No Darb Al Saai this year, to relocate to Umm Salal next year

The Darb Al Saai National Day activities at Al Sadd in Doha will not be held this year due to various logistical and structural issues, HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanim al-Ali, Chairman of the National Day Celebrations Committee, has said. At a meeting of the National Day celebrations organising committee with the media in Al Wajba on Saturday evening, it was also revealed that there is an ongoing project to set up a permanent new location for Darb Al Saai in the Umm Salal Mohamed area. The works are being undertaken in co-ordination with the Private Engineering Office, and the 2022 National Day celebrations will be hosted there. The new location will be a highly advanced and developed venue in all its aspects. Addressing the meeting, HE the Minister said besides the logistical challenges, the Covid-19 situation was not clear a few months ago at the time of planning for the event and there were fears that there could be another wave of the virus. "Had we known that the pandemic situation would be as stable as it is now, we could have prepared for it this year. In this regard, I would like to strongly express my thanks and appreciation for the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health and related entities for reaching this excellent situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic," he noted. HE the Minister said he is happy that Darb Al Saai has become a popular event with the people, which indicates its importance as well as its heritage and historical value. HE al-Ali explained that Umm Salal was chosen for this project for several reasons, which include its historical importance as a place and its distinctive geographical features in addition to being easily accessible for visitors through different roads and entry and exit points. He said all suggestions and ideas in this regard are welcome and officials have an open-door policy for all innovative ideas, adding that there will be a broader meeting on this topic in the future to discuss all such matters.