The opening ceremony was attended by Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs, Dr Ghanem bin Mubarak al-Ali, Saudi ambassador to Qatar Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan al-Saud, several ambassadors and a huge crowd of visitors.
The attendees toured the events underway which featured a wide diversity of Saudi heritage components.
The Saudi ambassador expressed his delight at the kickoff of this event in Doha, affirming that the inauguration and the attendance were entirely incredible. He praised the ministry's co-operation, along with the support it provided to the Saudi work team, praising the venue at Darb Al-Saai which draws major cultural events.
The Saudi Cultural Week features diverse cultural sectors, such as handicrafts, music, performing arts, fashion, culinary arts, literature, publishing and translation, and film, reflecting the vast cultural and artistic creativity inherent in the Saudi culture, while highlighting its profound historical and civilisational depth, he underlined.
He pointed out that there is a significant resemblance between the cultures of the nations across numerous sectors, emphasising that the event contributes to deepening the cultural relationship between the two countries and enhancing cultural communication between the two brotherly peoples.
The Ministry of Cultures Culture and Arts Department Director Abdulrahman Abdullah al-Dulaimi underlined that Qatar believes in culture as a robust tool to strengthen ties among nations, indicating that this event is not merely a platform to showcase creativity, but rather to pay tribute to one cultural root. He highlighted that the Qatari and Saudi cultures intersect, in terms of their components and legacies, thereby making the event an extraordinary experience that accentuates the shared identity and depth of their cultural ties.
The two nations share geography, sentiments, traditions, and cultural values, with the event offering an opportunity to foster this shared heritage and enrich the cultural scene with events, performances, and exhibitions that reflect the depth of Saudi creativity, al-Dulaimi noted.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), spokesperson for the Saudi Ministry of Culture, Abdulrahman Almutawa, highlighted that the event is an extension to the cultural agreements the two ministries signed to advance the cultural sector and co-operation, in pursuit of serving the cultural movement.
He added that the cultural co-operation is ongoing between the two countries. He recalled that Saudi Arabia was a guest of honour during the Doha International Book Fair two years ago, while Qatar was also a guest of honour in the past edition of Riyadh International Book Fair.
This cultural week stems from the shared cultural legacy between the two nations, with the primary aim of strengthening their cultural bonds and reaching new heights of co-operation in innovative fields, highlighted Almutawa. He indicated that the Saudi Ministry of Culture has been committed to showcasing the nature of Saudi culture through performing art shows that highlight the Saudi song and musical heritage.
He emphasised that the event showcases Saudi craftsmanship, with 2025 designated as the year of handicrafts, featuring expert-led workshops. It also marks Qatar's inaugural international participation in the year of handicrafts 2025 initiative, promoting the cultural significance of art traditions. (QNA)
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