The great story of Qatar’s rich heritage in words & pictures

Land of rich heritage: An image from Qatar: Sand, Sea, Sky by Diana Untermeyer. PICTURE: Henry Dallal

Diana Untermeyer, the wife of the former US ambassador to Qatar, Chase Untermeyer, returned to the country this week, where she has been discussing her recently-launched book, Qatar: Sand, Sea, Sky.
 
Untermeyer, who is known to many members of the local and expatriate communities, lived in Qatar from 2004 until 2007, and while she was here she found that she experienced serious difficulties attempting to retrieve information about the country in which she was residing.
 
This thought had been at the back of her head for a while, but when she left she decided to write a book about Qatar, with the intention of creating something which Qataris could feel proud of and show to visitors to their country.
“Qatar has a great story to be told which has not been told in a way which is beautiful and readily available,” Untermeyer told Gulf Times earlier this week, during her latest visit to the country which has inspired her first book.
 
After raising some $300,000 in sponsorship, Untermeyer had the funds necessary to produce the book she wanted. “I needed to raise the money so that I could produce such a high quality book which can still be sold for around $65,” she explained.

Diana Untermeyer: Telling Qatar’s story to as many people as possible

“The book summarises in words and pictures the rich heritage of the desert and the sea, and shows how that is informing Qatar’s journey into modernity,” said Untermeyer.
 
“It has had two unique responses, one from the Qataris who so far have been thrilled to have a book which they are proud to give out and which shows more than just a skyline,” she said, noting “and in the US, people have heard a lot about Qatar, but they don’t expect to find out it is such an open society with so many opportunities – especially for women.”
 
Untermeyer spoke about her love for the country and its people, which inspired her to create Qatar: Sand, Sea, Sky.
 
“First and foremost it is the warmth of the Qatari people – once you sit down with them, you feel that they are your brothers and sisters,” she said, explaining that another major part of her love for Qatar came from a shared interest in equestrian activities, which became a great way of meeting members of the local community. Her love of horses was something which led her to collaborate with her photographer, Henry Dallal, whose beautiful work is integral to capturing the heart of a nation without simply focusing on its wealth or economic expansion.
 
Untermeyer said that she first saw Dallal’s work when her husband showed her one of his books, and she knew immediately that this would be a successful partnership.
“Photography is secondary to Henry - he is all about travelling to new places and meeting new people, and he uses film to share these experiences with others,” she said, adding “he still uses traditional film which creates such a beautiful atmosphere in the photographs.”
 
Qatar: Sand, Sea, Sky is currently available online and can also be purchased from the gift shop at the Museum of Islamic Art. In the future, it will eventually be on sale at other stores throughout the country, said

The Museum of Islamic Art

Untermeyer, who explained that she does not currently have any plans to work on another book, but will continue to spread the word about Qatar and tell people in the US and the rest of the world about the country.
“I am taking the opportunity to do what I believe in and telling Qatar’s story to as many people as possible,” she said, explaining that she has already spoken at a number of conferences and world affairs committees as well as a variety of different events and gatherings.
“This is not self-promotion at all - I felt like there was a real need for this, to provide somewhere that people can find information about the country easily,” she added.

Source from GulfTimes/Peter Townson