 11413
United States

Notice that Aramex recommend reversing the street and PO box address.

Opening hours

Sat - Thurs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m

Alternative service:

Note that on the comments section below there are details of another service: Bongo International (thank you Cterwill33!) which the writer believes to be better value for heavier items.

Also see:

Life on the Spot post: Of Parcels, Mail Forwarding and Buying on the Net
Qatar Living: Discussion of the quality of Aramex's service
Qatar Visitor website: Qatar Postal Services
Qatar Visitor Currency Converter: Convert riyals into any world currency
And finally Qatar Book Reviews if you are thinking of buying any Qatar or Gulf related books!

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Friday, November 16, 2007

Qatar International Bookfair


The 18th International book fair will be held in Qatar at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre from November 28th until December 8th. Ring (+974) 4429955 or email qanal@qatar.net.qa for details.



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Also see: Qatar Book Reviews

Books, Book stores and Libraries in Qatar


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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Is the end of the dollar peg in sight?

A fifty riyal noteThe UAE announced today that it was at a crossroads with regard to the Dirham's dollar peg. The announcement followed a remark by the Qatari prime minister that the dollar was hurting the Qatari economy, which in turn followed decisions by the Gulf countries not to shadow American interest rates.

It is also coupled with recent warnings by Meryll Lynch that the peg would be difficult to sustain.

It seems increasingly likely that the riyal will be unshackled from the dollar. If another GCC country leaves the dollar peg (Kuwait has already abandoned it) there will be little point in others continuing. What's more, it is unlikely that these statements would have been made if the countries were serious about maintaining the dollar peg.

If these countries do abandon the greenback there will be a sigh of relief from many expatriate workers.

Expatriates have, in recent months, seen the value of their wages hit by inflation. This inflation has been at least partly caused by the rising cost of non-dollar imports. Because of the dollar peg, central banks have been unable to control the inflation through interest rate rises.

Most expatriates are also here to save money or to send money home. However, as the riyal has been dragged down, the value of their money in their home currency has devalued.

All these indications of devaluation, in addition to the difference in interest rates arising between America and Qatar, is bound to invite currency speculation.

In fact, I’m tempted myself to bring some of my savings into the currency. Speculators with a bigger appetite for risk – hedge funds and investment banks - will no doubt be tempted to borrow money in dollars and buy riyals.

They will then enjoy two benefits – higher interest rates than in America, and a big profit if and when the riyal revalues.

Ultimately, speculators may force the Gulf countries to abandon the peg - whether they want to or not.

Also see:

Qatar Currency Converter

Qatar Currency and Banking


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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Holiday Bazaar

The American Woman's Association will be holding their annual holiday bazaar at the Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday November 17th. Entrance costs QR10, and goods for sale include decorations for the festive season. The bazaar will start at 10 am and go on till 6 pm, although it is probably advisable to get their earlier rather than later - if only to get parking!

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Sunday, November 11, 2007

The Laughter Factory

The Laughter Factory is returning to Doha this month, with comedians Jim Tavare, Nick Wilty and Paul Chowdry playing in the Ramada on 18th and 19th of November. The shows will start at nine pm on Sunday and at eight pm on Saturday. For more details ring the Ramada on +974 4417417 or visit the Laughter Factory Website.


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Qatar Beaches: News

Relxing on the beachThe Qatar Government has plans to set up exclusive family beaches in Qatar, the Gulf Times announced today.

Even better, SCENR, the Supreme Council for Environment and Natural Reserves, has plans to curtail the use of plastic bags in the country.

The statements were made on the sidelines of a beach clean-up in Al Khor. Hopefully, SCENR will extend this clean-up to other beaches in Qatar: a trip to any popular public beach will see bare-footed children playing in sand littered with glass.

Unfortunately, SCENR didn't protect the mangrove swamps in Al Wakra. I was shocked during a recent visit to see that the mangroves swamps had been uprooted and replaced by a pool of water.

