Doha: As part of the cultural activities accompanying the 33rd Doha International Book Fair, a symposium entitled “Identity and Memory of Place” was held on the main stage of the fair.
The symposium was attended by HE Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani and a group of intellectuals and the book fair audiences.
Engineer and architectural designer Ibrahim Al Jaidah and the artist and writer Mohamed Ali Abdullah participated in the symposium, moderated by Dr. Ali Abdulraouf, an urban planning expert.
Eng. Ibrahim Al Jaidah shed light on the urban development in Qatar since the discovery of oil, as he reviewed a rare collection of photographs, drawings and architectural plans, and discussed the architectural changes that occurred in Doha in the three decades. Each decade witnessed events that contributed to the development of the city, he said, pointing to the urban movement during the 1960s, which he called “Arab Deco,” a special architectural style that appears in many buildings in Qata
r.
For his part, the artist Mohamed Ali Abdullah gave a presentation containing a group of pictures that show the different styles of architecture, including the architecture of castles, forts, and residential architecture, as well as the architecture of mosques and other buildings, including palaces and houses, and the most important historical memories that are associated with these places.
Also, another symposium was held entitled “Aesthetics of Cities,” in which Director of Al Wakrah Municipality Eng. Mohamed Hassan Al Nuaimi, Project Manager of the City Beautification Team at the Public Works Authority “Ashghal” Eng. Jassim Al Fakhro and Salman Al Malik, a visual artist, participated. It was moderated by writer Jamal Fayez.
Eng. Al Nuaimi said that the city of Al Wakrah possesses all the elements that qualified it to obtain the title of a healthy city, as it came after proper planning and implementation of the requirements within the Qatar 2030 strategy to provide health care for all. He explained tha
t the concept of Al Wakrah as a healthy city is not limited to the health sector, but rather is an integrated system of standards, services and initiatives that improve the quality and lifestyle of all members of society, in all health, social, environmental and economic aspects, and include: increasing green areas, providing walking paths, preserving heritage buildings, reviving markets, and the presence of complexes, etc., stressing the necessity of permanent development of services that preserve the city is healthy.
Eng. Jassim Al Fakhro spoke about the measures that enhance the beauty of cities. He noted that Ashghal, through the beautification team, seeks to enhance the cultural scene in Qatar and add distinctive artistic touches in different regions of the country by integrating artistic works in the streets and public places, in addition to creating environmentally friendly cities with sustainability and urban development.
He reviewed the most important projects undertaken by the Authority, the most
prominent of which were downtown Doha and the parks, especially the air-conditioned gardens that have been implemented, as well as the works of art that decorated the city of Doha.
For his part, the artist Salman Al Malik addressed the beautification of the city of Doha with artistic works that enhance the aesthetic vision and develop the artistic taste of the recipient, as works were inaugurated, including models, decorations, lines, and various artistic works that enhance the aesthetics of the main roads and axes in Qatar.
The 33rd Doha International Book Fair witnesses the participation of 515 publishers from 42 countries, and the Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor of the exhibition, which includes a large group of accompanying cultural and artistic events. It continues until May 18 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
Source: Qatar News Agency