Qatar 365 dépoussière les sites archéologiques du pays à la recherche de trésors sur terre et en mer
Des mondes oubliés sous le sable aux trésors en mer, Qatar 365 explore le passé du Qatar. Laila Humairah visite le site archéologique d'Ain Mohamed pour trouver des traces de la première période islamique. Johanna Hoes se mouille les pieds à Al Zubarah, pour découvrir le patrimoine du Qatar submergé
00:00Connecting with archaeology provides you a sense of identity and connects Qatar to the rest of the world.
00:07By making this event, we promote and encourage not only the states but also the public and, you know, all the communities around Zubara to protect their marine and cultural heritage, underwater cultural heritage.
00:23Hello and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Laila Humaira.
00:28On this episode, we take a look at how the country is preserving both archaeological sites and its intangible cultural heritage.
00:36Let's first start here at the northern tip of Qatar in a village called Ain Mohamed.
00:42As I found out, it's one of a few dozen historical sites where researchers are conducting excavations to dig into the history of the early Islamic period.
00:51In the study of human history, nothing comes quite close to the thrill of discovering an ancient site.
01:00Dr. Robert Qatar is leading the research at Ain Mohamed excavation site.
01:05What he and his team have found tells a fascinating story about the area in Qatar's history.
01:11Well, there were definitely people living here, so they were not only undertaking production activities, they were also living around the factory as well, because we have their food remains in little hearths, you know, cooking places.
01:24In fact, we have evidence from the site that they were growing crops.
01:27So we have a settled population and they're farming and they're making textiles.
01:32And they're in Qatar.
01:33In the last 15 years, Ain Mohamed has been one of more than 30 sites identified by Qatar Museum's archaeologists, giving a glimpse of how life was like in the 19th century.
01:44But more recent findings have indicated that these sites existed way before then, between the 7th and the 9th century, which was also the time period that witnessed the birth of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
01:56Qatar Museums launched the Landscapes of Faith project to trace the intersection of when Christianity and Islam first overlapped.
02:05So far, we haven't found any good evidence either way for whether the people at the sites that were excavating are Christian or Muslim.
02:13But what we have found is some very interesting facts about the activities they were performing, the lives that they were leading, and the connections they had with the outside world.
02:22After two excavation seasons, Dr. Carter and his team have collected a few pieces that make up the human history puzzle.
02:31We have a complete grinding stone, two halves of a rotary quern, we call it, still together in position, which is very unusual.
02:40We have several finds relating to textile production.
02:43We have spindle whorls, which are weights, and we have spindles, brass rods, which are used to spin.
02:49So we believe they were producing wool on this site.
02:52Here we've got a very nicely made basin with a nice lip, gypsum plaster, and a drainage hole going through into a pit on the other side.
03:00And the pits where these basins empty out tend to be filled with this ashy, ashy sediment,
03:07which is one of the reasons we believe that they were washing something, probably a fleece, in ashy water to clean it.
03:12Among the finds was also this, the skeletal remains of a small dog in one of the rooms.
03:18While it's yet to be dated, it could indicate domestication of pets, or perhaps the owning of sheepdogs.
03:26Every year, the museum holds an open day.
03:29It's a chance for the public to experience, explore, and learn about the excavation site.
03:35We have a group of people that can excavate with us.
03:38They can sieve the finds and the spoil that we find, they can wash pottery, they can take some photography.
03:46So it's a very hands-on day.
03:49Connecting with archaeology provides you a sensible identity and connects Qatar to the rest of the world.
03:55Angie Altam grew up watching Indiana Jones movies, so signing up to such an opportunity was a no-brainer.
04:01It was my first time here, and yeah, I found it fascinating, just digging, finding, and all these.
04:09And there is a very ancient and vibrant history in Qatar.
04:13Beginner's luck was on her side as Angie found a piece of broken pottery that looks like what the archaeologists are looking for.
04:20The team thinks they've only scratched the surface at Ain Muhammad, and are hopeful that future digs will bring them more artefacts to help solve the mystery of Qatar's earliest dwellers.
04:38Preserving ancient sites is one important aspect of making sure past civilisations don't get lost through the ages.
04:46But so is spreading the knowledge to future generations.
04:49I'm here at Masharib Museums, in the heart of Doha, to meet General Manager Abdullah Al-Nama,
04:56who gives us an insight to the museum's role in keeping Qatar's heritage alive.
05:04Mr. Abdullah, thank you so much for having us here today.
05:07I wanted to start first with where we are.
05:11This is the Muhammad bin Jasim House.
05:13What is the historical and cultural significance of this building?
05:17Muhammad bin Jasim is one of our four museums here at Masharib Museums.
05:22Muhammad bin Jasim is very significant to the downtown Masharib.
05:26It covers the history of Masharib as an area.
05:29Plus, it explains the seven steps that the new architectural language that the city was built upon, how they established.
