Doha, 16 Jan. 2024 (QNA)
Amir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has said that the inauguration of the National Archives of Qatar is a contribution to preserve the State of Qatar’s history and document the country’s cultural and national identity.
In a post on his official account in ‘X’ platform, Amir of Qatar said National Archives of Qatar inauguration is an addition to the country’s national institutions to preserve the State of Qatar’s history and document its cultural and national identity through archiving historic documents, enhancing research and historiography, and raising awareness of their significance
The Amir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani inaugurated the National Archives of Qatar on Tuesday, 16th of January 2024. National Archives building is affiliated with the Amiri Diwan, in Msheireb District, Doha.
Present on the occasion were Chairman, Board of Trustees of National Archives of Qatar, Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, ministers and officials.
Qatar Amir toured the facility and was briefed on the National Archives of Qatar’s infrastructure.
Amir of Qatar inspected the contents that are dedicated to monitoring the history of the State of Qatar as well as organizing the collection and preserving documents and archives along with ways of supervising them.
Amir of Qatar also listened to a presentation on the details of the facility’s different departments and their methods of work.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of National Archives of Qatar Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Attiya said on the occasion that National Archives of Qatar is considered an advanced national center that preserves the history of the State of Qatar, contributes to documenting the national cultural identity, and conserves its heritage and culture.
The National Archives of Qatar, affiliated with the Amiri Diwan, was reorganized according to the Amiri Decision No. (29) of 2023. It aims to enrich intellectual activity, monitor the history of the State of Qatar, and organize and supervise the collection and preservation of documents and archives, in implementation of the provisions of Law No. (7) of 2023 on documents and archives.
It also aims to enable access to information, records and documents and facilitate their use by setting standards and policies that regulate the process of managing public, private, historical and national documents in the country.
The National Archives of Qatar is concerned with identifying all documents of historical value in possession of ministries and other government agencies or individuals as well as other documents and archives located abroad and determining the mechanisms for the Archive to obtain and transfer these documents and archives to it or to obtain copies of them.
The Qatar National Archive buildings are located in the landmark Msheireb Downtown Doha development. Their contextual backdrop includes surrounding physical historical references, such as the traditional Souk Waqif market, the Doha Bay, the Al Khoot Fort, and several large heritage houses, as well as the intangible city narrative of a point of arrival from the sea and a place of gathering.
The project’s buildings are linked to an historically Qatari archetype. The Diwan Annex is designed in the style of the historical liwan-enclosed diwania (small palace); the Amiri Guards HQ references the fort and courtyard dwelling; while the National Archive takes its cue from the fortified watchtower.
The National Archive wraps around the smallest of the heritage houses in Phase 1, the Radwani House, and lifts off its central volume to allow views from the street towards the house, which forms the archive’s café and shop.
The National Archive structure proved a significant engineering challenge, with long clear spans at the ground floor and significant floor loads at all upper levels. A strut-and-tie structural design approach was used for the cast in-situ concrete load-bearing walls, which included large floor-to-ceiling windows in some areas. A large horizontal tie ran below the narrow vertical window openings with vertical ties and diagonal struts around each wall opening forming a truss.
In all, the building used innovative design techniques and unusual finishing practices for the cornerstone project of what may be the world’s largest LEED-certified community.
Construction of the buildings started in 2010 and completed in 2016 on floor area of 31,931 Sq. m
There are around 15 articles in regards to the establishing and managing the Archives of Qatar initiated under Law No. 14 of 1980 establishing the Qatari Dar Al-Watha’iq (National Archive) of Qatar by the order of then Deputy Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa AlThani.
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