The Public Libraries Department organizes a seminar entitled “The role of Archives in writing the history of nations and peoples” in the context of the department’s cultural and scientific activities. The seminar will be held on the 1st and the 2nd of May 2012 from 6:30 until 8:30 pm at Hilton Hotel. It is open to the public as well as researchers and specialists. Several renowned Specialists in archiving and documentation will attend the seminar to highlight some points reflecting the role of archives in preserving the history of nations and peoples as they represent the memory of history and a center preserving the heritage of nations.
• Dr. Emad Bader Addin Abou Ghaze is a former Minister of Culture in Egypt, a researcher in history and documentation, a Professor of archives in Cairo University and a member in the Scientific Committee of the National Archives in Egypt. He will lecture on the important role played by the archives as they represent the “memory of history."
• Dr. Mohamed Al-Adel is a Founding member and Head of the Turkish Arab Association for Science, Culture and the Arts, and Executive Chairman of the Turkish-Arab Institute for Strategic Studies in Ankara. Dr. Mohamed’s lecture will focus on the subject of Qatar and the Gulf region and how were they depicted in the Arabic documents in the ottoman’s archives.
• Dr. Penelope Tucson is an expert of documents of the Middle East. She worked as Secretary of Middle East Archives in the British Library. She will lecture about the Arabic documents in the British Archives, and she will focus on the Arabic documents of Qatar and the Gulf region.
• Mr. Mohamed Hammam Fikri is a specialist in heritage in the office of Cultural Advisor of Qatar Foundation. Mr. Mohamed is also a member of the Executive Committee of “Memory of the Arab World” project. He will lecture on the efforts made in the archiving of Qatar's history. The “Center of Sheikh Hassen Bin Mohamed Al Thani” will be considered as a model.
• Mr. Sultan Al-Jaber, Head of Documents and Research Department at the Amiri Diwan in Qatar. Mr. Sultan’s lecture will be under the title “Qatari Archive between reality and expectation."