Doha, October 18 (QNA) - Qatar Calendar House hosted Monday a special ceremony to mark its 70th anniversary.
The ceremony was attended by HE Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, the Board of Directors and guests.
Deputy Chairman of Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari Complex for Holy Quran Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Ansari gave the speech of Qatar Calendar House on the occasion, noting the interest of Islam in astronomical calculations, and the interest of Muslims in astronomy as one of the sciences that serve the Shariah as they use it to know the direction of the qiblah, calculate the times of prayers and the dates of the start and end the Hijri months.
He added that marking the 70th anniversary of founding Qatar Calendar House is the culmination of the efforts of successive generations, adding that the calendar has evolved over seventy years from handwritten in limited copies, to become now available in a digital version that benefits more than 6000 people.
In response to a question by Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the strategy of Qatar Calendar House in the coming period, Executive Director of Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari Complex Eng. Faisal Mohammad Abdullah Al Ansari noted the intention to build on a long history of achievements and to complete the journey with quality performance that keeps pace with the times, indicating that the Calendar House is in the process of developing its publications, whether printed, electronic or applications for smart phones.
At the end of the ceremony, HE Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali and Deputy Chairman of Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari Complex for Holy Quran Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Ansari honored a number of those who contributed to supporting Qatar Calendar House and its goals.
Among the honorees, students of the Abdullah Al Ansari Club for Astronomy at Ibn Taymiyyah, who are the holders of the 2020 School Astronomy Olympiad title; Aoun Qatar Team for being the most distinguished in volunteer work; and Ali bin Rashid Al Mohannadi as the most serving for the Qatari calendar among the social media influencers; in addition to a special dedication to the Thuraya Planetarium of the Cultural Village Katara, and to the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
The first astronomical figure in Qatar was awarded to HE President of Qatar Centre for Space Sciences and Astronomy Sheikh Salman bin Jabor Al-Thani. The award was received by his son, Sheikh Ali bin Salman bin Jabor Al-Thani, on behalf of his father.
The first supporter was awarded to Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Social Welfare Foundation. The award was received by HE Minister of Culture and Sports and Director General of the Foundation Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali. (QNA)