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National Museum of Qatar photo National Museum of Qatar

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about National Museum of Qatar

The National Museum of Qatar is one among many National properties in Doha Qatar. Jean Nouvel designed the museum which he got inspiration from the desert rose crystal which is well traced in Qatar. The building was opened to the public on 28th March 2019 replacing the previous building which was opened in 1975.

The previous Museum was inaugurated on 23 June 1975 and it facilitated a 100- seat auditorium and a library. In the year 1980, it was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Later it was refurbished in 2015 in preparation for the opening of the new Museum. It was scheduled to open in 2016 but was pushed to 28th March 2019.

 The main mission of the establishment of the museum was to celebrate the cultural heritage and future of Qatar and its people embodying the pride and tradition of Qatar and also offering international visitors a dialogue about rapid change and modernization.

1. Jean Nouvel the Designer of the National Museum

Jean Nouvel was the designer of the national museum and he got inspiration from the desert rose crystal which you can trace in Qatar. He has gotten many awards such as the Pritzker prize- Gold Medal for the French Academy of Architecture, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and Premium Imperiale- winning architect.

Apart from designing the National Museum of Qatar, he also designed the Arab World Institute in Paris, his designs are also in the western and Middle Eastern states such as Abu Dhabi. His Architecture designs have been approved to be wonderful.

2. Director of the National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar photo National Museum of Qatar

The National head of the Museum Authority in Qatar is HE Sheikha al- Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al- Thani. On November 2013, Sheikha Amna bint Abdul-Aziz bin Jassim Al- Thani was appointed the director of the new National Museum which replaced the former one.

Her main purpose as the director is to provide curational and managerial leadership for the Museum and supervise initiative’s the National Museum seeks to take for educational purposes and activities.

3. Collection of Items You are Likely to Find at the Museum

The collection at the Museum consists of approximately 8000 objects and includes archaeological artifacts, heritage households, architectural elements, traveling objects, textiles and costumes, historical documents, decorative arts, books, and jewellery.

Visitors will also enjoy the view of galleries at the Museum which are arranged chronologically beginning with exhibitions on the natural history of the desert and the Persian Gulf, artifacts from Bedouin culture, historical exhibitions on the tribal wars, the establishment of the Qatari state, and the discovery of oil to the present.

4. Purpose of the Establishment of the National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar photo National Museum of Qatar

The Museum was first established in 1975 and was later replaced and opened in 2019 with its primary goal being to build the bridge between Qatar’s heritage and its fast growth in development and modernization.

Since its inauguration, the museum contained materials that signify Qatar’s cultural heritage. Some of this cultural heritage include maritime artifacts, Bedouin ethnographic materials, and environmental items. Also in the museum are Ancient artifacts that are locally derived.

5. Ethno Archaeological Materials Found at the Museum in Qatar

Materials that document Bedouin ethnography range widely in theme. For instance, certain objects which are displayed were historically used as tools and weapons by the Bedouin while others are products such as costumes, pottery, and jewelry.

Other materials include traditional poems which are also featured at the museum. Most of them were composed by former emir Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani and Qatari ibn al- Fuja’a.

In 2015, Sheikh Mubarak presented the first written draft of the anthem to the Qatar Museum to be displayed and was later to be moved after the completion of the new Museum.

6. What Else to See and Do in the Museum

Other than the collections and exhibitions you find at the Museum, Qatar Museum also provides you with a large space where you can relax together with your friends or family, 220- a seat auditorium, 70- a seat food forum, two cafes, a restaurant, a TV studio, and a Museum shop.

All these will give you a pleasant time together with your friends or family and give you a chance to process the new impressions and time to discuss ideas, concepts, and artists.

7. Garden at the National Museum of Qatar

The museum also offers a Garden with a cool environment where you relax in the designated area for visitors around native grasses, and other local plants such as the date palms, herbs, pomegranate tree, and the Sidra tree which is a national tree of the country.

Some programs have been created for the garden or you can well decide to take a garden tour. Apart from these, you will be able to have beautiful dunes, which you will be able to know from visits to the desert cruising with your car right in the desert.

8. Desert Rose Inspired the Designer of the Qatar National Museum

Jean Nouvel was the designer of the National Museum of Qatar and during its construction, he stated that he got the inspiration from the desert rose crystal which you can trace in Qatar. Qatar Museum is designed according to the Bedouin tradition of Qatar with the shape of a desert rose and a 1.2 million Ft landscaped park.

 The building is designed in a way that it contains a 220- seat auditorium, a 115, 000m park with an artificial lagoon, and parking spaces for 400 vehicles, laboratories, a restaurant, a café, a research center, and two Museum shops.

9. Opening of the New National Museum of Qatar

During its official opening on 28th March 2019, it welcomed more than 450,000 visitors in less than a year of its opening.

It is a source of revenue for the country as it attracts people since it depicts Qatar’s history not only through sculptures and paintings but also 21st- century lights, visuals, and sounds.

10. The First Artifacts in the Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar photo National Museum of Qatar

In the years 1973 and 1974, British archeologist Beatrice de Cardi together with her team was assigned to undertake expeditions in Qatar to collect artifacts to display in the Museum.

They reported that during their assignment most of the discoveries were at the site of Al Da’asa which contained many Ubaid Potsherds dating to the Neolithic period.

Also, artifacts from Danish expeditions launched through the 1950s and 1960s which were placed at Doha Public Library were later moved at placed in the Museum.