(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Katara has lined up over 25 activities for its annual Ramadan Festival.

This year Ramadan Festival will be under the theme 'Katara between Quran and Astronomy' and starts on July 3. It will run until the end of the holy month, to followed by Eid Al Fitr.

Activities at various locations at Katara include exhibitions, workshops, religious lectures and songs, and scientific lectures on astronomy.

Katara General Manager, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, yesterday said the theme of the festival suits the spirituality of the month and the cultural aims of Katara. "We selected the theme because the Quran talks about astronomy in many verses and this needs to be reflected on. The topic will be explored through religious and scientific lectures and explained through various events," he said, adding Katara will host Garangao celebration for the third year. Among the features of the festival is an exhibition of Nasa spacesuits and photos of the outer space, an expo on Quran and astronomy and an interactive Katara Ramadan Wall.

Another exhibition will present astrolabes created by Muslim scholars in the past and how they have been used in the study of stars and their travel routes on land and sea. There will also be expos on the solar system, galaxy, books on space, cosmic maps and space elements.

Music will be an essential element of the festival with concerts featuring Ramadan supplications.

One of the main performers is Tunisian singer, composer and oud player Lotfi Boshnaq. Religious songs related to Quran and astronomy will also be presented along with Music of the Universe featuring Spanish musicians.

Visitors will be treated to a journey to the sea following the stars by experts in sailing and history and a travel aboard a spacecraft through a 3D film.

Shadow theatre, family workshops to teach children how the universe had been discovered and planets and a fine art contest will also be held. Katara will make available a telescope for stargazing. For the third year, it will organise a Quran memorisation course for children aged eight to 12 in addition to religious and scientific lectures by guests from Arab countries.

Every Thursday and Friday, Katara will hold a contest in which people will try to find 10 hidden items. There will be two winners to receive QR5,000 each. On a daily basis, Katara will give away five coupons of restaurants at Katara for winners of a Twitter contest. In the middle of Ramadan season, Garangao, which saw 20,000 participants last year, will be organised. The popular beach football championship will also be held in which the winning team will get QR50,000, second place QR40,000 and third place QR20,000 in addition to medals. The best player, best goalkeeper and top scorer will receive QR5,000 each.

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Qatar- Katara to hold Ramadan Festival from July 3