For The Silk Road Kung Fu Friendship Tour Part 20, click here.

Wushu in the Harmonious Land of Qatar

This visit to Qatar is my first to one of the Maritime Silk Road countries and also the first time I stayed for any length of time in the Middle East. True, three weeks isn’t long, but hopefully enough to get a feel for the culture, some introduction to the local martial arts and state of Wushutraining in this lovely ancient land where mysteries only unfold in their own good time. In my opinion, to travel and not learn about the indigenous martial arts is – to put it bluntly – downright rude and so I explored many aspects of martial arts here including history, ancient swordsand honor codes, falconry and even fashion, as Gulf region traditional clothing is related to survival here in one of the hottest places on earth.

It wasn’t easy to find the Kung Fu people in Qatar perhaps because July and August are the hottest months with average daily temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and many of those with the capacity to fly or sail to cooler climes do so. Fortunately while I was here I had the honor to meet and interview Tai Chi teacher Linda Aarts who’s been living in Qatar for about six and a half years... but first some background on Qatar, its history and martial traditions.

Qatar is a small peninsular country on the east coast of Arabia, with the Arabian Gulf to the east and Gulf of Bahrain to the west. The total population of Qatar is around two million of which only about 270,000 are actually Qataris with the rest being foreign workers, teachers, experts of one kind or another, technicians, and so on brought here to build and support a very futuristic nation. So this country is kind of like a miniature United Nations and as far as I could tell everyone gets along marvelously. But to even begin to understand any land or culture one must look its history, shrouded as parts may be in the mists of time, yet brilliantly preserved in myths, legends and arcane texts which I always seek out.

Background

In the 5th century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus referred to the seafaring Canaanites as the original inhabitants of Qatar. The geographer Ptolemy showed on his map of the Arab world ‘Gatara’ which is believed to refer to the ancient now abandoned Qatari town of Zubarah up on the northwest coast. Once upon a time though it was one of the most important trading ports in the gulf region. There are at least 100 tribes or large extended families within Arabic culture each with its own distinct history and sub-cultures. The Al-Thani tribe is the most powerful here in Qatar being the tribe of the Emir, followed by the Al-Emadi, Al- Mana, and Al-Kaabi families and so on. Some 13 tribes have the lion’s share of the ministerial positions in Qatar according to the Council of Ministers. Qatar was once controlled by the sheikhs (tribal leaders) of Bahrain, but in 1867 war broke out between the tribes in Qatar and those in Bahrain. Consequently the British appointed Muhammad ibn Thani al-Thani, head of the leading Qatari family as this nation’s ruler. In 1916, the emir agreed to allow Qatar to become a British protectorate.

Like his father, the current Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani is an avid sportsman, promoter of the arts and humanitarian causes. In 2005 he founded the Oryx Qatar Sports investment company. In 2006 he chaired the organizing committee of the 15th Asian Games in Doha – this was the first time all country members attended. That same year readers of the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahran voted Emir Tamin “best sport personality in the Arab world.” Qatar has hosted many international sports events like the 2014 FINA, International Swimming Federation’s World Championships and is already preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, probably the single most popular sports event in the world. Emir Tamin is also a member of the International Olympic Committee. In other words, he’s not your average national leader. He’s a sports guy who as a lad was sent to school in England, and graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.

When I first came here to Qatar, like most people I thought of this country as a desert land with not much growing except desert brush and maybe some palm trees along the coast, and the animal life limited to camels, snakes, and scorpions, etc. But, having been here a while now I can confidently report most of my preconceived notions were wrong for hidden beneath the deserts dry and sandy appearance lays a rich and delicate beauty, full of life, color and variety. Hundreds of species of plants and animals fill the wide plains and warm surrounding seas, many of which are endangered species. In the spring I was told the desert blooms with grasses and flowers and through the summer in the oasis fruits of countless varieties ripen as I saw and tasted.

Myths and legends about unicorns have ancient roots and are spread around the world, for example in the ancient city of Taxila in Pakistan this past winter I found stone images of unicorns. Some believe the origin of those myths may be found here in Qatar’s desert oasis with the Oryx, a deer like animal with long straight horns. Were an Oryx to lose one horn, and/or just be seen from the side, it could indeed resemble the magical unicorn. The national flower of Qatar is the “Qataf” also known as Limonium, but one will see all kinds of flowers in the oasis with the “frangipani” flower – also widely found in South Asia – smiling happily at the skies filling the air with sweet fragrant smells – yep even in July.

July is hot though, rather like a steamy blast furnace except in the deliciously moist and lush oases. Fortunately though a small country, Qatar is also the richest country in the world as measured by GDP and they have wonderful air conditioning everywhere. Hospitals, education, electricity, and water are all free at least for the Qataris.

