The National Archives of Qatar (NAQ) held an open meeting with various media outlets, in its building located in the Musheireb area, attended by Dr Ahmed Abdullah al-Buainain, Secretary-General of the NAQ, and Aisha Khaled al-Saad, Assistant Secretary-General.
During the meeting, it was revealed that an annual forum would be held for the NAQ with the participation of ministries, government agencies, public bodies and institutions, private libraries and individuals, with the aim of strengthening joint cooperation. In addition to honoring those who played a prominent role in promoting documentary heritage, cooperation, and contributing to the documentary rooting of the national cultural identity.
In this context, Dr Ahmed Abdullah al-Buainain mentioned that with the inauguration of the NAQ, the house’s exhibition and library were opened. The exhibition aims to introduce and educate the public about the history of the document, its importance, the role of the NAQ, its specializations, and the services it provides for the purposes of scientific research and to individuals, which will continue until next July of this year.
Al-Bouainain added that since His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, inaugurated the NAQ in January last year, the NAQ has received support and participation from various state institutions and individuals, as the presence of the NAQ is supportive of all ministries and institutions that work to preserve the documentary heritage.
The Secretary-General explained that ministries, government agencies, public bodies and institutions, and individuals are among the most prominent target groups for the NAQ, which are looking forward to cooperating with those entities to achieve the desired goals for which the NAQ was established. He also touched on private documents, which are in the possession of many members of our Gulf society, especially Qatar, as is known, as some families and tribes preserve a large part of Qatar’s historical documents. The presence of the NAQ guarantees the preservation of these documents, and we have noticed a large turnout from some citizens who took the initiative to provide the NAQ with the documents in their possession, whether by giving the original, or by loan, or giving copies of them. The NAQ provides services to owners or holders of private documents, such as restoring and sterilising documents, ensuring their integrity and preserving them.
He added, “The role of the NAQ is to enable researchers and those interested in preparing historical research related to Qatar and the region by making documents available for use for the purposes of scientific research.” Memberships will also be provided to researchers to enable them to view documents, whether in the house or even those located outside the country in institutions with which we have signed memorandums of cooperation. As there are documents related to Qatar and the region present in international and regional archives such as the Ottoman and British archives, and we seek to cooperate with them to make them available for researchers, university students, and those interested in national history.
Al-Bouainain noted that the digital transformation, which is considered one of the strategies the NAQ is working on during the coming period, as it will have an electronic website that will facilitate the process of searching and viewing documents.
Aisha Khaled Al-Saad said in a statement to QNA: One of the strategic goals of the NAQ is to raise awareness in the field of documentary heritage in the country, as the public, individuals and private libraries are an essential element of the NAQ because of the important documents they possess, and we look forward to cooperation with them in order to preserve the historical memory of Qatar.
She pointed out that the NAQ has various specialties, including collecting, preserving and classifying documents in the country, classifying their confidentiality, and mechanisms for controlling access to them, which aim to preserve the documents.
Al-Saad explained that the NAQ’s specialisations are based on identifying what documents and archives are considered to be of historical value, organising the mechanism for preserving and reviewing them, protecting them from damage factors, and facilitating their use and benefit in the fields of historical research. In addition to collecting and documenting oral history. Collecting historical documents related to Qatar and the region from regional and international archives is one of the main goals of the NAQ.
Regarding the stages undertaken by the NAQ to collect historical documents, she explained that the process of obtaining these documents goes through several stages, the first of which is searching for documents related to Qatar and the region in international archives and scientific centers, determining their importance and priority, and developing appropriate plans in coordination with these international and regional archives. In this regard, these stages were initiated through the visits that the NAQ recently made to a number of countries.
Regarding cooperation with government agencies in the country, she explained that a working team has begun to be formed to coordinate with government agencies in the field of documents, as more than 35 entities have been contacted so far with the aim of studying and diagnosing the current situation of archives in all regions, and during the coming period we aim to reach more than 80 entities in the country.
It is also worth noting that the NAQ is affiliated with the Amiri Diwan, and was reorganised pursuant to Amiri Resolution No. (29) of 2023. It aims to enrich intellectual activity, monitor the history of Qatar, organise and supervise the collection and preservation of documents and archives. In implementation of the provisions of Law No. (7) of 2023 regarding documents and archives. It also aims to enable access to information, records and documents, and facilitate their use, by setting standards and policies that regulate the process of managing public, private, historical and national documents in the country.
