To work or not to work?

According to the Koran, the holy day of the week is Friday; not Sunday.

Hence, the work week in Qatar is Sunday to Thursday. Most companies will rest on Friday and Saturday. Some, only Friday.

Work hours for government service is 7am-1pm. Banks too.

It helps that these guys start work so early. These are the guys with hugh SUVs and MPVs and you wouldn't want to meet them during rush hours. Being horned or flashed at all the time is no fun.

Shops normally open from 8am to 12pm. Then close and re-open at 4pm to 7pm. Nobody goes shopping in the Middle-East during the hottest hours of 12-4pm where temperature can go as high as 45C. Unless it is in a sleek shopping mall with powerful air-conditioners.

The rest of us thankfully work normal 8am-4pm or 9am-5pm hours.

You'll get use to it after a while that sneaking out during lunch hours to run errands at the bank or Post office does not work because they would have closed by the time we reach lunch hour.

Thankfully, ATM machines does not close after 2pm.