Qatari auction raises money for forcibly displaced Aleppo people

Raising money for charity is always a good way to begin the New Year and the auction held on Sunday at Katara Cultural Village to support Syrians in Aleppo saw a tremendous response from the public sector as well as from philanthropists in Qatar.

Katara is a cultural village located in Doha that aims to keep pace with the emerging global culture through emphasizing the importance of diversity in human development,

A large number of items collected during a fundraising event held at Darb El Saai on Qatar’s National Day were auctioned off to the highest bidders at the New Year’s Day event.

Donated items included classic cars and trucks, custom license plates, motorcycles, jewelry, watches and paintings 

The auction, which began at 7:15 in the evening at Katara’s Dar Al Bahi Auction House, was attended by a huge crowd of car enthusiasts that included a number of women and children.

According to Sidi Mohamed of Qatar’s daily newspaper, The Peninsula, seven to eight cars were sold in the first 15 minutes fetching a total amount of over 700,000 QR (approximately $ 192,265 USD). 

The first car to be auctioned off at the event was a Mercedes Benz that sold for 115,000 QR ($ 31,586.00) with an auction starting price of 50,000 QR ($ 13,733.00).

The vehicle that fetched the highest price of 325,000 QR ($ 89,266.00) was a 2016 model Lexus. 

A total of over 1.5 million QR (approximately $ 412,000.00) was raised through the auctioning of a combination of more than 20 classic and newer model cars and trucks as well as four motorcycles. 

The vehicle auction was followed by the auction of custom license plates, jewelry, watches and other precious items.

Proceeds from the event are earmarked for helping Syrians who are suffering as a result of the bombings and forced displacements in east Aleppo.