While the State of Qatar is moving steadily towards a promising and prosperous future, credit to its meteoric development and progress, Qatar believes that evolution has necessitated implementing initiatives to preserve its heritage by establishing cultural institutions like museums, traditional markets, organising cultural events and festivals to introduce Qatar’s culture, traditions and social values to guests and residents as well as preserving designs of traditional buildings and architecture.
For Qatar, it is imperative that its cultural heritage is preserved amid major changes in the nation’s cultural and social fabric due to the rapid development and modernisation across the country in the past decades. Efforts to preserve culture are intended to protect the national identity, introduce Qatari heritages and promote the country as a regional and global tourism hub, as stated by Qatar Museums Chairperson, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, during a panel discussion Art for Tomorrow on Heritage for Tomorrow held yesterday Florence and Solomeo, in Italy.
She stressed that the country’s culture and museum strategy was geared towards human development locally and regionally, preserving Islamic and Arab culture and Qatari identity.
Sheikha Mayassa also emphasised that the country is developing its heritage sites with over 9,000 archaeological sites, of which she said Qatar has been working with international missions to help excavate and unearth items.
The idea of preserving heritage sites is aimed at making the younger generation, visitors, and residents understand how people lived in the past in this country. Heritage sites like Al Zubarah, Barzan Towers, Al Khor Towers, Ras Brouq peninsula, Al RekayatFort, Al Jassasiya rock art site and many others are examples of some of the heritage sites being preserved.
“We’re very much a family community, and we want to preserve that as part of our lifestyle as we are building modern institutions and being part of the globalised world,” Sheikha Mayassa stressed.
Qatar is not only keen to preserve heritage sites to offer a window into Qatar’s past, but it is also committed to preserving its intangible heritage, including activities, expressions, knowledge, and abilities that communities, groups, and occasionally even individuals recognise as being a part of their cultural heritage.
Qatar believes that the beauty of art and the power of culture is a tool that brings people together. Through the tangible and intangible heritages, people understand the lifestyle and how people were living in the past and can influence behavioural change.
