Seminar on horse sports
Two-day educational seminar starting on 9 February at Museum of Islamic Art.

Seminar is co-organized by Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar Olympic Committee, Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, Qatar Equestrian Federation and Al Shaqab.

First seminar of its kind inviting world-renowned specialists to speak and discuss the history and evolution of horse sports.

Top experts on horse sports will convene at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha to attend a two-day seminar organized by Qatar Museums Authority, the Qatar Olympic Committee and other partners.  The event is in celebration of Doha Arab Cultural Capital 2010 and coincides with a variety of art exhibitions, film screenings and theatrical performances taking place around the city.
The seminar will cover many themes related to horse sports and games.  From a historical perspective, lectures will highlight the significance of horse games and their evolution in the region and around the world.  Several speakers will focus on specific horse sports such as Polo, Jereed and Fantasia demonstrating their origins and current-day popularity.  Another theme of the seminar is horse racing and its impact on societies in the Arab World and other regions.

Commenting on the importance of this seminar, Mr Abdulla Al Najjar, CEO of Qatar Museums Authority stated: “On the occasion of Doha being the capital of Arab culture for this year, we have organized an educational seminar to shed light on the importance of horse sports and games in the heritage of our country and other parts of the world.  We are happy to host some of the world’s top experts in this field and we anticipate a vibrant seminar, which will benefit everyone.”

Some of the international experts speaking at the seminar include: Dr Wolfgang Decker from Germany who is specialized in sports of Ancient Egypt and Greece; Dr Nigel Crowther from Canada who is the former director of the International Centre of Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario in Canada; Dr Ingomar Weiler is a top scholar in the history of sports and a founder of the sports journal Nikephoros; Judith Forbis from the US who is a renowned author and top scholar on Arabian horse and Dr Ibrahim Yildiran from Turkey who has composed works on traditional sports during the Ottoman Empire.

Local horse experts will also participate: Ali Ismael Al Baker, will give some insight on the relationship between the royal family and the horse tradition and Fahad Al Qahtani will speak on the vision of Al Shaqab.  In addition, several experts from Qatar Museums Authority will speak including: Dr Sultan Muhesen, Senior Advisor on Archaeology; Dr Joachim Gierlichs, Curator of the Museum of Islamic Art and Dr Christian Wacker who is heading efforts to establish Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.

The seminar is open to the public, guest may RSVP by emailing horsegames@qma.org.qa

Click here to download the invitation...