Qatar National Library (QNL) will host several events relating to the holy month of Ramadan in May, as well as numerous other public educational and cultural gatherings.
Chef Noor Al Mazroei will host a live cooking workshop for women on May 9 in the QNL cafeteria, where she will share healthy Ramadan recipes, including vegan and gluten-free options. The workshop will be conducted in Arabic.
QNL will host a Beautiful Athan contest to coincide with the beginning of Ramadan. Members of the public are encouraged to submit recordings of themselves performing the Athan, and selected participants will be invited to use the QNL music studio for professional recording. The top three contestants will be awarded prizes, and the first-place winner’s voice will be used in the QNL building.
“The holy month of Ramadan is a time for reflection, and these events offer the community the opportunity to reflect on the life of the Prophet, the beauty and meaning of the Athan, and the importance of a healthy iftar and suhoor,” said Abeer Saad Al Kuwari, Director of Research and Learning Services at QNL. “We invite all members of the public to take part, to enhance their own Ramadan experience, and for non-Muslims to better understand the month.”
Other related events include a Ramadan story workshop, craft events in which participants can make Qur’an bookmarks and paper lamps, and the mid-Ramadan observation of Garangao.
On May 9, QNL will celebrate Europe Day by partnering with representatives of European Union embassies based in Doha to highlight the importance of collaboration to preserve cultural heritage. The event will feature a panel discussion with experts from local cultural institutions, and will include a piano concert.
The following night, Michael Pignéguy and the Awakenings Ensemble jazz group make their final Qatar performance before departing on an international tour. On May 12, the CineMoon Ensemble, led by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra violist Merve Kenet-Bulun, and in collaboration with Qatar Concert Choir, will perform their own arrangements of popular music from movies.
In support of its goal to promote libraries and librarianship locally and internationally, on May 7 QNL will host the workshop ‘Social Marketing to Promote Libraries’. Dr. Salih Al-Ibrahim will introduce the concept of social marketing and its tools, its importance to promoting libraries, and how to develop a social marketing plan for libraries.
For a full calendar of QNL events, please visit qnl.qa.
The Library has also announced its working hours during Ramadan:
Saturday – Thursday: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday: Closed
