Doha- Qatari writer Noura Al-Naama did not know that her passion and love for knowing customs and traditions from a young age would make her one of the most prominent writers and those interested in Qatar's ancient folk heritage.

The hobby of solving puzzles, knowing folk proverbs and integrating them into society affected her personality and made her turn to study Qatari heritage, where she joined Qatar University and specialized in the field of Qatari folklore, and presented a number of different cultural heritage programs.

10 years of research, follow-up and hard work were enough for Noura to present her first work on Qatari folklore, which was embodied in a book entitled "5000 Questions and Answers in Qatari Folklore".

Qatari writer Noura Al-Naama explains that the book takes the form of a scientific encyclopedia on Qatari folklore, and it consists of two parts, each part of which includes 5,<> questions and answers in an interactive manner through questions and answers that test the culture of readers.

Grace says – in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – that the first part of the book is dedicated to the definition of Qatari folk words, which are arranged alphabetically, and includes 790 pages, while the second part (707 pages) was devoted to examples and popular puzzles and classification of groups and minimization of words with a detailed explanation.

She stresses that the aim of addressing Qatari folklore in this interesting way in the book is to "spread Qatari culture and preserve folklore from extinction, especially since our language is beautiful and our words are extremely expressive, and most of them are of Arabic origin and have been altered and changed by popular pronunciation."

Al Jazeera Net interviewed the Qatari writer, to the text of the dialogue:

The book included a lot of words that express the marine environment (island)

  • Why was this book about words and proverbs that express Qatari folklore?

Because the Qatari folklore is rich and reflects the history of the country, and the words and proverbs are many and cannot be counted, as the letter Alif alone contains more than 1500 words, while the letter M contains more than 350 words, while the letter Al-Ain has more than 200 words, and so on the rest of the letters.

  • What are the most prominent words of Qatari folklore in the book?

The book includes many words, including: Khamoush, Khamer, Atajbar, Jokom, Zatat, Zamek, Gileh, Kovin, Kiteb, Lahoub, and many others.

  • What folklore words are still used in society today?

Many of the words heritage are used in society today, including "Akhsas" which means a foul prank of a person, "Kharabit" which means useless speech, "Ghandam" which refers to a frowning person, "Jakha" is said for elegant clothes and shape, and "Khayour", which is a maritime term given to the heart of a ship's sail from side to side to change its direction.

  • And what words are no longer used today?

There are many words as well, including "Khamoush", which means calm and stillness and is called a quiet person, "Adz", which means pushing a person strongly, "Tawa", which is a round plate of iron for making bread, and "Tabatah", which means sleep and lie down in comfort.

Al-Kharj and Al-Shaddad from the words related to camels included in the book (Al-Jazeera)

  • What is the purpose of presenting a book on Qatari folklore?

The aim of presenting this book is to consolidate the national identity among young people, and to link Qatari society with its ancient past, as well as introduce it to the history of the ancient Qatari man and the different environments he lived, whether related to the sea or the desert, to represent in their entirety the Qatari person and his heritage.

  • What words in the book express the marine or desert environment?

Among the most prominent popular heritage words that are related to the marine environment are: Tabisha, Reti, Rajat Al-Safina, Ramla, Rammay, and Samari.

As for the popular heritage words that are associated with the desert environment, they include: Hajras, Al-Kharj, Al-Shaddad, Al-Shamtri, Gharsha, Al-Thawaib, Al-Mirbaa, and others.

  • Why did you choose to present the book as a Q&A?

I took out the book in a different traditional form, where I presented it as a question and answer so that the benefit of it is greater, so that family, friends and children share in reading the book through an interesting entertaining game, and then gain information about the way to play.

I hope that this book will be used as a curriculum in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, so that our children can be linked to their heritage, and I hope that no Qatari house will be without a book, and that every person who loves and is interested in Qatari folklore will read it in order to learn about the words, proverbs and popular puzzles that express the history and heritage of Qatar.

  • What are the most prominent proverbs and popular puzzles in the book?

The book includes many proverbs and popular puzzles of the ancient Qatari heritage, many of which are similar to neighboring Arab environments, especially since the culture and environment are the same to a large extent.

Among the most prominent popular puzzles in the book: "Insistence Sarita became the morning what I met" and what is meant by the stars, and "Stone Hajnjer stones do not bleach and spawn Diaya no" which is the turtle, while it was one of the most prominent popular proverbs: "If what envy no one died", and "If it is the best of what this bird", which is the proverb found in most Arab countries in a close form.

The book also includes a section for sentences and keywords, including "Thajila" and means the mind, weight and shyness of the girl, and also includes popular words that are minimized such as "poor" where it is said "Amsikin", and "plate" is said "shouting".

  • What feedback did you receive after the book was published?

Although the book came to light a short time ago, it resonates well during this period, although I hope it will spread more, as I have been working on compiling and searching for words for almost 10 years, and I have made a very huge effort to present this work.