00:00The spirit of Islam from China to Andalusia, each area and from each culture.
00:10So we find the Arabic calligraphy in ceramics, coins, we find in mosques, we find in stones.
00:22Hello and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Adil Haleem.
00:25On this episode, we're immersing ourselves into the world of books and literature.
00:30We'll explore how reading can fuel creativity and how the written word can be an art form
00:35that lasts centuries.
00:37But first, Laila Humara went across Doha to find out how the organizations are thinking
00:42outside the box to get children interested in books.
00:46Meet Ramli, he's a familiar face at the children's section of the Qatar National Library and
00:54today is his special day.
00:57Ramli has been officially inaugurated as a QNL's mascot and the kids are thrilled.
01:03His name is Ramli, just a minute, Ramli, come here for a second.
01:08This is Ramli, let me introduce you to him.
01:11Ramli is a desert fox, he's very affectionate, don't worry, he's not like the other foxes
01:17that bite or anything.
01:18This fox is very affectionate and amazing and he loves children a lot.
01:21Inspired by the Arabian desert fox, the library hopes to instill the same sense of inquisitiveness
01:27and adventurous nature as the animal to children all around Qatar.
01:32Ramli, for us at the Qatar National Library, symbolizes the love of the library, the passion
01:37for reading.
01:38Of course, Ramli loves reading, he loves to play and he's very playful.
01:42He will always be present, God willing, to spread the love of knowledge to the children.
01:48Ramli the mascot is among many initiatives put together to encourage children to read more
01:55and spend more time in libraries.
02:04One way to do that is through storytelling sessions, which Ibrahim frequently leads.
02:18For example, I try to speak to a bad person and then the poor person comes and runs away.
02:24I try to change my voice from time to time.
02:26This attracts the attention of the children and draws them to the stories.
02:31They start by reading the stories to remember these moments and they start by imitating them.
02:36From the local library to an international book fair, where every year the sprawling
02:4229,000 square metre Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre is packed with activities celebrating books and reading.
02:51The 33rd edition of the Doha International Book Fair has attracted more than 500 publishers
02:56from over 40 countries, where the focus goes beyond just books.
03:01Through musical performances, calligraphy, live storytelling and interactive booths
03:06for people of all ages, organisers are hoping to inspire visitors to make knowledge
03:11and creativity a central chapter of their lives.
03:15A traditional dance troupe from Oman takes to the stage for a special performance.
03:20As this year's Guest of Honour country, they get to put on a show for visitors
03:25and give them a taste of Omani hospitality.
03:29This is a source of pride and encouragement for us to work together
03:34in exchange for cultural and intellectual exchange.
03:39The Japanese Embassy has also drawn quite a crowd.
03:43They've come for a lesson on origami and a demonstration of Japanese calligraphy,
03:48but some have stayed to flip through a few books about the culture.
03:53We have also a number of different kinds of books,
03:56ranging from Japanese language textbooks for those who want to learn Japanese,
04:01and also some books about tourism in Japan.
04:07Kazuto says the crowd gets bigger every year, not just at Japan's booth,
04:12an indication that interest in literature, no matter where they're from,
04:16transcends borders and cultures.
04:21As literature and education go hand-in-hand,
04:24Liwan Design Studios has a permanent exhibition celebrating the life
04:28of Qatar's pioneering educator, Amna Mahmood Al Jaida.
04:32Honour the past to celebrate the future, Qatar's educational vision
04:36pays tribute to the founder and first principal of Qatar's inaugural girls' school.
04:42I sat down with Qatar Museum's Sheikha Reem Al Thani
04:45to find out how archival material dating back to 1938
04:49is being used to highlight the school's impact on multiple generations of Qatari women.
04:57Sheikha Reem, how does this exhibition celebrate the legacy of Amna Mahmood Al Jaida?
05:02Well, it really is a homage to her and to what she has done for the education system,
05:09but also for women education.
05:11She is someone who was fighting for women's education
05:15and talked to the families of the different girls
05:19to see how can she bring them first into the Qatar system
05:23and actually have it in her house as a safe space.
05:26And that fight literally meant going door-to-door
05:28to convince families to send their daughters to school.
05:31How was that received at the time?
05:33At the time, you could see even from our newspapers,
05:36and we have some of those on display here in what used to be her office,
05:40definitely there was some backlash,
05:42definitely it was a hard uphill battle for her to go through,
05:47but it was very fruitful.
05:49And you see also pictures that we have here documented from the time
05:55actually on the same exact courtyard that you see outside
05:59of the girls sitting down around her,
06:01and it's one of the only images that we have actually of her,
06:04and she's teaching them Quran.
06:06And behind us actually is her Quran,
06:08her personal Quran that she would be teaching people,
06:11and it's handwritten, and it's in impeccable shape.
06:14We're sitting in what used to be the principal's office,
06:16and there's archived material that dates back to 1938.
