World culture, art and handicrafts impress audiences at Katara
Amid the football euphoria and excitement of related events taking place in Qatar, Katara Cultural Village witnessed yesterday high-level visits from a number of state guests.
Prof Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, general manager of Katara Cultural Village Foundation, met with Augusto Santos Silva, President of the Portuguese
Parliament, and presented him with a commemorative shield after his tour of the Katara Traditional Dhow Festival where he was acquainted with a variety of events that evoke the Qatari and Gulf maritime heritage.
Meanwhile, the oud musical instrument exhibition at the Katara Oud Centre continued in the presence of a large number of oud lovers, hosting three sessions that last about half an hour each.
Earlier this week, the oud instrument exhibition hosted Yemeni musician Aref Jamman and his son Salah, and presented a group of Gulf tunes by renowned artistes such as Mohamed Abdo, Abdul Majeed Abdullah, Talal al-Maddah and Abu Bakr Salem. A diverse audience from Costa Rica and other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, who closely followed the event and expressed admiration for the professionalism of the Jamman player in adapting the oud to play Arabic and international music.
The Katara handicraft market is attracting a wide audience of visitors. Hayya al-Mohannadi, head of the Art Exhibitions Department, said the demand for the Katara handicrafts market is “very high” due to the quality of the products available and their affordable prices, noting that the demand is focused on dolls made of cloth, crochet clothes, face painting and flags of the countries participating in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
There is also a great demand for women’s handmade accessories, in addition to caricature drawings of faces. The market event includes training workshops for those wishing to learn some handicrafts.
Various events and exhibitions also continue to attract the public at the various buildings and facilities of Katara, including an Arabic calligraphy exhibition at the square opposite Building 6, through six pavilions. The artistic aspects covered include drawing on glass, engraving on copper, drawing on paper and face painting. The names are on coloured sand and these works are done by painters and calligraphers from Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan and Egypt.
The exhibition has evoked great interest among the public, including foreigners who are attracted by the aesthetics of Arabic calligraphy, a press statement notes.