Al Wakra Mangroves - now sadly removedThe mangroves weren't just a picturesque addition to an otherwise fairly unremarkable town. Just a small area of mangroves can produce thousands of tonnes of biomass. These feed into the food chain, and the loss of these mangroves is likely to lead to a decrease in fish stocks.

It will also prove a disaster for local bird life - both herons and egrets are among the birds that frequent Qatar's mangrove forests.


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Saturday, November 10, 2007

Al Qaeda, Rudy Giuliani and Qatar

The latest Al Qaeda terrorist?

It’s not the purpose of this blog to talk about politics. However, there have recently been some outrageous press comments made about Qatar. These started after it emerged Rudy Gulliano has a security contract with the Qatar petroleum, protecting a gas processing facility, and I couldn't resist the urge to comment.

There really has been some ridiculous press: Rudy Giuliani's Al Qaeda Connection? screams Radar Online, while the All Spin Zone maintains that "old Rudy Guiliani has huge connections to Al Qaeda" and that he "claims to fight terrorism while cozying up to the terrorists".

These accusations of connections to Al Qaeda are based on events that took place in 1996, six years before the start of Rudy Giulani's contact with Qatar Petroleum. An Al Qaeda terrorist was hiding out in Qatar, and it is alleged that a sympathiser based in the government gave the terrorist the nod before he could be arrested.

The unsubstantiated allegations may or may not be true, although Qatar strongly denies them. However, it’s also worth mentioning that Qatar is one of America’s biggest allies in the Gulf.

An American plane flies over the Qatar desertIt was Qatar that opened its borders to America’s troops and planes when they were kicked out of Saudi Arabia, and it was from Qatar that America bombed Iraq. Qatar is also now one of the leaders in anti-terrorist measures in the Gulf, and the American state department says that Qatar has given America significant intelligence support since 2001.

Furthermore, since the current Emir took over in a coup in 1995, Qatar has become one of the most moderate countries in the Gulf. The country has improved human rights, made steps towards democracy with limited elections and given women more rights.

The Emir and his wife Sheikh O’Moza have stated that they see democracy and education as a way of combating extremism in the region. Very unusually in this part of the world, they have also made tentative steps towards relationships with Israel.

In fact much of what they are doing is the very anti-thesis of what Al Qaeda want.

Quite apart from the politics of the situation, gas-rich Qatar is hugely important for America’s future energy. Qatar holds the third largest gas reserves in the world – the other two countries are Russia and Iran, hardly America’s best friends. Gas exports from Qatar will single handedly turn America into the largest importer of gas in the world. Simply put, American’s can’t afford not to do business with Qatar.

While Qatar is not a perfect country, I believe it is beyond the bounds of reason to suggest that Americans should not do business with a country which may have abetted a terrorist 11 years ago but is now a strong American ally. And what is wrong with helping Qatar protect gas processing facilities that will one day provide America with fuel?

If we do take the view that doing business with Qatar is wrong, then I think business people should also think twice about doing business with countries that start illegal wars, whose secret services kidnap and torture suspects in foreign countries and who hold prisoners in detention for years without trial – i.e. with America.


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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Journalism School to Open in Doha

As Doha is home to Al Jazeera, it is perhaps not surprising that they have head hunted a top American journalism school to join other foreign universities in their state of the art Education City.

North Western’s Medill School of Journalism, which is based in Illinois, is likely to start taking students next Autumn. It is likely, if they follow the example of other universities here, that entrance requirements will be high.

What is particularly surprising, at least according to this article in the Sun Times, is that North Western believes it may even attract students from Israel.

While Qatar does maintain low key relations with Israel, it is likely that many residents and citizens, as well as neighbours such as Saudi Arabia (which does not even allow people who have visited Israel to enter their country) will be outraged.