06:19What are some of the things that visitors can expect when they come here?
06:22So when you come to this exhibition,
06:24the intention was to actually first document.
06:28Their histories in Qatar are not always very written down.
06:32We're collecting people more than documenting people,
06:34and this was a great example of this,
06:36us having to go back in the timeline to verify information,
06:40objects, where did they come from, all the stories behind them.
06:43They even have on one of these walls, there's a map of Qatar.
06:47At that time, there wasn't a geography book,
06:51so the teachers here did that themselves.
06:53They actually created the map of Qatar with all this geography,
06:57and we're teaching it to the students.
06:59So these are some of the things you can see here.
07:02Why was it important to make this a permanent exhibition at Liwan?
07:05This exhibition is actually a partnership with a class that I teach at VCU,
07:10where since I am someone who's been in exhibition design for a very long time,
07:15and I've been working with the museums,
07:17it's something that I have seen with students and people coming in
07:21just out of university, especially for design,
07:23where they're seeing their conceptual work,
07:26but how do you actually create it within the physical world?
07:29So I started this class with VCU with this intention.
07:33For you personally, what does Amna's legacy mean?
07:36Well, I do believe if she hadn't had that fight to actually have girls,
07:41have a safe space for girls to go into education, we wouldn't be here.
07:48The art of Arabic calligraphy is at the heart of Qatar's thriving literary scene.
07:53The ancient writing style is a prized tradition
07:56and a key part of the cultural heritage of the region.
07:59Amna Hoos visited the Museum of Islamic Art to put her pen to paper
08:02and learn more about the centuries-old practice.
08:07A combination of the Greek words kolos and grapho,
08:10calligraphy literally means beautiful writing.
08:13The art form traces back thousands of years
08:16but is still taught in classrooms like this one,
08:18where budding artists are escaping the summer sun
08:21to get crafty with letters and words.
08:24In calligraphy, you need three basic materials,
08:27paper, pen and ink.
08:29But as I'm finding out at this creative calligraphy workshop
08:32hosted by the Museum of Islamic Art,
08:34the simplicity of the toolkit is deceiving
08:37because painting with words is anything but simple.
08:40Push it straight. No, no, no. Push it.
08:42Push. Don't come like this. Push. Like this.
08:46But don't change the angle.
08:48Arabic calligraphy, it depends on rules.
08:52First, how to hold the pen in the correct angle.
08:56So you need a teacher to learn how to hold the correct angle
09:01and then you can practice in the correct way.
09:03The museum hosts workshops for calligraphy enthusiasts of all ages.
09:08From seasoned artists to first-timers,
09:11they are all inspired by the Arabic calligraphy on display in the museum.
09:27It takes hard work and patience.
09:31Workshop host Hussein has more patience than most.
09:34He has been perfecting the art of writing for decades
09:37to master not one, but many of the different styles
09:40that have evolved over the centuries.
09:42We have five classic scripts.
09:46We have Kufik, we have Rub'a,
09:49we have Nasr, we have Nasr Taliq,
09:52we have Diwani.
09:54Each script needs time.
09:56It needs a long time to be perfect in it.
10:00The spread of Islam from China to Andalus,
10:03each area adds from each culture.
10:08So we find the Arabic calligraphy in ceramics,
10:12coins, we find in mosques,
10:15we find in textiles.
10:17Decorative handwriting is used as a visual expression of faith
10:21in many religions, with verses from holy scripts
10:24adorning places of worship around the world.
10:27Here at Qatar's Minaretayn Mosque,
10:29verses from the Quran are a distinctive feature
10:32in a design by Iraqi architect and calligrapher Taha al-Hitti.
10:36The artist, Taha, chose one of the surahs in the Holy Quran.
10:41It's called Al-Hujurat.
10:43And this specific surah that he chose
10:45talks about the morals and values
10:48that we as humans should have.
10:50Respect, honesty, do not talk about others behind their back,
10:53do not spy, be respectful, trustworthy,
10:56and he surrounded the whole building with it.
10:58Calligraphy graces the Minaretayn Mosque outside and in,
11:02with the traditional handwriting seamlessly blending
11:05with contemporary architectural design.
11:08He was so creative in building this building,
11:10the Minaretayn building, and specifically the Minaretayn Mosque,
11:13because he chose to use his creativity,
11:15blending the modern perspective
11:17and the beauty of Arabic calligraphy.
11:20Equally striking is the penmanship on Mosque 27
11:23on Qatar's Cataiphan Island.
11:25The traditional verses are another prime example
11:28of Qatar's efforts to mix old and new,
11:31captivating worshippers and non-worshippers alike.
11:38From international book fairs
11:40to ancient calligraphy that stood the test of time,
11:43and a look back at the first ever girl school in Qatar,
11:46we hope you enjoyed this episode,
11:48but that's all the time we have for now.
11:50For more, check out euronews.com
11:51and connect with us through a hashtag.
11:53Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
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