Al-Magtar: Traditional Activity on Qatar National Day

Among the activities that resonate most with the audience of "Darb Al-Saai" is the "Al-Maqttar" event, which presents a live picture and realistic scenes through which visitors feel the nature and features of the desert life in Qatar in the past.

What is Al-Magtar?

Receiving guests in the Colonel's Majlis to engage in discussion, tell them about Qatari customs and traditions, and demonstrate how to make and serve Arabic coffee, among other things, such as:

– Storytelling for visitors
– Playing the rabab musical instrument
– Popular Puzzles Contest (Al-Rama’a)
– Majlis etiquette

The event also features a women’s-only house, which receives female visitors who talk about Qatari customs and traditions and teach them how to prepare Arabic coffee, in addition to a number of other activities, such as:
– Popular Puzzles Contest (Al-Ram’a)
– Cultural heritage competition for girls
– Majlis etiquette

"Al-Magtar" is a group of poetic verses and “majlis” that simulate the lifestyle of the desert in the past, so that visitors get acquainted with the “majlis” of the daily life of the Qatari family, the women's majlis, the colonel's house, and the sniper's house. This event, which is supervised by the "Nomas" center of the Qatari Ministry of Culture and Sports, has become a distinctive sign of the "Darb Al-Saai" activities.

“Our unity is our strength,” which is the slogan of the National Day 2022. On this occasion, many celebrations and events are held to commemorate the founding of the State of Qatar by the founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, on December 18 of the year 1878. Among the most important of these events is the Darb Al-Saai and the cultural heritage it carries. It sheds light on the most prominent customs and traditions of the Qatari society, in addition to the national march on December 18, the day that coincides with the final of the FIFA World Cup held this year in the State of Qatar.

The head of the “Al-Magtar” activity in Darb Al-Saai explained that memorizing verses of poetry always makes a person discerning, to know the content of the conversations of the men around him, and thus is considered a revitalization of memory and mind.

He referred to the camel riding activity, that comes within the activities of “Al-Magtar” and “Al-Ezba”, which witnesses a turnout from children in particular. Building the present of this country for the new generations, and that despite this suffering, they were preserving their religion, customs, traditions, and love for their country.

This article was previously published on qatarmoments.To see the original article, click here