Katara (cultural village)

Katara is a cultural village in Doha, Qatar. It is located on the eastern coast between West Bay and the Pearl.

A scale model of Katara.

It was soft-opened in October 2010 during the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), an event that it has hosted ever since.[1]

Etymology
Overhead view of buildings in Katara cultural village.

"Katara" was the historical name used for Qatar prior to the 18th century.[2] Geographer Claudius Ptolemaeus referred to the Qatar Peninsula under the name 'Catara' in 150 AD and in the middle of the second century AD, in the Historical Atlas of Islam.[3]

Overview
Traditional architecture on display in Katara.

Many Qatari organisations have their offices in Katara. These include the Qatari Society for Engineers, Qatar Fine Arts Society, Visual Art Centre, Qatar Photographic Society, Childhood Cultural Centre, Theatre Society and Qatar Music Academy.[1] The QMA manages the QMA Gallery, a public art venue in the village.[4] The buildings and facilities at Katara were deliberately arranged in order to reflect the country's cultural and architectural heritage.[5]

Development projects

Doha Bay crossing (also known as Sharq Crossing) is a causeway between 600 m and 1,300 m which will link Hamad International Airport with the district of Katara. It is set for completion by 2021.[6]

A 38,000 m2 (3.8 ha) project dubbed "Katara Plaza" was launched in April 2015. It will feature a number of retail outlets.[7]

Facilities
The amphitheater in Katara.

Katara has an open amphitheater, an opera house, a multi-purpose cinema, a multi-purpose conference hall, a beach, and a souq.[1] A museum showcasing the country's maritime heritage was opened in November 2015.[8] It is also site of AlBahie Auction House.[9]

Cultural organizations
Central plaza of Katara.

Katara hosts the following cultural organizations:[10]

  • Al Gannas Association, an organization for hunting and falconry.
  • Al Bahie Auction House, dedicating to auctioning works of art.
  • Arab Postal Stamp Museum, a museum covering the postal history of 22 countries.
  • Bedaya Center, a career center dedicating to helping young Qataris find employment.
  • Brooq Magazine, a monthly cultural magazine established in 2003.
  • Doha Film Institute, a film production company that promotes local and regional filmmakers.
  • Forum of Arabic and International Relations, a cultural organization formed to promote intraregional relations and dialogue.
  • Katara Art Center, an art center founded in 2012.
  • Katara Art Studios, an organization that holds art workshops and organizes local art-related events.
  • Katara Beach Club, a sports and wellness club.
  • Katara Planetarium, a planetarium which has a capacity for 200 viewers and boasts a 22-meter display.
  • Poet Majles, a center dedicated to Arabic poetry.
  • Qatar Fine Arts Association, one the oldest artist societies in the country.
  • Qatar Music Academy, a government-sanctioned academy that trains students in music.
  • Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra that performs both western and Arabic museum.
  • Qatar Museums Gallery-Katara.
  • Sout Al Khaleej, an Arabic-language public radio station.
  • Visual Art Center, which showcases the work of local artists and holds educational workshops.
  • Youth Hobbies Center, a youth center that holds workshops on activities such as photography, stamp collecting, animation and video games.

Events

Fath Al Kheir journey
A traditional mosque in Katara.

Fath Al Kheir journey is a voyage organized by Katara management to promote Qatar's maritime heritage. The first voyage took place in the Persian Gulf from 22 November to 18 December, 2013. A second voyage was launched on 6 October, 2015. The ship was manned by 40 Qataris in traditional attire and sailed around the Arabian Sea, with the key destinations being Oman and India. The Indian ambassador to Qatar hailed it as a milestone in the countries' bilateral relations[11]

Katara Art Forum

A two-day discussion forum for the arts was inaugurated in Katara in 2014. An annual event, the forum features international and local researchers who deliver speeches on topics such as the history of Arab art and Arab art groups.[12]

Aida

In October 2012, an event featuring Giuseppe Verdi's classic opera Aida was hosted in Katara's amphitheatre. It was the first opera to be held in Qatar. The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra were featured in the opera, alongside at least 80 singers and 35 actors.[13]

Transport

Currently, the underground Katara Metro Station is under construction, having been launched during Phase 1. Once completed, it will be part of Doha Metro's Red Line North.[14]

Management

Dr. Khalid Bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti is the General Manager of Katara Cultural village.[15]

gollark: "These are cool and I have purchased one"?
gollark: "I'm still using my 15-year-old prototype"?
gollark: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors_killed_by_their_own_inventions>
gollark: I think it's more that when a new invention is decently possible to make and economically viable, and there's research in the relevant field, some people come up with it. Blaming the first person to is kind of potatos.
gollark: Let's blame the first caveman to set wood on fire.

References
  1. "Katara set for soft opening". Gulf Times. 2010-10-16. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012.
  2. "Katara is a link to Qatar's historical and cultural roots". The Peninsula. 2 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  3. "About Katara". www.katara.net.
  4. "QM Gallery Katara". Qatar Museums. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  5. "About us". Katara. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  6. "Qatar reveals huge infrastructure project". Construction Week Online. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  7. "Make Way For More: Katara Plaza Launched in Qatar". Entrepreneur. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  8. "افتتاح متحف المحامل التقليدية في "كتارا"". Qatar News Agency. 16 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  9. "Qatar Gets New Auction House - artnet News". artnet News. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  10. "Communities". Katara. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  11. "Fath Al Kheir begins 44-day historic voyage to India". The Peninsula. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  12. "Katara arts forum launches in 2nd edition". The Peninsula. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  13. Alya Al-Othman (22 October 2012). "Opera Aida Enthralls Audience at Katara". Khaleejesque. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  14. "QAR Metro". arcgis.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  15. "Katara appoints Dr Khalid Ibrahim Al Sulaiti as GM". The Peninsula. 2012-10-22. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-04-14.

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