Whether there is controversy or not – and Qatar is used to controversy with Al Jazeera, which has generally managed to annoy just about everyone except the hand that feeds it – it will be great to have some home grown journalists to take their place in Qatar’s media.

Also see:

News from Qatar and the Middle East: Up-to-date news on the Qatar Visitor website

Qatar Media and Newspapers A review of Qatar's newspapers

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Doha Powerboats: The Qatar Grand Prix

power boatThe sixth round of the 2007 World Powerboat Racing Championships will take place on the 15th, 16th and 17th of November. It'll be an exciting race for Qatar, with two teams involved, of which one - Qatar 96, driven by Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani - is currently ranked second. For more information see the official website class-1.com


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Qatar Hotels: Kids on the Beach

The Intercontinental will be holding a Kids Overnight Camp on the 15th November. The camp is open for children between the ages of 6 and 14 and there will be a charge of QAR200 per child. Rooms will be available at a special rate of QAR699++, with early check in and late check out. Ring 4844852/4844039 for more details.

Also see our website article Kids in Qatar.

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Qatar Visitor's Luxury Hotel Guide

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Budget Hotels in Qatar: Bismillah Hotel

Bismillah hotel and restaurant at nightBismillah hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Qatar, and you can see images of the Bismillah Hotel in the 1960's. This budget hotel, in the location of an old lodging place, is set above a traditional Indian restaurant. It is cheap (by Qatar standards) costing QAR350 for a single room and QAR450 for a double room. Cheap it may be, but its location is excellent - it is set in the middle of Qatar's superb Souq Waqif, and is in walking distance of Doha's Corniche.

Contact:

Tel/Fax: +974 4374417
Mob: +974 5815867
Email: alhassan_aman@yahoo.com

Also see: Budget Hotels

Write your own hotel or book review

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Monday, November 05, 2007

Qatar Natural History Group talk

Wall painting of DugongThis Wednesday Dr Mark Beech will be giving a talk on the archaeological perspective of the exploitation of the dugongs for the Qatar Natural History Group. The talk will take place at DESS and will start at 7.30 PM. Non-members of QNHG can join at the talk.

For this years full schedule, and for more details about this and other QNHG lectures, see the Qatar Natural History Group's page on the Qatar Visitor website.

The image above was taken from Wikipedia.com.

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Sunday, November 04, 2007

Al Jumeil

A solitary wall is all that remains of this house in the ruined Qatar village of Al Jumeil. This picturesque village, which was only abandoned in the 1960's, is located on the coast between Al Zubara and AL Ruweis, close to Al Ruweidah Fort.

A solitary single wall is all the remains of this house in a ruined Qatar village

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Also see:

Things to do and see in Qatar

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Saturday, November 03, 2007

Free Qatar E-cards: Virtual Post Cards and Greeting Cards

I have always hated having to purchase cards.

First there is the price. In the UK you can spend up to five pounds on a card. But they only cost pennies to make! In fact, many shops' main income comes from the huge margins they make on cards.

Then there is the environmental impact. Between American and the UK alone, seven billion paper cards a year are sent. That's enough to stretch round the world 54 times - and to destroy a few forests. And that's even before we get onto the toxic chemicals many manufacturers use to produce cards...

Finally, there is the ridiculous amount of choice you have. You go into a shop wanting a simple birthday card. Instead of picking one up and immediately walking out of the shop,you have to wade through mountains of overly specific greetings - Happy 31st Birthday to my sister-in-law, greetings to my husband on mother's day, congratulations to cousin's mother-in-law on the occasion of her grandson's first birthday e.t.c.

So why are we going on about this - there's not much relation to Qatar, is there? Well, there is, because we have started our free e-card service - using pictures of Qatar. Nor do we have mountains of greetings - apart from one card with a simple Happy Birthday, you can simply choose your own greetings and special effects.

We'll be adding more cards as we approach Eid and Christmas. In the meantime, save your money, time and the environment with our postage paid e-cards!


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