Qatar National Library President and Minister of State Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari said Türkiye has a rich historical manuscript collection thanks to the heritage of the Ottoman Empire. Al-Kuwari said cultural cooperation between Qatar and Türkiye should be deepened.
Speaking at the Qatar National Library in Doha, Al-Kuwari said Türkiye holds an important position in the Islamic world. He noted that Türkiye houses a rich collection of manuscripts, many of which are not found in such abundance in other countries, thanks to its Ottoman heritage.
Communication between the libraries continues
Al-Kuwari said relations between Qatar and Türkiye are developing in various fields and stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation on preserving manuscripts, archives and historical documents.
Al-Kuwari said communication with Turkish libraries is continuing and highlighted the Presidential National Library in Ankara as well as libraries and cultural institutions in Istanbul. Describing Istanbul as one of the world's leading cultural centers, Al-Kuwari said communication channels between the relevant institutions of the two countries remain open.
Al-Kuwari said the Qatar National Library houses numerous Ottoman Turkish works and noted that this collection provides a basis for joint work on written heritage. He said preserving historical collections, documents and manuscripts is fundamentally important for knowledge and history.
Four hundred books donated under the memorandum
Cooperation between the Qatar National Library and Türkiye's Presidential National Library is based on a memorandum signed on October 18, 2021. The memorandum covers developing cooperation in education, science, culture and librarianship; sharing expertise and experience; digitizing historical documents; and organizing joint training activities.
The agreement also provides for the exchange of professional knowledge on managing collections, preserving documents and making them accessible to researchers. As part of the cooperation, Türkiye's Presidential National Library donated 400 books by Turkish authors to the Qatar National Library.
Arabic content gap in artificial intelligence
Al-Kuwari said artificial intelligence technologies can process Arabic effectively, but digital content in Arabic remains limited compared with other languages. He noted that although Arabic is one of the world's major languages, the volume of digital content in some languages is far greater than that available in Arabic.
Al-Kuwari said institutions working in the fields of the Arabic language and cultural heritage must make sustained efforts to close this gap. He added that work is under way to help Arabic reach its rightful position in the digital world.
Al-Kuwari's positions
Al-Kuwari has served as president of the Qatar National Library since 2020, also serves as a Minister of State and holds the rank of deputy prime minister. Previously Qatar's Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Al-Kuwari diplomatically represented his country in France, the United States, the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
