Qatar's Bedouin roots star in World Cup opening ceremony

Al KHOR : Qatar's Bedouin roots, embodied in a tent-shaped stadium, were on display on Sunday as the country's emir opened the World Cup at a ceremony during which he kissed his father's hand and welcomed the world to soccer's biggest event, the first time it has been staged in the Middle East.

"From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said. "How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together."

Then, fireworks exploded from the roof of Al Bayt stadium, 44 km (27 miles) north of the capital, Doha.

Earlier, the nearly full stadium erupted in cheers when Sheikh Tamim arrived at the stadium flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Tamim waved to the crowd and leaned down to kiss the hand of his father, former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who abdicated in 2013, making way for his son.

Then the lights dimmed and three camels, dancers and a Qatari singer called "Dana", who wore a traditional batola, a leather face-covering worn by some women in the Gulf region, filed onto the pitch.

American actor Morgan Freeman followed alongside Ghanim Al Muftah, a 20-year old Qatari man who was born with a rare condition that impairs the development of the lower spine.

Freeman sat on the pitch beside Al Muftah.

"How can so many countries, languages and cultures come together if only one way is accepted?" Freeman told the crowd.

"When you call here, we welcome you into our home," Al Muftah said, referencing the "bayt al sha'ar" or tent that nomadic bedouins of the Arabian peninsula once used for shelter, which inspired the stadium design.

The ceremony featured video footage of Sheikh Tamim as a boy