QNL Celebrates National Day With Exclusive Student Tour

Doha, December 14 (QNA) -The Qatar National Library (QNL) marked Qatar National Day with a special tour of its cherished Heritage Collection for Aspire Academy students. The visit offered the youths a unique opportunity to explore Qatars rich history. QNLs Arab and Islamic Heritage Collection is among the most important aspects of Qatars cultural landscape aligned with its vision of bridging with knowledge Qatar's heritage and future. The collection includes a treasure trove of rare books, manuscripts and artifacts that document the richness of the Arabic and Islamic civilizations. During the tour at QNLs Heritage Collection Building, students gained first-hand insight into the rare archive, learning about the significant contributions Arab and Muslim scholars made, not only to world history but to human thought as well. One item that particularly interested the students was Ptolemys Geographia, printed in Rome in 1478. It is the oldest printed map showing the name of Qatar, referred to in Latin as Catara. Guided by Walid Abdulwahed, QNLs Library Research officer, the students were joined by Saadi Al Said, QNLs Associate Director for Administration and Planning. Commenting on the importance of the student tour, Saadi Al Said said, "Qatar National Library is proud to be celebrating Qatar National Day by offering the countrys youth such a special opportunity to explore Arabic and Islamic history through our Heritage Collection.It is essentially a rich repository, holding hundreds of artifacts of immense value to Qatari history and to the history of humans as a whole." The Heritage Collection was founded by Sheikh Hassan Bin Muhammad Al Thani in 1979 as part of an unprecedented initiative to showcase the wealth of historical sources about Qatar, including writings by travellers and explorers who visited the Arabian Gulf region. Preparations are underway to relocate this collection to its own purpose-built site in QNLs new location in Education City, where it will hold the pride of the place that it deserves. The new spectacular library building was designed by renowned architect, Rem Koolhaas and is planned to open in 2015. QNLs current Heritage Collection Building is open for public tours every Sunday and Tuesday from 10.00am to 11.30am.To register for a tour, please visit:www.qnl.qa/visit-request-form. Additionally, QNL is currently offering free access to a vast collection of online resources including the latest bestsellers, classical works, concerts, top academic journals and documentaries. (END)