Qatar became on Wednesday the first Middle Eastern country to receive Chinese giant pandas – Suhail and Soraya – who took up residence in air-conditioned quarters.

Crowds of children and reporters watched as the four-year-old male and three-year-old female took their first steps in a temporary enclosure in a ceremony at the Al Khor park about 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of the capital Doha.

The Chinese government sent the animals as a gift to mark the football World Cup that starts on 20 November.

China has not qualified for the event, but is a major customer for Qatar's natural gas.

Suhail, who weighs 130 kilogrammes (286 pounds), and his female partner, who is 70 kilos (154 pounds), must undergo 21 days' quarantine following their arrival along with two keepers, said Al Khor's zoological director Tim Bouts.

"In a few weeks, or in a month's time, they will be ready to be shown to the world," Bouts added.