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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
The Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani patronised the inauguration of the Qatar National Library (QNL) at the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) on Monday.
The Emir placed the one-millionth book, a rare more than 843-year-old copy of Sahih Al Bukhari, a collection of authentic Hadiths (sayings and practices of the Prophet PBUH), on library's shelves to mark the official opening.
The Emir also signed the official inauguration certificate, which will be mounted onto a plaque. The Father Emir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani and Qatar Foundation Chairperson HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser graced the grand opening.
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani and a number of dignitaries also attended the opening.
Speaking on the occasion, Sheikha Moza said the inauguration of QNL invokes a great sense of pride and belonging to the Arab world which pioneered writing, transcription and libraries in Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago.
Sheikha Moza said she looks forward to QNL becoming a modern tool which supports the promotion of the Arabic language and revives its civilizational presence through a new perspective of the Arab heritage and restore its luminosity.
"The idea of the National Library was inspired by this glorious history, in hopes of restoring an Arab renaissance that we do not want to lose. The library was established to be a treasure of written history and a medium for the transfer of knowledge among different cultures," she said.
"Essentially, it will be an institution of reference for Arabic and Islamic heritage and a platform for spreading contemporary intellectual and literary thought. It is designed in its form and content to be three-dimensional: it is a national library, public library and a research institution at the same time. As an advanced digital library, it will provide users quick access to accurate information. It will provide new generations with the necessary intellectual tools to read and interpret history correctly," Sheikha Moza added.
Highlighting the role of library in the promotion of Arabic language, She said,"Given that books are a vessel through which civilizations preserve language, we aspire to make this library a modern mechanism to revive the Arabic language and to re-establish its presence as a marker of civilization. Through a new interpretation of our heritage, we can restore the days when Arabic was the universal language of the middle ages ” when it was synonymous with science and culture, and a source of pride. It was a well-known fact: You speak Arabic, then you are educated."
Sheikha Moza said the functionality of the library is no longer confined to a bookcase or an archive of history visited by the cultural elite and benefiting only academic institutions and scholars.
However, it has become a dynamic structure that creates a vast societal cultural movement, which enriches cognitive dialogue and develops the mind and creative imagination, she added.
Sheikha Moza said perhaps the unique value of QNL is that it is located in a small environment that attracts knowledge, referring to Education City with its universities, researchers and students.
Her Highness added that its growing role comes from belonging to the bigger environment which is Qatar, where visions converge between the goals of the library and Qatar's renaissance project, in addition to the third bigger environment which is the internet world where different cultures interact and where QNL will have an active presence.
"The national library would not have reached its distinguished heights as a monument of knowledge without the unwavering vision of the country's leadership. From the reign of the father to the son, supporting sustainable and strategic development projects, particularly in human development," Sheikha Moza said.
In her welcome remarks, QNL Executive Director Dr Sohair Wastawy praised the leadership of Qatar for their great vision on education in the country that includes building the library.
She said,"The struggle for equal education and better education continues around the world and as long as these struggles continue libraries will be a strong point of defence."
The library's huge living room setting served as the main area of the celebration where guests witnessed the historic development of the QNL project through various presentations.
The ceremony featured a presentation of poet Tamim al Barghouti and a short film featuring the warm welcome greetings of heads and directors of libraries from different parts of the globe to QNL in the library community.
QNL's architect Rem Koolhas also addressed the guests as well as British Executive Library Roly Keating and MIT Media Lab Co-founder Prof. Nicholas Negroponte.
The evening concluded with a presentation of a musical piece titled"Sounds of the Library" composed by Qatar's only female contemporary composer Dana al Fardan.
