The Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar … a cultural exchange and a definition of national heritage

The Saudi Ministry of Culture is preparing to organize the Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar from 18 to 21 February 2025 in the Darb Al -Sa’i area in the capital, Doha, in cooperation with the Qatari Ministry of Culture, where the event will witness a wide range of cultural activities and events that reflect the Saudi cultural diversity in its various components, with the aim of defining Qatari society and visitors of various nationalities in Saudi culture and its rich legacy.
A number of cultural bodies and national initiatives, including the Literature, Publishing and Translation Authority, the theater and performance arts authority, the Heritage Authority, the Music Authority, the Film Authority, the Architecture and Design Arts Authority, the Library Authority, the Fashion Authority, and the Cultural Arts Authority, along with The Royal Institute for Traditional Arts “Wathir”, and the initiative of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman International Center for Arabic Calligraphy. These parties are working to provide Saudi culture in a creative manner that reflects the Kingdom’s cultural, artistic and heritage richness.

An international presence of the handicraft year

The Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar is witnessing the first international participation of the “Handicrafts Year 2025” initiative, through an introductory suite that highlights the importance of handicrafts as one of the prominent Saudi cultural elements.

The pavilion includes live shows for craftsmen who display their skills and interact with visitors directly, in addition to interactive screens showing the types of Saudi handicrafts and the characteristics of each craft.
The Heritage Authority also participates in the presentation of ten traditional Saudi handicrafts through a group of skilled craftsmen, where a letter such as the Basht industry, the sewing of Sadu, the Al -Iqal industry, the swimming industry, the wooden incense industry, and other traditional crafts that reflect the Saudi cultural identity.
The authority also displays through a screen for the joint cultural heritage between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as videos of the Saudi sites listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the informal cultural elements registered within the World Heritage.

Literary evenings and various events

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Authority attends a variety of events, including a poetic evening presented by a prominent Saudi poet, where he cast poems that highlight Saudi poetic originality, in addition to distributing publications from the series “Stories from Saudi Arabia” that reflects the details of daily life in the Kingdom and highlights social customs and traditions.
The “Al -Rawi” event, which provides children and adolescents, is also held tales of Saudi oral heritage, as well as distributing literary books for children such as “Mezouneh” and “literary challenges”, in addition to the “Apartments of the Universe”, which includes poetic anthology about childhood and dreams.

The Theater and Performing Arts Authority offers shows representing various regions of the Kingdom, where Saudi performance arts teams of both sexes perform various heritage colors that include the Samaritan, Al -Khebati, Walwa, Al -Khamari, Al -Rafihi, and the step, and the performances are concluded with the performance of the immortal Saudi song “above the important clouds”.
The Music Authority is participating in the events through a dedicated suite that reviews the history of Saudi music, and the most prominent heritage musical instruments used in it.
The authority also organizes a dialogue seminar entitled “Classical Music in Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Approaches and differences”, with the participation of a group of researchers and specialists from the two countries, in addition to musical performances for the initiative “Saudi Arabia meets the world”, where Saudi and Qatari music compositions are combined with international tunes in a musical experience Farida.
A music concert is also held by a Saudi artist who works from Saudi musical heritage.

Saudi cooking experience

The Cultural Arts Authority provides a distinctive experience for visitors through the corner of the chef, where a group of Saudi chefs offers authentic dishes from Saudi cuisine.
The pavilion also includes the tent of a coffee expert that highlights the art of Saudi hospitality by serving authentic Arabic coffee with luxury dates, as well as a beverage corner that allows visitors to taste a variety of traditional, cold and hot Saudi drinks.

The Architecture and Design Arts Authority shares an introductory pavilion that highlights the King Salman Al -Amrani Charter initiative, and the “Design in Saudi Arabia” initiative, which highlights Saudi innovations in the field of industrial design.
The Fashion Authority also organizes exhibitions that display heritage and traditional designs for the most prominent Saudi fashion designers, while providing visitors for visitors to acquire some Saudi fashion.

Cultural and heritage activities

The Library Authority offers a digital exhibition for rare Arabic manuscripts through interactive screens, allowing visitors the opportunity to see the Arab legacy of the manuscript in a modern digital style.
The Film Authority also offers special shows for a group of short Saudi films that highlight the cultural and regional diversity in the Kingdom, including films such as “Koura” and “Old School”.
The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wathir) participates in a set of activities that reflect traditional arts for both countries, where students offer live shows for handicrafts, and interactive workshops are organized to teach the manufacture of mineral books inlaid with traditional inscriptions.
As for the initiative of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman International Center for Arabic Calligraphy, it is organized by an exhibition of Arabic calligraphy that includes rare holdings such as traditional pens, inverted paper, and inmates made of silk threads, as well as showing an introductory video about the center, its strategy and roles in supporting the art of Arabic calligraphy globally.
Through this cultural week, the Saudi Ministry of Culture aims to enhance international cultural exchange and consolidate the presence of Saudi culture globally, as part of the national strategy of culture and Saudi vision 2030.
The event also seeks to strengthen cultural relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and to open a window to the Gulf and international public to closely discover the Saudi cultural heritage, in the context of an ambitious vision to expand Saudi cultural participation at the international level.