Preserving musical heritage Qatar's bid to preserve its tradition in music and the arts amidst rapid development towards postmodernism is a daunting challenge. It reaffirms the country's unrelenting efforts towards maintaining a sense of history and cultural awareness. Traditional musical instruments continue to flourish and have an enviable position in Qatar. This is evidenced by the presence of a number of music shops in Doha. One such shop in Souq Waqif produces, repairs and sells two important Arabic musical instruments - the oud and the tabla. "We have other native instruments here but more famous are oud and tabla," said Ibrahim, owner of the music shop. The popularity of the two instruments is very evident in the shop's wide collection. One unique feature of the store is a workshop where instruments are assembled and sometimes refurbished. Ibrahim's son is adept in crafting the oud whose materials come from other countries. In some countries, in the past, drums were used as a means of communication, for religious and ceremonial purposes, and even in wars. In Qatar, it is used as a medium to communicate the beauty of its music and poetry through generations. The tabla also called darbuka or doumbek is a goblet shaped single headed Arabic drum made of brass, aluminium, and aluminium with vinyl covering. It has intrigued generations for thousands of years for the exotic and mystic music it produces. At present it is the most popular percussion instrument in this part of the world. The oud is one of the oldest and most popular Arabic instruments alluded to one of Adam's descendants. This stringed instrument is unique not only because of its shape which allows a more complex tone but also in the absence of frets giving the player freedom to be more expressive. Asked if there's a dearth of music stores in Qatar selling traditional instruments, Ibrahim said, "There are a number of stores in Doha." He added that his shop is known since it happens to be situated in the heart of Doha and in Souq Waqif, a famous tourist destination. An oud player himself, Ibrahim said that many of his buyers are Arabs. He related that the instruments come from different Arab countries like Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria. The cheapest tabla can be bought for a hundred riyals and the most expensive at more than two thousand. He said that the price depends on the materials used for making it and the country where it came from. For oud, a cheap one can cost less than QR500 while the best quality can be bought for QR5,000. "The best ouds come from Iraq," Ibrahim said. History tells that it has a long tradition in Iraq aptly summarised by an old saying, "In its music lies the country's soul." Both the oud and tabla are used in many gatherings which require music and dance, most popular of which is the ardha or the sword dance performed during celebrations like weddings, Eid and Independence Day. The Pen

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