The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) held the opening ceremony of the Rivers of Paradise Water in Islamic Art and Culture Islamic Symposium on November 4th at 7PM. Over 450 people registered online for the event and members of the public were allowed to register on site. The audience consisted of ambassadors, heads of numerous local companies, alumni, faculty members and members of the general public.
The symposium continues on November 5th and 6th and all lectures will be open to the public from the 9.00 am to 4.00pm.
Keynote Speaker for the opening ceremony was Carole Hillenbrand. Her opening address, 'Gardens beneath Which River Flows: the significance of Water in Classical Islamic Culture' examined various aspects of the role of water in the medieval Islamic World.
The address examined the role that water played in the daily lives of medieval Muslims, both in religious contexts- notably the percepts of Islamic law (the Shari'a) and the use off water for ritual purification in worship, in festivals and in ceremonies of death, as well as the symbolic associations of water as blessing, for example the waters of Zamzam and Kauthar.
Educated at the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Edinburgh, Carole Hillenbrand is now Professor of Islamic History and Head of the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh, she has written articles in popular newspapers and magazines on aspects of Islam and appeared on some fifteen television and radio documentary and discussion programs in the UK, the USA and the Middle East.
"While Muslims in the audience will be familiar with the importance of water due to the Quranic phrase 'garden's underneath which river's flow,' the lecture helps all attendees understand why water has played such a significant role in the design and artistic works of Muslims all around the world. The lecture helped to bridge the culture and knowledge gap that exists about the role of art in the world by Muslim artists and architects." said Moamer Qazafi, VCUQatar Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
All the symposium registrants received a silk bag which was locally designed and produced with a local vendor along with an environmentally friendly water bottle and a commemorative symposium pen. Visitors from outside of Qatar were also provided with an especially designed map of Doha.
