The opportunity to learn about – and play a part in preserving – the heritage of Qatari and Islamic crafts is being opened up to the nation’s community, through a new programme launched by Qatar Foundation (QF) at a historic house within its Education City home.
Reflecting the cultural legacy of traditional crafts in the Arab and Islamic world, the Herfati programme at Al Khater House is being delivered through a partnership with The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts to nurture these timeless traditions and foster appreciation for heritage and cultural identity.
Through the immersive programme, which runs from October 2024 to June 2025 at the heritage site in the heart of Education City, participants will learn about core areas of traditional crafts such as geometry, nabati ornamentation, and drawing for designers.
Alongside these core courses, participants will have the chance to choose from a selection of specialisations, allowing them to deepen their knowledge and application of traditional design principles in crafts including ceramics, woodwork, textiles, gypsum carving, and decorative painting.
The programme will be delivered by experts from The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, who have established skills in teaching and preserving these crafts.
Those who join the programme will learn about elements such as how the principles and language of geometry inform traditional crafts, constructing patterns and composition, observational and analytical drawing, and how raw materials like earth, stones, plants, and resins can be transformed into paint, instilling in participants a respect for the nature of their materials.
Elective courses will focus on areas including traditional painting techniques found in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and its surrounding areas, ceramic skills such as painted vessels and geometric tiles, how textiles blend materials from the natural world with practical craft skills, geometric and biomorphic designs using wood, and the use of gypsum as a decorative element.
In line with its commitment to preserving Qatari culture, heritage, and identity – including through buildings at Education City that have a central place in the story of Qatar – the QF is restoring Al Khater House as a location for sustainable, inclusive cultural heritage activities and experiences for people of all ages, while ensuring the house’s authenticity and historical value are retained.
For more details about the Herfati programme at Al Khater House, and to register by September 28, visit www.educationcity.qa/herfati-al-khater-house
