Nomas Center holds inaugural professional courses on 'Naqda' art

Doha, Qatar: Nomas Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, organised its inaugural professional training courses in the art of Naqda, targeti...

Doha, Qatar: Nomas Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, organised its inaugural professional training courses in the art of Naqda, targeting the center's female trainers.

The move was as part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard Qatar's folk heritage and protect it from extinction, in a context marked by an intentional push to broaden the aperture of cultural preservation and reverse decades of neglect affecting traditional crafts.

The Naqda craft is one of the most ancient traditional professions in Qatar and the Arab Gulf. It is an art of embroidering local garments and traditional attire, particularly lightweight fabrics, using gold and silver threads to impart a refined artistic and aesthetic touch, reaffirming the cultural accord between heritage authenticity and contemporary craftsmanship.

Twelve female trainers from the center's technical staff took part in these intensive two-day courses. The workshop was supervised by trainer Radhiya Al Haddad, one of the few seasoned professionals in this field, with the aim of transferring the fine-grained secrets of this delicate craft to a new generation of trainers.

This step comes as part of Nomas's energised effort to broaden the aperture of cultural awareness regarding the aesthetics of the traditional head covering, which was historically adorned with silver or gold threads.