Souk Wakif

My first day here I went to the old traditional maze-like market Souk Wakif, an ancient place full of shops and restaurants and a colorful mix of people from all over. There are Qatari people, distinctive because most Qataris wear long white traditional Arab Gulf clothing, as do some of the immigrants, hailing primarily from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and a few other places, about half of whom wear their own traditional clothing so sometimes it’s pretty easy to guess where people are from. This ancient market quickly became my favorite hangout in Doha.

Soon after arriving in Doha I was wandering the winding old stone roads in Souk Wakif and happened upon a sword shop. I went in and introduced myself to two gentlemen Shamsan Algebahy from Yemen, and Salah from Syria who own this place. I also found out their factory was nearby and arranged to meet to visit the factory. The steel I learned comes either from India, Syria, or Germany, and in the factory I visited they manufacture and attach hilts and make exquisite scabbards. Later on, Shamsan and Saleh taught me more about Qatari swords and culture in various forms.

Museum of Islamic Arts.

 

Museum of Islamic Arts and Al Furusiyah

Soon after my arrival in Doha I went to the Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha, an ultra-modern architectural masterpiece located on an man-made island in the Persian Gulf. I toured and took several hundred photos of their fabulous collection, and then found my way to the rare book room which I’d read about on the Internet. There I was so very fortunate to meet the Library Coordinator Soumeya, who helped me find an ancient book I’d been looking for called Al Furusiyah. Though they didn’t have it in their collection she found a pdf with some English translations of the Contents at least in the Qatar National Library online system, thus I was able to download a copy of this magnificent book. For those not familiar with it, Al Furusiya is a Mamluk (warrior slaves of primarily Egypt who ultimately became the leaders the Muslim Empire) manual on martial arts written in 1348 by Muhammad ibn Is ibn Isma’il ibn al Aqsara in Damascus, recorded by the scribe Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Ahmad al-Misri, which covers horsemanship, archery, use of the lance, swordsmanship, mace, the arts of soldiers and cavalrymen, conscription, assembling of troops, arrangements of battle lines, military strategy, and divisions of spoils, along with 18 colored paintings and 25 diagrams!

That very same evening I was reading a book titled The Great Caliphs, The Golden Age of the Abbasid Empire, specifically about al-Nasir (1180-1225) and found:

“Having achieved some freedom of political action he (Al-Nasir) set about restoring the authority of the caliphate by developing an integrative version of Islam which brought together Sunnism and Shi’ism under the umbrella of Sufism (Islamic mysticism). He gave his religious program an institutional framework in the form of futuwwa, a term literally meaning ‘young men’ but used in this era for groups of men bound by a common moral or honor code and loyal to a particular master of leader… Al-Nasir reformed the organization, took over its leadership himself and made it into an empire-wide hierarchy, a military order in the service of the caliph.”

Personally I believe all great martial arts have an honor code, for without such I don’t consider it “great.” Some translate Futuwwa as chivalry, a Sufi term also meaning virtue. In Medieval Muslim culture this included honestly, peacefulness, gentleness and generosity. I also recently read a book by John Man titled Saladin, the Life, the Legend and the Islamic Empire. Remarkable as it may seem to some readers, even western writers and historians hold Saladin to be a paragon – not perfect but generally pretty darned good – model of chivalry. For example, when King Richard lost his horse in battle, Saladin sent him two. When Richard was sick, Saladin sent him medicine.

Khidaj Fort.

 

Ancient Forts of Qatar

Continuing this martial stream of research, on July 19th, I took a sun drenched tour of the remnants of ancient forts up on the northwest coast of Qatar. My internet research and map of the country both showed that most of the ancient forts are along the northwest coast so I started at Al Ruwais at the very northern tip of the country and took a taxi in search of my first objective just south of the adjacent town Abu Dhulouf heading south towards Qalaar, Al Yousefiya Fort. Finding it wasn’t so easy and I was very fortunate to meet a young Qatari man called Sheik Fahd Hamad, in Abu Dhulouf who knows the country, culture and history quite well and as luck would have it he has a splendid SUV that allowed us to go off the road to get some of the ancient forts. After there we drove down the coast to Al Jamail Fort, Khidaj Fort, Qalaat Fariha and Al Zubarah Fort the most locally famous of the old forts. Al Zubarah is at least 250 years old and is one of the best preserved of the traditional pearl fishing and merchant towns in the Gulf. Why so many forts along the northwest coast? To quote a book titled: Al Zubarah Archeological Site, sponsored by Maersk Oil, UNESCO and others: “The success of the settlement attracted the attention of other Gulf powers and there were several attacks on the town. In 1811 the town was raided and most of its buildings were abandoned or destroyed. While al Zuburah was subsequently resettled and slowly rebuilt as a smaller town, it never fully recovered and was totally abandoned by the early 20th Century.” Later on the book states: “Many of the wares and porcelain found on the site come from as far away and China, Japan and Western Europe. This is evidence of the far-reaching trade networks that linked East with West, of which Al Zubarah formed a part.” Thus, Al Zubara Fort specifically and Qatar in general are most definitely real maritime Silk Road trading centers.

