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Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
PHOTOGRAPHS of the pavilion of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim al Thani built in Al Rayyan in the early 20th century, the house of 'Abd al Husayn Ibrahim built in Al Jasrah neighbourhood in 1945 and the Al Wajba Fort are the highlights of the exhibition that marked the opening of the Traditional Gulf Architecture Week at the Qatar National Library (QNL) on Sunday.
The photographs are part of a larger collection recently acquired by the QNL including 1700 colour transparencies in 120 and 125mm format taken by Paris-based professional photographer Vincent Aitzegagh for the French archeological mission to Qatar. The mission recorded more than 200 historical buildings for the study.
The accompanying studies were written by the mission's specialist in Islamic archaeology and art history, Dr Claire Hardy-Guilbert, a senior researcher at Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris.
Speaking on the occasion, QNL Director of Historical Research and Partnerships Dr James Onley said the exhibition is part of a larger initiative that the library is working on to enhance collection on traditional architecture.
"Architecture is a pathway to study and learn more about a country and cultures. It's through traditional architecture that we hope to shed light on the history and cultural heritage of Qatar and the Gulf. This is quite an ambitious undertaking, but we think that the results will be a great contribution in understanding Qatar's fantastic heritage," Onley said.
The Traditional Gulf Architecture Week is organised by QNL in collaboration with Liverpool University's School of Architecture, Qatar University's Department of Architecture and Urban Planning and Arab Engineering Bureau Qatar CEO and Chief Architect Ibrahim Jaidah. It is funded by QNL with support from the Qatar National Research Fund.
Dr Stuart Hamilton, deputy executive director for International Relations and Communications at QNL, underlined that the Architecture Week is among the many firsts hosted by QNL following its official inauguration.
Prior to the week-long event, QNL hosted its first panel discussion on the topic of 'fake news' and then its first public lecture that focuses on data visualisation.
The opening of Architecture Week featured a background on the exhibition provided by QNL Acting Director of Distinctive Collections StephaneIpert followed by a talk on 'Qatar's Traditional Architecture' by Hardy-Guilbert and Aitzegagh.
On Monday, a conference will be held panel discussions on traditional gulf architecture projects, major research projects and building types and their influences among others. The conference will conclude on Wednesday.
(Photograph by Hanson K Joseph)
