Doha: The Quranic Botanic Garden (QBG), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), collaborated with the Turkish embassy in a tree-planting ceremony to highlight the importance of green conservation initiatives in Qatar.
The ceremony, inspired by QBG’s ‘Ghars’ campaign, took place in the courtyard of the embassy in Doha, and brought together representatives from QF and other local institutions, Qatari and Turkish diplomats, businessmen, community leaders and executives. The ‘Ghars’ campaign provides diverse year-round awareness activities which engage the local community to increase awareness about environmental sustainability and green issues.
The event encouraged cross-cultural engagement and raised awareness about the importance of trees and the preservation of Qatar’s natural resources, supporting QF’s endeavours to help build a sustainable future for the nation in line with the Environmental Development Pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Demirok and Fatima Saleh Al Khulaifi, Project Manager, QBG, marked the event by planting olive, fig and Sidra trees.
Demirok said: “Islam expresses great concern for the environment and we should endeavour to preserve natural resources, especially trees, within their natural habitats in accordance with instructions of our religion. I would like to express my gratitude to QBG and Fatima Saleh Al Khulaifi for organising the ‘Ghars’ event at the embassy.”
A variety of plants and trees mentioned in Islamic culture were displayed, demonstrating the affiliation between flora, botanic terms, and conservation principles mentioned in the Holy Quran, Hadith and Sunnah. QBG also held an exhibition of tools traditionally used to cultivate the date palm tree, illuminating part of the rich horticultural history of the Qatari community.
Al Khulaifi said: “We consider the ‘Ghars’ campaign as a literal translation of efforts made by QBG towards the environment by caring, protecting and planting trees to rehabilitate and conserve plant life.”The Peninsula
