Doha: The Abdul Aziz Al Bohashem Al Sayed Library for Heritage Books is participating with a collection of manuscripts and rare books containing various books dating back more than 300 years, as part of the cultural activities of the Ramadan Book Fair being held in the western square of Souq Waqif.
The book fair will continue until April 16.
In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the owner of the library, Abdul Aziz Al Sayed, reviewed his participation in the exhibition.
He said that the library’s participation is represented by displaying a group of valuable religious and historical books, and books about travellers that date back 300 years.
These include the Arabian Desert books that deal with the Arabian Gulf region and mention the orientalists who passed through this region and wrote down its geography and history and shed light on its environment and issues.
He emphasised his great interest in orientalist books and his keenness to have them on the shelves of his library, which contain rare and historical books that carry valuable information on their pages dating back centuries.
He pointed out that his library, in addition to Arabic books and manuscripts, also contains a large number of books in English and French, and the book of the German traveller Burckhardt, who visited Qatar and documented his visit in 1904.
The book contains a group of old photographs of the city of Doha and the Al Qubaib Mosque.
The owner of the library expressed his happiness with this initiative by the Ministry of Culture, which he described as good, as it allowed him to participate in the first edition of the Ramadan Book Fair. He praised the idea of holding the exhibition and considered it one of the exhibitions that contribute to the revival of Islamic books during the holy month of Ramadan.
The Ramadan Book Fair, launched on Friday, is witnessing the participation of 18 organisations and publishing houses from Qatar.
They are the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Qatar Charity, the Holy Quran Radio, Dar Al Imam Al Bukhari, Dar Al Watad for Publishing and Distribution, Qatar University Press, Dar Rosa for Publishing and Distribution, Majmaah Library, Visual Arts Centre, Qatar Reads, Akas Centre, Quranic Botanical Garden, House of Cultures, Nabja House for Publishing and Distribution, International Commission for the Study of the Quran, Abdul Aziz Al Bohashem Al Sayed Library for Heritage Books and Dar Al Sharq.
