From visiting Qatar’s vibrant arts and culture scene to exploring contemporary twists on traditional places of worship and discovering why sports like MMA and Padel are rapidly gaining popularity, the Qatar 365 team reminisced over some of our highlights of 2024.
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00:00My work is inspired by capturing the essence of empowered femininity, confidence, and the strength that's inherent, basically within every woman.
00:12The reaction for a lot of people is that when you tell them that this is the mosque, it's like, wow, it's just too futuristic looking for it to be a mosque.
00:21Hello, welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Abil Halim.
00:25On this episode, we look back at some of our favorite moments from 2024, including the time we explored some architectural wonders, putting a contemporary spin on traditional places of worship.
00:35And we sat front row to find out why sports like mixed martial arts and paddle are taking the region by storm.
00:42But first, we explored some of the best visual arts in the country from the Qatar International Arts Festival to a very unique exhibition right here at the Museum of Islamic Art.
00:52This exhibition includes four golden textiles crafted from spider silk.
00:58Yes, you heard that right. Silk from golden orb weaver spiders, indigenous to Madagascar, and famous for the color of their webs.
01:06One of the things about it is it produces this wonderful gold thread.
01:10Just the fact that where you know it comes from is already a sort of magical thing because it's hard to associate the web of a spider with actually, which is such an ephemeral thing which can blow away in the wind.
01:22And then imagine that as something permanent.
01:25Interest in spider silk goes back centuries, but these pieces are the only examples of golden spider silk in the world.
01:32And a lot of silk was needed for the highlight of the exhibit.
01:36This gold cape is from the silk of 1.2 million golden spiders, which took more than two years to produce and over 6,000 hours of embroidery.
01:46I think you have to be incredibly passionate and maybe a little crazy to commit yourself to a project like this.
01:52It takes time, energy, resources.
01:55You're surrounded by spiders in Madagascar, but they can't be harvested the way that other industries are harvested, right?
02:01So you have to actually go into the wild, catch them, go through the process of removing the spider silk and then releasing them back into nature.
02:11The museum's director says the exhibition embraces sustainability by highlighting the use of eco-friendly vegan silk in the final exhibit pieces.
02:20They are so unique and beautiful.
02:22For me, it's the first time I see such textiles that are not dyed shiny and gold from nature.
02:30We hope the visitors will enjoy the exhibition and find it inspiring.
02:35Now, from golden spider silk to a more traditional and accessible form of art.
02:41Qatar Foundation's Artful Minds exhibition was specifically curated to raise awareness around mental health.
02:47Laila found out how art can be a therapeutic form of expression.
02:51Vibrant, colourful and feminine.
02:55That's how Sally Khoury, or better known as Sally K, would describe her style.
03:00My work is inspired by capturing the essence of empowered femininity, confidence and the strength that's inherent basically within every woman.
03:11While Sally uses flowers to light up an empty wall, Carmela's artwork is a vivid contrast of colours with equally powerful messaging.
03:20Like her piece on display, she calls optimistic.
03:24Optimistic is basically the darkness that we face when we are facing negativity and tribulations in our life.
03:32If we choose to find the positive in life and things, we can see that there's optimism all around us.
03:39Whether you paint as a pastime or a passion, the use of colour in art is not only stimulating for the mind.
03:46It also helps regulate moods and is known to calm anxiety.
03:50Artists themselves are increasingly mindful of the art they create and more are using chromotherapy to make conscious, impactful masterpieces.
04:01Hala Al-Jafari is one of 30 artists who displayed her work at Qatar Foundation's Artful Minds exhibition at the Multaka Gallery in Education City.
04:12I used a little bit of blue as a sign for bad mood or depression and for the people who struggle with mental health issues to know that they are not alone.
04:30When you think of a mosque, you probably have an idea of what you're going to see.
04:34There are over 2,000 mosques in Qatar that are integral to the landscape.
04:38I got a chance to discover some that are unique in structure like this one in Education City and are putting a contemporary spin on traditional places of worship.
04:48From the National Library to the National Museum and the Museum of Islamic Art, there's no shortage of jaw-dropping designs across Qatar.
04:57And that idea of pushing architectural boundaries continues with the country's places of worship.
05:03The Education City Mosque is unlike any other.
05:06This is literally a beautiful site in that it's a curved glass, so you can see there are laser cutouts of steel individually hanging on steel cables to be able to kind of fit this curved space.
05:20The reaction for a lot of people is that when you tell them that this is the mosque, it's like, wow, it's just too futuristic looking for it to be a mosque.
