Qatar’s earliest aerial footage ‘dates back to 1947’

Some of the earliest aerial footage of Qatar available is from the year 1947, Qatari artist Mohamed Ali Abdulla has said at a lecture series organised by Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) at the Museum of Islamic Art yesterday.

He gave details of the Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim al-Thani palace conservation project and restoration of the Old Rayyan fort.

Speaker Abdulla said the earliest aerial pictures of Qatar available were from 1947, which were obtained to find out what parts of the Old Rayyan fort were missing today.

He said the Old Rayyan fort was rich with history and many interesting objects were recovered during the elaborate restoration project.

The speaker said he was fortunate to have been helped by some local Qataris.

He recalled that when he began the restoration project, a Qatari woman in her 50s had passed by the project site and recalled the various structures of the fort that had stood in the past.

She had told him that she used to live in the area as a child.

Source: Gulf Times