Interactive event proves to be a big hit with young participants.

Qatar Museums (QM) marked the end of a hugely successful series of archaeology and heritage activities with an enjoyable, informative and interactive workshop on traditional building methods that took place in the surroundings of Al Zubarah Fort.

The workshop welcomed over 100 children who took part in hands-on activities and learned about Qatar’s heritage.

Conducted in both Arabic and English, workshop participants received expert instruction and guidance from members of the Cultural Heritage Department at QM on a range of historic techniques and methods used by the country’s population historically to build shelters and homes.

Following an engaging overview and explanation by the experts, the interactive session gave participants the opportunity to put into practice what they had learned by building their own stone wall. Under careful guidance, they applied the various ancient methods and approaches, including mixing their own mortar. They worked collaboratively in small groups to build a wall from the ground up.

The workshop reflects QM’s ongoing and continued efforts to put local communities in touch with their past, reminding them of the skills and wisdom of their ancestors.

The event marked the finale of a months-long series of Archaeological Activities designed to engage the community and spread awareness and appreciation for a wide range of historical and traditional crafts and practices. These included presentations, practical workshops and hands-on demonstrations by a wide range of craftsmen and professionals, specially tailored to residents and visitors.

The carefully prepared programme and numerous events included in QM’s Archaeological Activities took place in a range of locations around Qatar including the UNESCO World Heritage site Al Zubarah Fort. The workshops ran every Friday and Saturday over the past four months.

The activities have been very well received by the community. To date more than 300 adults and children have taken part, and the feedback received has been overwhelmingly positive.

The level of engagement makes this initiative one of the most successful organised by Qatar Museums to date in terms of engaging the local community in Qatar’s cultural history and heritage.

Commenting on the workshop and the wider programme of Archaeological Activities, Dr. Ali Jassim Al Kubaisi (Acting Chief Archaeology Officer) from the Cultural Heritage Department at Qatar Museums said: “Qatar has a rich and long history and many important cultural traditions and practices of which the country can rightly be very proud. Our team are fully committed to developing a wide range of interactive and engaging opportunities designed to bring to life the wisdom, experience and knowledge of our ancestors. We’re thrilled with the response to our series of Archaeological Activities to date and with the way they really seem to have captured the imagination of the public.”