World culture, art, handicrafts leave Katara visitors impressed
AMID the football euphoria and excitement of events, the Katara Cultural Village on Monday witnessed high-level visits from a number of state guests.
Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim AlSulaiti, director-general 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 Qatari and Gulf maritime heritage.
Meanwhile, the Oud musical instrument exhibition at the Katara Oud Centre continued its wonderful artistic activities in the presence of a large number of Oud lovers conducting three sessions (each of these sessions are about half an hour).
Earlier this week, the Oud instrument exhibition had hosted Yemeni musician Aref Jamman with his son Salah, and presented a group of Gulf tunes by great artists like Muhammad Abdo, Abdul Majeed Abdullah, Talal Al-Maddah and Abu Bakr Salem.
A diverse audience comprising visitors from Costa Rica and Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, enjoyed the event and expressed their admiration for the professionalism of the Jamman player in adapting the Oud to play Arabic and international music.
The Katara handicraft market is also attracting a large number of visitors. Hayya AlMohannadi,
Head of the Art Exhibitions Department, said that the demand for handicrafts sold in the market is very high due to the quality of the products and their affordable prices. Dolls made of cloth, crochet clothes, face painting, and flags of the countries playing in Qatar 2022 are in maximum demand.
There is also a great demand for women’s handmade accessories, in addition to caricature drawings of faces.
The market event also includes training workshops for those wishing to learn some handicrafts.
Various events and exhibitions also continue to attract the public in the various buildings and facilities of the Katara Cultural Village. This includes the Arabic calligraphy exhibition at the square opposite Building 6, through six pavilions, where drawing on glass, engraving on copper, drawing on paper and face painting can be seen. Names are also written on coloured sand and these works are done by painters and calligraphers from six countries: Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan and Egypt.
The exhibition finds great interest from the public who love Arabic calligraphy, including foreigners who are attracted by the aesthetics of Arabic calligraphy.