The plans are in place to preserve Qatar’s history in an aural format for future generations.
It will be implemented by documenting oral history from families and people across the country.
The Al Khater House, recently restored and preserved by Qatar Foundation in the Education City, is one of the historic sites which will be documented.
Plans are in place to make Al Khater House a center for cultural exchanges and Qatar National Library will collect its oral history by working with the Al Khater family, said Director of Strategy and Strategic Projects, Qatar National Library, Hind Al Khulaifi, recently.
“Orally documenting is a different way of preserving history, so we hear and collect memories of different people in the country and record it,” she said, adding that the history of several other sites will also be recorded and documented by Qatar National Library.
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, and important events through interviews conducted with people who participated in or observed the events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations.
Oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives and most of these cannot be found in written sources. Oral history also refers to information gathered in this manner and to a written work (published or unpublished) based on such data, often preserved in archives and large libraries.
The recent discussion on ‘Cultivating Arab Heritage and Culture during the First World Cup in the Region,’ also highlighted the importance of orally documenting Qatar’s history and preserving its heritage sites.
Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions and Marketing and the Director of Centralized Exhibitions at Qatar Museums (QM), Sheikha Al Thani said, “Documentation of our heritage is not always available, and we have to capture it. We are documenting oral history from different families and different people throughout the country, and we are very keen to ensure it’s preserved.”
She also said that QM is working to preserve and document about a large number of heritage sites in the country.
“In Qatar, we have thousands of heritage sites - from wells to forts to some that are still underground and being excavated," she said.
“We are working to preserve these locations and fully document their history, so the generations to come can understand for themselves why we are who we are and how we lived our lives, rather than simply learning this from stories that are passed down,” said Sheikha Al Thani.
“With our heritage sites, there is so much happening out there across Qatar. All around the country, there are places where people lived, and we have to ensure we document that history,” she added.
