Doha: Katara Publishing House has published the second issue of the periodical magazine Al Thaqafa, which included numerous cultural, tourism and artistic topics, including the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival and Qatar-US Cultural Year, among others.
In its editorial, H E Sheikha bint Hamad Al Thani, Executive Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, touched on the role that Al Thaqafa magazine plays to highlight the cultural and artistic activities held in Qatar as it has become a tourist and cultural hub for tourists, visitors and even residents, stressing that the magazine will be the best assistant for Qatar’s visitors who will come to watch the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 matches.
For his part, Editor-in-Chief Khaled Abdurrahim referred to the loud echo the magazine made since its first issue which reflected the Qatari culture to the whole world with the topics it contained and which drew up the country’s cultural map.
The second issue of the magazine also included an article about Katara International Arabian Horse Festival, which is viewed as one of the major events in the equestrian sports, in which 252 horses representing the largest and most ancient studs from 12 countries participated. Owners of purebred Arabian beauty horses competed for financial prizes of QR13m (about $3.5m) throughout the 11-day festival.
It also devoted a wide space to discuss about embassies as bridges of culture between countries, through the Qatar Museums initiative in 2012 with a different partner country every year, invited to highlight the richness of culture and heritage of Qataris to the international audience, while presenting the diverse culture of the partner country at the same time in Qatar.
The magazine shed light on the model of cultural year Qatar-USA 2021, which featured a series of events throughout the year in both countries and where each of them participated in a variety of cultural programs, such as exhibitions, festivals, competitions and events that enhance mutual understanding and appreciation between the countries concerned.
Moreover, it highlighted the role of large commercial spaces in the country as a cultural space through the many events organised by large commercial complexes inside Qatar, through which it sheds light on the cultures of different peoples as well as activities of Qatar people’s Ardah which is one of the most prominent Qatari cultural features that link the past to the present, as it was performed in the past before fighting wars, and is now performed on national occasions and wedding ceremonies in general to the rhythm of folk music.
The second issue of the magazine also dealt with Falcons as one of the most prominent sport inherited from the ancestors, and also touched on some traditional heritage industries such as Sadu (a type of traditional Bedouin embroidered fabric) and Khous (thin pieces of wood twisted together). As for the landmarks of Qatar, the issue tackeld on Al Jassasiya area, which represents the most wonderful rock carving sites in Qatar and consists of a total of 874 inscriptions known as “petroglyphs.” They includes the rocky desert, which was discovered in 1957.
Al Thaqafa also reviewed the designs of Al Thumama Stadium and the Qatar International Art Festival in its second edition, which attracted more than 300 male and female artists representing 65 countries from different parts of the world.
