Doha: The Quranic Botanic Garden (QBG), the first garden in the world to exhibit all the plant species mentioned in the Holy Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah, is organising a variety of programmes and events to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, raise environmental awareness, and contribute to Islamic heritage through environmental preservation.
Decorated and lit up for the holy month, QBG, a member of Qatar Foundation, will welcome visitors to listen to the Quran in a spiritual ambiance while learning about plant life.
Other Ramadan activities include visits to QBG’s Botanic Museum, daily competitions on social media, and participation in the first edition of the Ramadan Book Fair in Souq Waqif.
Fatima Al Khulaifi, Director of QBG, said, “Every year we are keen on organising and participating in a number of Ramadan events as part of our awareness-raising community programmes to promote the Islamic values of environmental protection as a sacred concept in our religion.”
She added, “It is also an opportunity to highlight Islamic principles that aim to preserve plant diversity, as well as protect natural and environmental resources for the benefit of current and future generations.”
Al Khulaifi also said that the events were aimed at inspiring visitors from all religious backgrounds to contemplate and reflect on God’s creation by introducing them to the different types of plants and botanic terms.
This year, the Botanic Museum decided on collecting and showcasing a number of Islamic heritage pieces on the occasion of Ramadan. Al Khulaifi commented, “The initiative is in line with our mission to safeguard these heritage pieces by engaging community members to learn about our heritage and encouraging them to safeguard it for future generations.”
The Botanic Museum sheds light on some aspects of social life in the era of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), showcasing the tableware used at that time to cook food and prepare beverages, as well as the grains and fruits mentioned in the Quran, such as wheat and dates, along with cooking tools.
Ahmed ElGharib, Assistant Researcher at QBG, highlighted that the garden is also organising a daily competition throughout Ramadan to familiarise participants with Islamic values relating to plant life, as well as the cooking tools and food that used to be consumed in the era of the Prophet. He said, “We publish questions through our social media accounts and hold a daily draw to announce the winners of our 300-riyal vouchers in a bid to raise awareness about plants, the environment, and the religious terms and values related to the environment.”
QBG is also participating in the first edition of the Ramadan Book Fair, which is organised by the Ministry of Culture, and represented by the Qatar Cultural and Heritage Events Center. The fair, which will take place at Souq Waqif until April 16, will feature the distribution of a number of botany books free of charge.
In addition, QBG will celebrate Ramadan with night light decorations that add a distinctive ambiance to the site, where the holy Quran will be recited over a period of 10 days, from April 13 to 23.
