The same month saw the Ministry of Culture hosting the first Arab co-ordination meeting to include the traditional Arab Bisht on the list of intangible cultural heritage of the Unesco. The meeting that brought together representatives and experts from 12 Arab countries was held in co-operation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Alecso) and the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (QNCECS).
Also in Nov 2023, the Alecso crowned the Cultural Village Foundation — Katara as the 'City of the Arabic Novel, in a ceremony held at the pan-Arab organisation's headquarters in Tunis.
Organised by Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) since 2015, the Katara Award for Arabic Novel is one of the major cultural events taking place in Qatar. The award has gone through several developmental stages and launched many initiatives and programs in each of its sessions.
In Sept 2023, the city of Lusail was designated as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World for the year 2030, during the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, which was organised by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) and hosted by Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Culture.
The designation of Lusail city as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World was a culmination of the efforts of the Qatari Ministry of Culture and its success in presenting an exceptional model through Doha as the Capital of Culture in the Islamic World.
Qatar also won the presidency of the Culture Committee of the Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Alecso). The organisation's committees aim to involve member states to develop joint Arab action and enhance communication and participation to support the organisation's programs and activities in all fields, including education, culture, science, communication and information.
In Aug 2023, Qatar National Library (QNL) was chosen to be the first regional office of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Made on the sidelines of the 88th session of the Union's General Conference in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, the announcement culminates QNL's record of achievements in recent years, especially in promoting the dissemination of knowledge without restrictions, free access, creativity and cultural development, and consolidates its position as a leading cultural institution in the Arab world.
In April 2023, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) Dr Nasser bin Hamad al-Hanzab, received the certificate of Qatar's accession to the file "The Palm... Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices" as an intangible cultural element on the list intangible cultural heritage.
On Dec 1, 2022, Qatar joined the palm file during the seventeenth session of the Unesco's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, in Rabat.
This accession is a reflection of Qatar's keenness to preserve the tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as part of the cultural formation of the common Qatari and Arab identity.
During Feb 2023, Katara announced the completion of 13 volumes of the "Qatar Cultural Encyclopedia", which explains daily life vocabulary, traditional proverbs, traditional expressions, marine life, plants, birds and insects, utensils and foods, and places.
In Jan 2023, the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies announced the completion of publishing the results of the second phase of the Doha Historical Dictionary (from the year 201 AH to 500 AH). Throughout the year 2023, the general cultural scene in Qatar featured many events, most notably the Katara Prize for Prophet's Poet.
