With more than one million print books in our collections, along with hundreds of thousands of ebooks, it can be hard to figure out where to begin. In this section, we’ll regularly take a deeper dive into the Library’s collections to learn a bit more, including exploring history through the items in our Heritage Library. We’ll also feature other topics that explore various aspects of our Library. All of the items linked in the posts are either available for members to check out or view online. Enjoy!
Although manuscripts have been the subject of much scholarly interest, many other aspects of book culture in the Islamic world have not been adequately researched. One of these is the protective enclosures—satchels, slipcases, chests, boxes, wrapping cloths and cloth bags—used to carry and preserve precious books. A formal study of slipcases1 was undertaken recently and another study of cloth bags is now ongoing.
Travel to the holy sites – especially to Makkah and Madinah – has long been associated with spiritual dimensions that form the core of individual experience. Yet these journeys have also held elements of exploration and adventure, often unfolding in unexpected and unplanned ways. The Arabic literary tradition has preserved many stories and accounts of such travels, whether undertaken by explorers and adventurers from around the world or by state officials on official missions.
Libraries have always been a reflection of the transformations and conflicts that societies experience, as well as of cultural exchanges and openness to others, regardless of background or belief. Everything happening in the outside world, from cultural movements and the questions being raised, to debates and literary works, echoes within these open spaces.
Hello! مرحبًا Hola! Cześć! Sawubona!*
Another year is over, and if 2024 was the same as 2023, more than 600,000 books have been borrowed from Qatar National Library, but which were the most popular and have you read them?
In ancient times, the world was believed to be governed by the four elements of fire, water, earth and air but the Islamic Golden Age heralded a new approach – one that was based in science.
It is often said that everyone has at least one novel in them, but very few of us ever attempt to put pen to paper and convert our thoughts into ink.
This is where Qatar National Library’s (QNL) English Creative Writing Circle can help. Like every year, the writing club is taking part in November’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which sees participants commit to trying to write a 50,000-word novel in just 30 days.
The term "Orientalism" refers to the depiction of Eastern societies and cultures by Western artists, scholars, and writers. This concept gained significant prominence during the 19th century, a period marked by European colonial expansion and growing interest in the "East"—a term loosely applied to regions including the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
The Italian Leonardo da Vinci is often described as one of the greatest thinkers, engineers and inventors of all time, but 300 years before he was born came a man easily his equal, the Muslim scholar, polymath, inventor, engineer and mathematician, Ismail al-Jazari.
Al-Jazari was born in Upper Mesopotamia, possible near the borders of modern-day Turkey, Syria and Iraq, in 1136 CE/530 AH, and is presumed to have been either Arab, Persian or Kurdish in his ethnicity.
We are now in the very middle of the turtle nesting season in Qatar, and this month (16 JUNE) also marks World Sea Turtle Day.
The waters off Qatar are home to four species of these ocean-wanderers – the green turtle, the hawksbill, the olive ridley, and the loggerhead, with other species making occasional visits. These marine reptiles have been on Earth for around 100 million years – about 20 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex – and are found across the globe, predominantly in warmer waters.