Qatari art collector Abdullah bin Shaheen al-Ghanim will hold a cultural and heritage exhibition at Unesco headquarters on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The exhibition that will be opened Monday by Dr Ghanem bin Mubarak al-Ali, the assistant undersecretary for cultural affairs, and will continue until April 19.
A delegation that includes Sheikha Najla Faisal al-Thani, the director of the Ministry of Culture’s Heritage and Identity Department, will visit the exhibition, Arabic daily *Arrayah reported.
The exhibition covers topics of intangible heritage, such as falconry, shipbuilding, fashion, live cooking, al-Majlis, and traditional arts.
The celebration emphasises the role of communities, groups, and individuals in producing, preserving, maintaining and recreating intangible cultural heritage, and contributing to enriching cultural diversity and human creativity.
Al-Ghanim is the owner of one of the most prominent personal museums in Qatar.
Regarding his museum, he said: “My interest in heritage began at childhood. I was interested in old novels, and my elderly relatives noticed this and began offering me the antiques they had.”
“I began participating in exhibitions that represent the country in terms of Qatari identity, including the Mal Lawal (Arabic for of the past) exhibition,” he said.
Abdullah Shaheen al-Ghanim