05:38And it's also a testimonial of the education that here in downtown Masharib properties are trying to spread the knowledge of building a smart and sustainable city to the younger generation.
05:50And there are a few other historical houses that make up Masharib Museums. Can you tell us more about those buildings?
05:57We have, as well, Bait bin Jolmut, which is the first and only museum in the world that talks about the story of slavery in the Indian Ocean world.
06:06And also, we have the Company House, which is a museum that focuses on the Qatari pioneers who were working in the oil industry.
06:13The fourth museum is Ravwani House.
06:16Ravwani House is a prototype of the old Qatari houses, pre-oil and post-oil.
06:21The four museums, the four stories, actually, it's a social and economical study of the history of Qatari the past 100, 120 years.
06:30So what are the ongoing outreach programs that you have at the museum right now?
06:37Masharib Museums, maybe it's not your traditional kind of museum.
06:41You focus a lot on the narrative. It's a narrative storytelling museum, more than artifact-based museum.
06:47For example, we have a bimonthly, very active program, which is the Science Café, in collaboration with Cedra, for example.
06:56We have a research program with Hamad bin Khalifa University.
06:59So we try to diverse our offering because lots of initiatives happening here in Kabul.
07:06And finally, how do you see Masharib Museums continuing to stay relevant as the world modernizes?
07:12I think it's very important, especially through programming, to be relevant within the community.
07:20As long as the programs and the initiatives that we keep organizing are part of what interests people,
07:28I think this will make museums relevant to the evolving and changing communities.
07:33At the end of the day, our role is not only to showcase history, but also to be part of history.
07:45From forgotten worlds under Qatar's sands to treasure troughs in its coastal waters,
07:50Joanna Hoos gets her hands and feet wet at the Al-Zubara archaeological site
07:54to explore Qatari history submerged in the Arabian Gulf.
07:59At first glance, this beach on Qatar's north-western coast might not seem all that remarkable.
08:06But dig a little deeper, literally and figuratively, and hidden under the glistening waters,
08:11you will find traces of a bygone era, remnants of the ancient coastal town of Al-Zubara,
08:16a settlement that was once at the heart of Qatar's pearl trade.
08:20Today's dive in Al-Zubara's past is organized by Qatar museums and UNESCO in collaboration with Seashore and the Poseidon Dive Center.
08:45The open day offers curious minds from Qatar's diving community a rare chance to get hands-on
08:52and learn how to uncover, document and preserve the country's underwater cultural heritage.
08:57We are here today, today is a day of
09:18qui s'appellent à l'écran des bactes ou des bactes.
09:22Les bactes de l'hériture ont été suivant la recherche de l'hériture.
09:26Les bactes de l'hériture ont été créés par des bactes de l'hériture.
09:30Aujourd'hui, ils ont fait un état pour la recherche de l'hériture et de l'hériture de l'hériture.
09:37En faisant ce moment, c'est une des collaboration de notre entreprise
09:46avec les Qatar, les museums de l'hériture et d'encourager les États-Unis,
09:51mais aussi les publics et les communautés autour de Zubara
09:55pour protéger leur territoire et leur territoire, leur territoire, leur territoire.
10:00Zubara a été first identifié en l'archéologique en 1950
10:05et a été ennés à l'université de l'Hériture en 2013.
10:09C'est la plus grande territoire de l'hériture,
10:11mais seulement une partie de la ville a été excavée,
10:13ennés à l'ériture de l'hériture ou un déchouement sur la terre.
10:17Et ici, à la mer.
10:18C'est ce moment-là, c'est ce moment-là, c'est ce moment-là.
10:23C'est ce moment-là, c'est ce moment-là et c'est ce moment-là.
10:30Nous avons mis enregistré les sites sur l'éducation et sur l'éducation de la population, sur la France.
10:37Tout ce qui a été mis enregistré, nous avons donné une grande valeur à l'éducation pour les gens qui nous ont appris.
10:44Ce site a été mis enregistré en UNESCO World Heritage Site en 2013.
10:50Et depuis que l'éducation, il n'est pas devenu un site de couture.
10:55Il est devenu un site important pour la humaine.
10:59Il n'a pas d'éducation d'université.
11:02Il n'est pas un site de couture, il n'est plus important pour le monde.
11:08Wafa a dédié sa carrière à conserver l'underwater cultural heritage.
11:13Mais elle dit que l'éducation de l'éducation n'est pas seulement de préserver l'histoire.
11:17C'est de comprendre l'éducation de l'éducation de l'éducation de l'éducation et de l'éducation de l'éducation de l'éducation.
11:24Uncovering secrets of the past and preserving treasures from ancient civilisations are the strongest reminders that as Qatar modernises,
11:37its commitment to staying true to its roots is as unwavering as the artefacts that have survived hundreds of years.
11:44We hope you've enjoyed this episode, but that's all the time we have for now.
11:48For more, check out Euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:52Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
