Time
Qatar local time is three hours ahead of GMT.
Currency
The official currency is the Qatari Riyal (QR), which is divided into 100 dirhams. The exchange rate againts US Dollar has been set at the fixed rate of US$1=QR3.65.
Public Holidays
The dates of religious public holidays (Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha) are fixed according to the Hijri (Islamic) calender. The starting of the holy month of Ramadan is confirmed in the night before by the sighting of the new moon. Eid Al Fitr is the celebration at the end of he month of Ramadan. Qatar's National Day is on the 18th December every year.
Hours of Business
The working week in Qatar runs from Sunday to Thursday, with Friday (the holy day for Muslims) and Saturday being day off. Government ministries working hours are from 7 am to 2 pm, Sunday to Thursday; similar to the oil, gas and petrochemical companies, which also works Sunday to Thursday. Some private business follow a one-shift workday, but many have two shift: roughly 7.30 am to noon and 3:30 pm to 7.30 pm.
Shop times vary, but are generally 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm, although shopping malls tend to be open all day between the hours of 10 am to 10 pm. Some shops do not open at all on Fridays, while others open for the couple of hours in the morning and re-open in the late afternoon, although most malls and shopping centers only open around 4 pm on this day.