What is the Qur'anic Botanic Garden in Qatar and What is its Importance

The Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG) is a beautiful garden situated in Education City, Doha, with a unique theme. This garden is-unique because it exhibits and conserves the plants that have been referenced in the Holy Qur’an and the native flora that can be found in Qatar. As of now, it houses 60 types of plants, 20 of which have been referenced in various chapters in the Holy Qur’an, and will develop to remember those found for various Hadith and Sunnah (sayings and traditions) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as well.

The QBG is a project of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, and its first tree was planted by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, on 17 September 2008. This tree was the Sidra, which is the token of the Qatar Foundation. This is the place the seed to start a Qur’anic garden was planted and nurtured.

As per Botanic Gardens Conservation International, QBG has five main roles:

Environmental role: The Garden aims to keep up and preserve the variety of plants gathered from various regions of the world against dangers or threats.
Educational role: The Garden’s Educational program for schools has year-round educational activities that have been specifically designed to encourage responsibility and respect to the environment we live in, promote the value of planting trees in the Islamic religion, and help to protect Qatar’s natural resources and botanic variety.
Scientific role: The Garden offices research on Horticulture, Conservation, Biotechnology, Medicinal and Biotechnology, Medicinal and Socio-monetary values of the plants of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith.
Cultural role: The recovery of cultural tradition is one of QBG’s goals. The garden exhibits the traditional uses of plants, their role within human life, and the sustainable ways by which these plants can be used in the long-term.
Recreational role: The QBG means to be the first objective for the entire family, who can enjoy and learn around its activities.

What kind of plants would you be able to find in the QBG?

The plants that reside in this beautiful garden belong to three various types of habitats:

Desert
Mediterranean
Tropical

Some of the plants you can find in the QBG include the Sidra Tree, which is the national tree of Qatar, olive, senna, camphor, ginger, fig, aloe, citron and the date palm.

For a complete list on the various plants you can find in the QBG, click on the following link: https://qbg.org.qa/content/plants-qbg-0?q=node/80

The plants in the garden come with little exhibits that mention their organic terms that have been referenced in the Holy Qur’an, along with explaining the criticalness of their mention in the Holy Qur’an. The little exhibits also mention the scientific explanations of the synthesis of the plants, application and their usefulness to us.

Why do we need a QBG?

In fact, with the help of the QBG, non-Muslims will also will understand the scientific aspects found in Islam and how creatures are treated within the boundaries of the religion.

Why is the design of the QBG significant?

The QBG has been designed to reflect Islamic art and Islamic design and highlights the harmony between the different plants.

The Garden supports a significant Islamic vision and Allah’s instructions, to esteem Him and the world and all creatures he created. This is major to the worship of Allah. The Garden also explains the relevance of plants in Islam, along with that environment and conservantion; it also helps in understanding scientific parts of plants and their life cycle.

What are the activities of the QBG?

The following activities are essential for the QBG’s plans to create environmental awareness and help people to understand the advantages of a greener Qatar:

1. Free-of-charge ‘Home Garden Helpline’ Service

QBG launched a ‘Home Garden Helpline’ in September 2020 so anyone can call in and have their cultivating inquiries replied by gardening experts. Whether you’re a prepared gardener or just a beginner, the QBG experts will guide you and help you through the phone with choosing the best seeds and seedlings for a good yield, how to mix soil appropriately and plant dates, give you guidance regarding irrigation and fertilisation, tell you about pest control, plant care and lots more.

The service is available every Monday (9 am – 12:30 pm) and every Wednesday (12:30 pm – 2:30 pm).

2. Ghar’s tree-planting campaign

QBG started the Ghars Campaign to promote environmental awareness and the significance of green conservation activities within Qatar, as well as creating an educated, responsible, and globally-aware community. The point of this campaign is to plant 2,022 trees as we lead up towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. (Since 2011, 1,088 trees have been planted).

The Ghars Campaign 2019 ended on 13 December 2019 with 390 trees planted by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and the American Scouts

As a part of the Ghars Campaign, the African Women’s Diplomatic Garden was launched on 26 February 2020 with various saplings that represented African countries like Kenya, Senegal, South Africa.Djibouti and Mali among others.

What is the Botanical Museum within the QBG?

The QBG houses an Information Center that gives information about the plants found in the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, environment in Islam, ethics and social legacy. The Botanical Museum is essential for the Information Center; it contains valuable information, Islamic inscriptions, murals and photos, so guests can get a feel of real Arab and Islamic legacy.

The Museum has, on display modules of plant parts and traditional tools that were produced using plants in ancient times, may still be used today.

Details

Location: https://www.google.com/maps?ll=25.334694,51.416573&z=14&t=m&hl=en-US&gl=QA&mapclient=embed&cid=11156279060387279959

Timings: Sunday to Thursday: 8 am – 3 pm

More information on QBG’s upcoming events and activities can be found on its social media channels on: