The Bisht is a traditional cloak for men that is part of the region’s ancient heritage and is worn in special ceremonies while being known to be a symbol of royalty.
The four-day meeting of the final drafting committee to include the Bisht on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List kicked off on Monday ahead of the submission of the complete file to the agency next month, Qatar’s state news agency (QNA) reported.
The bid to include the Bisht, a traditional black cloak, on the UNESCO list is led by Qatar along with nine Arab countries. The participating countries will compile all films and images that include the Bisht to add to the final file before the deadline of March 31.
The Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science organised the meeting in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization.
Abdullah Shaheen Al Ghanim, a member of the Bisht file, told QNA on Tuesday during the second day of the meeting that “work is underway” to add the Bisht to the heritage list with the help of Gulf and Arab states.
“The meeting would complete the achievements made in the first coordinating meeting of Bisht hosted by the Ministry of Culture to further incorporate the men’s cloak as one of the elements of intangible cultural heritage on the list of UNESCO,” Al Ghanim said, as cited by QNA.
Qatar had first announced the bid to include the cloak and the traditional Ardha dance in World Heritage Day 2024 in April 2023.
The Bisht is a traditional cloak for men that is part of the region’s ancient heritage and is worn in special ceremonies while being known to be a symbol of royalty.
Bedouins wore the Bisht for centuries during cooler months before it became an attire for special occasions, including weddings and formal events.
The classy garment gained global interest following the iconic 2022 FIFA World Cup final where Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani wrapped it around Lionel Messi after Argentina’s win.
The Bisht almost immediately topped Google searches at the time.
Qatar’s culture was widely celebrated by millions of foreigners during the World Cup in Doha, the first to ever take place in an Arab and Muslim country.
Throughout the major event, tourists flocked to Souq Waqif to purchase the traditional attire while donning it as they cheered for their teams at stadiums.
An overwhelming majority of 87% of Arab youth surveyed in the 2023 ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey said the World Cup “strengthened Arab pride.” Arab youth also named Qatar among the top-five “model nations” to live in for the first time since 2014.
In a rare live interview in April last year, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the major sporting event shifted past perceptions of the Gulf state, especially among the Western press.
“What Qatar achieved in hosting the World Cup surpassed just the World Cup itself. People from around the world got to know Qatar and its people, which has achieved many results beyond the tournament and which we will be seeing for years to come,” Sheikh Mohammed said during his Qatar TV interview.