The iPhone 5 is not yet officially on sale in Qatar, but some residents have managed to track them down in shops on Nasser St. and other stores following last week’s limited release in North America, Asia and Europe.

Carrefour told Doha News that they don’t have the phone in stock, but Lulu appears to be selling them.

The Peninsula reports:

An official from Lulu Hypermarket said that they sold over 70 sets of iPhone 5 in less than five hours yesterday.

“Even if we get a thousand sets of iPhone 5, we can sell them quickly,” the official said.

Purchasing the phone in Qatar right now will cost you anywhere from QR4,400 ($1205) to QR5,500 ($1,507), the newspaper adds.

That’s a steep markup from the QR2551 ($699) Apple is charging for the unlocked iPhone 5 on its website (though it won’t be available for another 3 to 4 weeks).

Prices are expected to stabilize, however, once Vodafone – the official reseller of Apple products in Qatar – releases the phones into the market. The company told Doha News it will announce the launch date on Twitter, but couldn’t specify when.

Who’s planning to get one?

Credit: Photo courtesy of Apple’s Facebook fan page