Regional/Cultural Day
Telecommunication Day
Marking the founding of Qatar's telecommunications sector, and by extension, the extraordinary story of Al Jazeera. Founded in 1996 with a grant from Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Al Jazeera revolutionized Arab-language media by offering uncensored news, call-in shows, and debate programs. Its coverage of the Second Intifada (2000) made it the most-watched channel in the Arab world, and its motto:"The Opinion and the Other Opinion":challenged state-controlled media across the region. Al Jazeera's headquarters in Doha's West Bay is a landmark, and the network now operates channels in English, Balkans, Turkish, and documentary formats.