Qatar National Library (QNL) and the British Library celebrated the 10th anniversary of Qatar Digital Library (QDL), one of the largest online repositories on the history and culture of the Middle East.
QNL’s Director of National Collection and Special Initiatives, Abeer Al Kuwari, said the event marks a milestone that reflects the enduring value of preserving and sharing the rich history of the Middle East.
“Qatar Digital Library is a diverse and dynamic resource. It serves amateur historians who delve into their family histories, teachers who bring history to life in their classrooms and academics across various disciplines who conduct in-depth research,” she added, noting, “each user, whether a casual explorer or a dedicated scholar, contributes to a collective appreciation of the rich historical narratives that have shaped our region.” The event brought together academics, researchers and practitioners to discuss the work they conducted using QDL. The conference showcased the extensive array of material
available on the platform and how researchers can leverage such resources to conduct their work.
Held on Sept. 30, the conference featured three insightful panels, dedicated to the History of the Middle East, the History of Business in the Gulf, and Arabic Manuscripts.
The first panel brought together Professor of Translation and Intercultural Studies at Queen’s University Belfast in the UK, Sue-Ann Harding, along with Professor of Contemporary History and Politics of the Middle East at Qatar University (QU), Mahjoob Zweiri, and Senior Archaeology Specialist at Qatar Museum, Robert Carter.
Professor Harding, whose book touches on the history of the Qatar peninsula, said her work would not have been possible without Qatar Digital Library.
Professor Zweiri spoke about the importance of writing contemporary history. “The exceptional contribution of Qatar Digital Library in facilitating easy access to historical resources related to Qatar and the wider Gulf region, has played a pivotal role in breaking down b
arriers to historical research by providing a comprehensive collection of sources that are crucial for historians interested in studying the region. By offering a diverse range of materials, QDL has effectively eliminated the challenges posed by geographical limitations, thereby opening up new avenues for research and scholarship.” The second panel featured Associate Professor at Roma Tre University, Giuliano Garavini, who discussed the 1973 ‘Oil Shock’. ‘Ottoman Shipping in the Indian Ocean and Basra as Contrapot of the Gulf’ was the focus of another session by Assistant Professor of South Asian History at the University of North Carolina, Michael O’Sullivan.
During the third panel, Amelie Couvrat Desvergnes, an independent paper and book conservator based in the Netherlands, discussed the history, production, import and uses of paper in 19th-century Iran.
Daniel Martin Varisco, anthropologist, historian and former research professor at QU, touched on the Arab Gulf almanac tradition while Nawal Nasrallah,
a US-based Iraqi food writer, delivered a presentation titled ‘Reminiscences on the Year QDL Saved Me.’ The Library launched QDL’s digitization campaign in 2014, two years after partnering with the British Library. Digitization began with the British Library’s most important historical collection of records, maps and photographs on Qatar and the Gulf in its India Office Records and Private Papers collection.
Today, QDL attracts an average of 200,000 unique users and over 2 million page views a year.
Enhanced accessibility to historical resources has contributed to an increase in new studies on the Gulf, connecting younger generations with their ancestors, and enriching research on the cultures of the Arab world.
“QDL has been a priceless instrument for scholars like me, to whom manuscripts from the medieval Muslim world, texts and illustrations alike, constitute the basic ingredient for our research. Making them available in digitized formats has indeed made an otherwise daunting task wieldier and more fru
itful in its results,” Nasrallah noted.
An initiative of Her Highness Sheikha Moza, QDL was at the center of QNL’s strategy to digitize historical records about the region from around the world and to digitally repatriate them to Qatar.
QDL’s collections offer insights into the region’s trading practices, the two World Wars, the petroleum industry, Britain’s imperial administration of the region, treaties, marine navigation, military operations, civil aviation, economic forums, Arab nationalism and medicine. QDL also houses a rare collection of Arabic manuscripts on a variety of topics including medicine, astronomy, mathematics, geometry, geography and military science.
Source: Qatar News Agency