Palm Trees in Qatar: Inveterate, Enduring Heritage Inherently Associated with Identity

Doha: Palm trees are strongly associated with the national identity of the State of Qatar signifying the generosity of the people of Qatar, their noble traits and hospitality. Palm trees are considered one of the most consequential fruits in the Qatari habitat and was clearly stated in the Holy Qur'an. Speaking to Qatar News Agency , heritage expert at the Ministry of Culture, Mohammed Saeed Al Balushi noted the symbolic connotation of palm trees as a significant cultural, development and sustainable component. This includes a host of knowledgeable individuals and practitioners who own date palm farms, as well as farmers who cultivate and prune palm branches, artisans who produce traditional products using different parts of the palm tree, date traders, creators, artists of stories along with poems related to this fruit. During its participation in the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco fr om Dec.1-4, 2022, the State of Qatar had succeeded in joining the states registered in the file "The Palm . Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices" as an intangible cultural element on the UNESCO's list intangible cultural heritage, said Al Balushi. He pointed out that palm trees are inextricably connected with folk literature, whether in stories, folk tales, with many traditional crafts and industries depending on palm trees, highlighting their cultural significance and their prevalence throughout many centuries, thus making it a bridge of universal communication and cultural dialogue among nations. This cultural communication, he said, underscores the societies' unflagging commitment to conserving palm trees through collective engagement in a plethora of palm related activities. He affirmed that many Gulf countries invest in innovating new tourism patterns that are based on combining traditional crafts and industries such as palm fronds and palm heritage in the tourism model, thus making palm village s, resorts, and beaches a perfect destination for a significant number of tourists who seek a unique heritage tourism experience. The number of palm trees in Qatar ranges between 650,000 and 700,000, accounting for 17% of the total agricultural land in the country, distributed across multiple regions, according to a report by the Ministry of Municipality published on Jul. 20, 2021, Al Balushi highlighted. Al Balushi underscored the State of Qatar's unyielding commitment to supporting and encouraging the cultivation of all national products domestically, including dates, citing Souq Waqif Administration which organizes local dates festivals in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipality's Department of Agricultural Affairs. He highlighted that such festivals come as part of the foremost interest of Qatar in supporting local cultivation of all national products, including dates, in pursuit of backing the efforts of achieving food security, advancing agricultural sector and supporting farms and farmers. I n addition, Al Balushi emphasized that palm trees have been a source of numerous traditional crafts and industries, as well as mores of Qatar and the Arab region for many centuries as a fundamental source of nutrition, noting the global recognition of palm trees as a universal Arab and human heritage. He pointed out that palm trees have been inherently tethered to the Arab region since the epochal evolution of Arab and Islamic civilization, as well as desert and Bedouin world, prior to being moved toward the city world recently, highlighting that descendants are profoundly entangled with palm trees as a viable and enduring human patrimony, since they have been the central product in the world of desert after camel milk, and the core feature of economic exchange among humans. Al Balushi asserted that heritage activities associated with palm trees plainly set the motion of heritage tourism in the Arab communities and promote co-existence and dialogue among a variety of human cultures, underscoring that the St ate of Qatar and the Gulf states have been keen to value the palm heritage through commemorating palm festivals and seasons, in addition to supporting crafts and industries, along with the inveterate mores associated with palm trees. Source: Qatar News Agency