Interview with Tai Chi Teacher Linda Aarts in Doha Qatar

July 31, 2017 - She’s a bit shy about teaching Tai Chi and being interviewed for KungFuMagazine.com saying she’s only a mid-level student herself, but three things suggest to me she is modest indeed. First, her teachers are many and highly respected around Europe, second, she’s been practicing nearly 20 years, and third, I played pushing hands with her in the gardens behind her house for a short time and could feel her qi and technique are both soft and powerful indeed. Meet Linda Aarts, one of the very few Kung Fu Wushu teachers in Doha, Qatar.

 

With that introduction, a little about her background. To quote from her website: “When she started Tai Chi in Amsterdam in 1998, she thought it was magic. To relax standing up, was something she thought would be impossible. She learned that there was something between feeling ‘tense’ and ‘limp’, which is called ‘structure.’ Tai Chi is not just about learning a form (a pattern of movements in a certain order), it is mostly an Internal Martial Art, that made her so much more aware of the energy (Chi or Qi) in her body and the way to move it. The method she uses most is Chen Man Ching Style.” Her teachers include Ans Rodenburg, Rob and Erich Völke, Daan Hengst, Henk Janssen, Pim van den Broek, Judith van Drooge, Jacqueline Ansem and Wee Kee Yin. Also, almost every year, she joins the North Sea Tai Chi Festival in the Netherlands and the International Pushing Hands Festival in Hannover, Germany, to train Tui Shou and to do workshops with Ronnie Robinson, Roberto Benetti, Lauren Smith, Wilhelm Mertens, Cornelia Grüber, Ruud Raaijmakers, Barry McGinlay and other international teachers. She mentioned learning a lot at Tony Ward’s workshops in 2013 in Amsterdam. Her knowledge of different forms is impressive, including the 37 movement form of Chen Man Ching, and the 8 Silken Exercises or Brocades. In 2014 she was introduced to the ‘Tai Chi Bone,’ by Henk Janssen and Lau King. In 2015 she learned the Long Stick and Fan Forms taught by Judith van Drooge. All this is supported by training in her other passion, qigong as healing arts are her central theme I think.

During our interview I found out she’s lived here in Qatar about six and a half years mainly because her husband is in the petroleum industry. She teaches both in the garden-like areas around her home, and sometimes, like in the extreme heat of July and August, in her quite beautiful home located in one of the more luxurious areas of Doha.

She said although she started Tai Chi in 1998 it was just a casual once a week class with a mid-level teacher – kind of like she sees herself now. Then in 2002 she met with the larger Tai Chi community in Amsterdam. “I felt kind of embarrassed because they were so advanced and I felt like a beginner. But we became best friends. One reason I like Tai Chi people is their attitudes – healthy, balanced, and relaxed.”

Linda also said she figured out very quickly when she started teaching there are two very important skills needed to do that well. First of course, Tai Chi skill, and second teaching skills. “I think my teaching skills may be better than my Tai Chi,” she added with a smile. “But every year I go to the Tai Chi Pushing Hands Festival in Hanover Germany. I meet and practice with people who are so great and I feel like I’m nothing in comparison. I suppose in every martial art you may meet some people with – like big egos and sometimes they’re very good, or not. But the people I respect most seem like nothing special but then you do the pushing hands with them you can feel their level of skill is very great.

“In the mornings there are master’s classes and in the afternoon there’s time to train. Every ten minutes you change and practice with a different partner. Some are so soft, but then they push and are gone – absorb and give back. I so admire and enjoy the skills of these people – totally soft and relaxed.”

Linda’s background is quite interesting as well. She started her professional careers in sales, transitioned to interior design, and then health education as part of her study of pedagogics, working about five years as a health and expertise instructor. Her journey from 2004 to 2011 led her to being trained in Health Tao by Ilona Botterweg, Inge Maassen and Mantak Chia in the Netherlands and Czech Republic. Healing Tao is closely related to Qigong. Simultaneous to this she practiced meditation learning different techniques including Vipassana Meditation and one time in a Buddhist Monastery in Belgium spent 10 days in total silence.

Thus, her life path reflects movement towards the kinds of wholeness and health characteristic of a Tai Chi master, in my opinion. After a bit of conversation, we went outside into the rather warm morning surrounded by paradise like scenery and she showed me some of her forms, flowing like water in the summer morning surrounded by grass and the flowering trees under the blue sky. Quite harmonious and beautiful I’d say. Add together a great lady, great art, great teacher, great environment and I’d call it a great morning and day. Thank you so much Linda for sharing it with me and the readers of KungFuMagazine.com.

For The Silk Road Kung Fu Friendship Tour Part 22, click here.