The exhibition is a joint initiative between Qatar National Library (QNL), Qatar National Commission to UNESCO and UNESCO Doha Office and is organized with the kind support of the AlFaisal Without Borders Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation founded and chaired by H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani that promotes sustainable development and provides humanitarian aid and relief.

Commenting on the exhibition, H.E Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani said “it is very important to highlight the achievements of Muslim scientists such as Ibn Al-Haytham during the Golden Islamic era, to understand the role they played and the stones they set for all the coming scientific breakthroughs we all enjoy right now”.  

H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, who will be speaking during the opening ceremony of the conference, will open the exhibition together with UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, and the Permanent Delegate of the State of Qatar to UNESCO, H.E. Mr. Ali Zainal.

The exhibition will include a short film on QNL’s efforts to preserve Islamic archives and manuscripts relating to the history of Qatar and the Arab and Islamic world. The exhibition will also show selections of important texts authored by Ibn Al-Haytham displayed on interactive touch-screens such as ‘Discourse on Light’, ‘The Light of Planets’, and ‘The Light of the Moon’ as well as manuscripts highlighting the influence of Ibn Al-Haytham in Europe, including an Arabic treatise on a geometrical topic copied in Leiden and a printed book on Ibn Al-Haytham’s Optics Printed in Basle in 1572. 

Ibn Al-Haytham was a notable 11th-century Muslim scientist and scholar. He was born in Iraq during the Golden Age of Muslim Civilization and is known as the father of optics. Ibn Al-Haytham made extraordinary inventions in the fields of vision, optics and light. 

UNESCO Doha Office Director, Anna Paolini, said the exhibition was an opportunity to showcase at the international level the efforts deployed by Qatar-based cultural institutions to preserve the rich heritage of the Islamic world. “It is important for the younger generations to have access to this immense knowledge in their own country so they can be inspired and positively contribute to their societies as doctors, inventors, researchers and scientists,” Dr. Paolini added. 

Qatar National Commission to UNESCO Secretary General, Dr. Hamda Al Sulaiti, said “we are pleased to organise this important exhibition at UNESCO headquarters which not only reflects the contribution of the Islamic world to today's knowledge-based economies but also illustrate the efforts made by the State of Qatar to improve access to knowledge and preserve the region's rich scientific heritage. We hope the exhibition will encourage students in Qatar to pursue careers in the field of science, research and cultural heritage preservation".

QNL Project Director, Dr. Claudia Lux, explained that “through partnerships, QNL aims to explore and raise awareness about the history of the Gulf region while creating one of the world’s most ambitious and accessible resources for studies into Islamic Sciences. These efforts go in line with QNL’s vision of bridging with knowledge Qatar’s and the Arab and Islamic world’s heritage and future.”

Dr Joachim Gierlichs, QNL's Associate Director for Special Collections and Archives,  said that “through the exhibition, we are highlighting selected digitized items of the famous scholar Ibn Al-Haytham from QNL’s heritage collection. The first item is a 16th century version of Ibn Al-Haytham Book of optics which is also available at QNL’s Heritage Collection. The other items are available at the Qatar Digital Library portal, which resulted from the partnership project between Qatar Foundation, Qatar National Library and the British Library, aiming to provide a free public access to the world’s most significant resources for studies into Gulf History and Arab Islamic Sciences.”

Saba al Kuwari, responsible for the manuscripts collection at QNL, stressed that “the exhibition shows the most important work of Ibn Al-Haytham. From such work, one can see that his way of thinking and criticizing is scientifically based. In fact, knowledge about Ibn Al-Haytham and his inventions can change our understanding of the openness nature of Islam in the encouragement of human intellect to question the world and to learn from God’s creation”. 

More information about the conference can be found on this link.

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About Qatar National Library

Qatar National Library (QNL) is a non-profit organisation under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF). QNL is supporting Qatar on its journey from a carbon-based economy to knowledge-based economy by providing resources to students, researchers, and the community in Qatar. It was announced in November 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. 

QNL carries out its mission through three functions: National Library, University and Research Library, and a Metropolitan Public Library of the digital age. The National Library function collects and provides access to global knowledge relevant to Qatar and the region. It also collects, preserves, and provides access to heritage content and materials about Qatar and the region. The University and Research Library function supports education and research at all levels by providing printed and digital library materials for students and researchers. Metropolitan Public Library delivers library services and information for everyone to enjoy reading, meet people, and become information literate.

Learn more about Qatar National Library online at www.qnl.qa

Twitter: @QNLib

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheQatarNationalLibrary

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Media contacts: 

QNL - Gihan M. Baraka +974 4454 6034, gbaraka(at)qf.org.qa

Qatar National Commission - Ashwaq Al Kubaisi, as.alkubaisi(at)sec.gov.qa

UNESCO - Marion Desmurger, m.desmurger(at)unesco.org

AlFaisal Foundation - Khalifa El Beltagi, pa@alfaisalfoundation.org