Qatar National Library (QNL) presented a lecture, “Scripts from Qatar’s History,” on Sunday that took a closer look at personal letters from famous Qatari historical figures and the insights they reveal about the country’s history and social and economic life.
Obaida Mohamed Saleh Banki, the calligrapher who wrote Mus’haf Qatar, gave a presentation on Mus’haf Al Zubarah, the Qur’an manuscript written in Qatar by Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid al-Muraikhi. It is one of the oldest examples of calligraphic writing that
has been found in Qatar.
His presentation was followed by a talk by Sheikh Khalid bin Ghanim al-Thani about his book, Journals of the Rulers of Qatar, in which he revealed the deep significance of historical scripts for understanding Qatar’s history. The lecture was accompanied by a display of Qatari letters and signatures of famous Qatari historical figures from the Heritage Library collection.
Ali Rashid al-Saadi, an attendee at the event, said: “The lecture presented interesting information about the history of Arabic calligraphy, and the speaker showed examples of how it has contributed to the development of the modern art scene in Qatar. It is important for new calligraphers to know the history of this beautiful art to help improve their skills.”