05:27And I think that's part of the appeal is that it challenges people's notions of what an archetype of a mosque looks like, especially for this region.
05:34Now there are more than 2,000 mosques across Qatar, but none quite like this one in Al-Shahania.
05:40The distinctive leaning mosque and minaret was designed by Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al-Thani, who wanted this mosque to stand out from any other in the world by blending modern design with rich Qatari tradition.
05:51I thought there would be a lot of criticism, but on the contrary, it's more positive.
06:01And the visitors who come to see it and take care of it.
06:07Resembling the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Leaning Minaret is 27 meters in height with a 20 degree incline.
06:14The mosque is built by stone sourced from the immediate area and is decorated with stained glass windows.
06:34From bringing people together in unique places of worship to breathing new life into old structures.
06:39Laila went to the Doha Fire Station where she found out how the home of Qatar's first civil authority has been repurposed into a haven for artists and creatives alike.
06:49From the house of everyday heroes to a haven for artists all around the world.
06:54This is Doha Fire Station.
06:57Built in 1982, it was once the home of Qatar's first civil defense authority.
07:03Today, the fire station is a contemporary art space for self-expression.
07:08An avenue for exchanging diverse ideas and a meeting ground for the creative community.
07:14The vibe here we are creating through the indoor exhibitions, outdoor exhibitions, murals around the building.
07:21It's really putting you in a space where there's a lot of inspiration, a lot of beautiful vibe you have here.
07:29While many areas of the fire station have been refurbished into new workspaces,
07:33there are some original elements purposely kept as a reminder of the building's identity.
07:40Like this drill tower which once served as a facility for routine exercises and training.
07:49For the Doha Fire Station, its legacy is quite literally cemented in its walls.
07:55A celebration of an honorable purpose in its past life reborn to nurture the next generation of talented individuals, all heroes in their own right.
08:07Earlier this year, the world's largest martial arts organization won championship,
08:12cemented its place in the region and made its historic debut in Qatar.
08:17I got a chance to go ringside and check out the action.
08:25These fans are lining up to catch a glimpse of their sporting heroes.
08:30Already hugely popular in Asia, one championship is expanding into the Middle East market.
08:36The ten bout card in Qatar saw three world title rematches
08:41and featured Middle Eastern and international fighters competing in a mix of Muay Thai,
08:46boxing, submission grappling and mixed martial arts.
08:50Ahead of match day, the fighters put on a show for fans in a picturesque backdrop at the beach,
08:56showcasing some of their skills inside the ring.
09:00This is just the second time one has been in the region.
09:04But a lot has changed since that maiden 2014 event in Dubai.
09:08First of all, Amir Ali Akbari has become a huge social media star with nearly 3 million followers on Instagram.
09:14The Iranian heavyweight can't wait for the opening bell.
09:44This fight is the best. Athletes, you know.
09:47What a knockout debut for one FC in Qatar, where the hype over mixed martial arts is gaining traction.
09:53Another sport that's taken the country by storm is paddle,
09:56which looks like a mix between squash and tennis, but is a different ball game in its own way.
10:01Laila looked at how Qatar is giving the sport a major boost.
10:05Muhammad Al-Hanji is one of Qatar's top paddle athletes.
10:09While tennis was his first love, he made the switch to paddle five years ago
10:14and hasn't looked back since.
10:16I've played tennis for 20 years and paddle came up recently and I started playing it.
10:25The Uridu Qatar tournament is the first major stop in Premier Paddle's 2024 season
10:31under a new unified global professional ecosystem.
10:3525 tournaments spanning 18 countries and 5 continents will culminate with the finals in Barcelona.
10:41Here in Qatar, the craze over paddle is being fueled by more new facilities to cater to the growing demand.
10:49Whether it's for competitive play or for fun, Qatar Foundation recently opened two new paddle courts in Education City.
10:58It's so important to give good quality, to make the people feel at home,
11:03to make the people feel comfortable when they come and play.
11:06And this is what we are trying to do.
11:08And while paddle is already giving legacy record sports like tennis a run for its money,
11:15there's still a bit more of catching up to do.
11:18But if paddle's meteoric rise in Qatar is any indication for the growth the sport is expected to see,
11:25the industry is headed for an all-round smashing good time.
11:29From visiting Qatar's vibrant arts and culture scene to exploring contemporary twists on traditional places of worship
11:35and discovering why sports like MMA and paddle are rapidly gaining popularity,
11:40we hope you enjoyed reminiscing with us on this episode.
11:43But that's all the time we have for now.
11:45For more, check out euronews.com and connect with us through a hashtag.
11:48Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
11:58Qatar 365