QNL to mark National Day with a slew of activities

Qatar National Library (QNL), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), hasorganised an array of events as part of its Qatar National Day 2017celebrations.The activities will be held at QNL’s world-class building in EducationCity and are designed to highlight Qatar’s heritage and historicalachievements, QNL has said in a statement.This year also marks the first time QNL will celebrate Qatar National Day since opening to the public in November.Numerous activities for children will be held, including Qatari authorSheikha al-Ziyara reading to children, on December 15; a puzzle game,‘Qatar District Map’, in which participants learn about Qatar’sgeography, on December 17; and ‘Jassim’s Story’, an interactive sessiontelling the story of a Qatari child discovering a love of learning, onDecember 17.Teenagers, too, can take part in the festivities. On December 17, QNLwill host ‘Letter to the Nation’, where teens can write lettersexpressing their feelings about Qatar. They can also work together on alarge map puzzle of Qatar designed to educate participants about thenation’s geography, also taking place on December 17.“QNL’s activities are aimed at fostering a love of learning while alsocultivating a sense of pride in Qatar,” said executive director DrSohair F Wastawy.QNL’s Heritage Library is staging an exhibition to showcase some of therare items from its collection relating to Qatar’s history and culture.The exhibition is featuring a historic map of Qatar, dating back to1482.In addition to the famous work of Uthman Ibn Sanad al-Basri, Saba?ikal-Asjad, highlighting the era of Ahmed Ben Rezk – the famous merchantwho lived in Al Zubarah, with a special focus on urban and commercialdevelopment, a letter from Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim al-Thani to one ofthe top merchants in the Gulf highlighting trade and goods will also beon display. Today, music of the region takes centre stage as QNL hosts a concert bythe Marasi Ensemble with traditional Arabic music. The Marasi Ensemble,part of Qatar Music Academy, also a member of QF, will play severaltraditional Qatari songs in the authentic maqam musical style.Other Qatar National Day activities at QNL include displays of notableand interesting Tamim Al Majd messages from around Qatar and specialactivities at the library’s Innovation Stations. The library’scirculation desk will feature publications about Qatar and its history,so visitors can learn more about the nation and its people.QNL will be closed on December 18; however, the library’s onlineresources and events can be accessed through its website: www.qnl.qa