DOHA: Qatar became the first Middle Eastern country Wednesday to receive Chinese giant pandas — Suhail and Soraya — who, in true Gulf fashion, took up residence in luxury air-conditioned quarters.
Crowds of children and reporters watched as the four-year-old male and three-year-old female took their first steps in a temporary enclosure in a ceremony at the Al Khor park about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Doha.
The Chinese government sent the animals as gift to mark the World Cup that starts November 20. China has not qualified for the event but is a major customer for Qatar’s natural gas.
Suhail, who weighs 130 kilogrammes (286 pounds), and his female partner, who is 70 kilos (154 pounds), must undergo 21 days quarantine following their arrival along with two keepers, said Al Khor’s zoological director Tim Bouts.
“In a few weeks, or in a month’s time, they will be ready to be shown to the world,” Bouts added.
Authorities have not yet said whether a new Panda House, one of the biggest enclosures anywhere, will be ready by the time the World Cup starts.
Suhail and Soraya will have their own separate quarters in the Panda House.
China’s ambassador to Qatar, Zhou Jian, said the new complex was “world class, magnificent and comfortable.”
“I believe that these two lovely pandas will soon become the focus of love among the Qatari people, and superstars in the Middle East,” he added.
Suhail is the name of one of the brightest stars visible in the Gulf region, while Soraya is the Arabic name for the Pleiades star cluster.
Qatar is the 20th country to be given pandas outside China and Taiwan.
Qatar gets the Middle East’s first pandas
https://arab.news/5qtkz
Qatar gets the Middle East’s first pandas
- The Chinese government sent the animals as gift to mark the World Cup that starts November 20
- Qatar is the 20th country to be given pandas outside China and Taiwan
Egypt’s grand museum begins live restoration of King Khufu’s ancient boat
- The 4,600-year-old boat was built during the reign of King Khufu, the pharaoh who also commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza
CAIRO: Egypt began a public live restoration of King Khufu’s ancient solar boat at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum on Tuesday, more than 4,000 years after the vessel was first built.
Egyptian conservators used a small crane to carefully lift a fragile, decayed plank into the Solar Boats Museum hall — the first of 1,650 wooden pieces that make up the ceremonial boat of the Old Kingdom pharaoh.
The 4,600-year-old boat was built during the reign of King Khufu, the pharaoh who also commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza. The vessel was discovered in 1954 in a sealed pit near the pyramids, but its excavation did not begin until 2011 due to the fragile condition of the wood.
“You are witnessing today one of the most important restoration projects in the 21st century,” Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy said.
“It is important for the museum, and it is important for humanity and the history and the heritage.”
The restoration will take place in full view of visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum over the coming four years.
