National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar Book

Philip Jodidio

Written by Philip Jodidio, the National Museum of Qatar book is published to mark the first anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of Qatar. It explores and encapsulates the vision of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums and outlines the symbolic significance of the museum for the nation. It also features the remarkable architecture of French designer Jean Nouvel and the meticulously restored historic Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani.

Language English/Arabic
Publication date 2020
ISBN 9780500022764

Buy online

Open double page book displaying full photography of the exterior of the National Museum of Qatar — Dramatic full-page photography is featured throughout the new *National Museum of Qatar*. **Photo: Khalid Abdulrahim, © Qatar Museums 2020**

Open double page book displaying an interior section of the National Museum of Qatar with supporting informational text — The National Museum of Qatar book reveals what to expect at the museum. **Photo: Khalid Abdulrahim, © Qatar Museums 2020**

Open double page book displaying monochromatic photographs with supporting informational text — Architectural photographs illustrate the essence of the restored palace. **Photo: Khalid Abdulrahim, © Qatar Museums 2020**

Open page book displaying a close up shot of the National Museum of Qatar exterior geometric patterns — Elegantly designed, the *National Museum of Qatar* book is a work of art in its own right. **Photo: Khalid Abdulrahim, © Qatar Museums 2020**

Open page book displaying a close up shot of the National Museum of Qatar interior entrance — A page from the *National Museum of Qatar* book depicting the interior entrance of the museum. **Photo: Khalid Abdulrahim, © Qatar Museums 2020**

Qatar Museums on the Map

Explore our museums, galleries and creative spaces and see what’s happening at our various locations. Plan your trip in advance or find specific facilities or venues.

Museums, Galleries and Creative Spaces
Public Art
Heritage Sites

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art

Learn about this vibrant museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art of the Arab world.

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art invites visitors to experience a world-class collection of modern and contemporary art.

Visit website Buy tickets

What’s On

Exhibition

Beirut and the Golden Sixties: A Manifesto of Fragility

Until 5 August 2023

People observing Ismael Azzam as he is demonstrating a work on canvas stand

Adults

Workshop

Art Lesson with artist Ismail Azzam

Every Sunday and Monday

Families and children

Tour

Family guided tour

On select days

National Museum of Qatar

Bringing to life the unique story of Qatar and its people

The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) gives voice to Qatar’s rich heritage and culture. We welcome diverse communities to our vibrant and immersive space to come together to experience Qatar’s past, present and future.

Visit website Buy tickets

What’s On

Artwork by Pipilotti Rist of hanging lights in pink, purple and blue

Families and children

Exhibition

Pipilotti Rist: Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You

Until 15 July 2023

Rendering interior of the Qatar Auto Museum depicting animated people and cars in motion

Exhibition

A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project

Until 20 January 2024

Exhibition

Olafur Eliasson: The Curious Desert

Until 15 August 2023

View all events

Museum of Islamic Art

MIA inspires the Future

A centre of knowledge and inspiration that illuminates the world of Islamic art

Visit website

What’s On

Families and children

Tour

Library Tour

Daily

Families and children

Story Time

Planet Kids Club

Tuesday, 30 May 2023

Adults

Tour

Walk-In Gallery Tours

On select days of the week

View all events

Fire Station

Doha’s leading contemporary art space and supporter of creative residencies.

Fire Station is a contemporary art space located in the heart of Doha and is committed to supporting artists, curators and the wider public through our residencies and public programmes.

Visit website

What’s On

Adults

Exhibition

EDUARDO NAVARRO; THE FREE SPIRITS OF THE WILD HORSES

18 May 2023 – 10 July 2023

M7

M7 is Qatar's epicentre for innovation and entrepreneurship in design, fashion and tech.

Established by Qatar Museums under the leadership of Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa, M7 responds to the demands of Qatar’s growing fashion and design industries and is dedicated to empowering designers to explore, collaborate, and develop successful businesses.
M7 provides local designers with all the necessary tools and expertise to enable them to take their ideas from concept to market.

Visit website

What’s On

Hands touching a hand painted fabric and materials

Exhibition

Zwara: Focus on Forever Valentino

Until 10 September 2023

Adults

Open call

Open Call for ‘The Collective’ Programme

Deadline 7 June 2023

Green wall with narrow holes for sunlight and tree in the foreground.

Liwan

Liwan Design Studios and Labs offers creatives a multifunctional co-working space and learning environment to experiment, collaborate and network.

Discover more about Liwan. From its iconic mid-century building and history to its facilities and programmes.

Visit website

3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum

An international centre for sports history, heritage and knowledge

The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum is the world’s most sophisticated museum dedicated to sport. Visit today to enjoy interactive exhibits, inspiring stories and fun activities that celebrate sports culture within Qatar and beyond.

Visit website Buy tickets

A panorama of Doha's skyline behind a large green grassy area

MIA Park

MIA Park offers year-round attractions, including film screenings, sporting events, outdoor cafés, art workshops, pop-up markets and more.

Open 24 hours a day, MIA Park is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon picnic or a sunset stroll, complemented by family-friendly activities and engaging public artworks.

Visit website

What’s On

Families and children

Tour

Library Tour

Daily

Families and children

Story Time

Planet Kids Club

Tuesday, 30 May 2023

Adults

Tour

Walk-In Gallery Tours

On select days of the week

View all events

MIA Flag Plaza

Flag Plaza is a community space located near MIA Park, dedicated to celebrating unity and cultural exchange.

The site houses 119 flags representing nations with diplomatic missions in Qatar, as well as the European flag, the United Nations flag and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) flag; it also plays host to festivals, celebrations and other community events.

Visit website

Qatar Museums Gallery – Al Riwaq

Located next to the Museum of Islamic Art

Qatar Museums Gallery – Al Riwaq is a temporary exhibition space that hosts an exciting roster of ambitious projects.

Visit website Buy tickets

What’s On

Families and children

Tour

Library Tour

Daily

Families and children

Story Time

Planet Kids Club

Tuesday, 30 May 2023

Adults

Tour

Walk-In Gallery Tours

On select days of the week

View all events

A medium shot showing the arches and traditional clay walls of the gallery's facade

Qatar Museums Gallery – KATARA

Located within Katara Cultural Village

Qatar Museums Gallery – Katara was founded in 2010 as a space for temporary exhibitions and public art projects.

Visit website Buy tickets

Al Najadah House

Learn more about a new community of emerging and established creatives and enterprises.

The Al Najadah community will comprise creatives and entrepreneurs who aspire to learn from one another and form partnerships, while showcasing their work for the world to see.

Visit website

A stone structure on a beach with a visible set of stairs.

Zekreet Fort and Mosque

Believed to have been built between 1809 and 1812, Zekreet Fort is the only fort located in the western region of Qatar. The nearby Zekreet Mosque dates to the early 20th century.

Originally intended for defense purposes, Zekreet Fort was built by tribal leader Rahma bin Jaber Al Jalahmah, entirely of faroush stones, or beach rocks. The fort followed a rectangular plan and towers were added in a later stage to its four corners to further strengthen its structure. Small structures, among which are three madabis (date-pressing rooms), were discovered by archaeologists between the fort and the sea.

Visit website

Barzan Towers

Built in the early 1900s, the Barzan Towers were used to monitor the arable land and wells in their surrounding area.

The Barzan Towers are located about 20 km north of Doha in the village of Umm Salal Mohammed, which was developed in 1910 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani. Earlier towers may have existed at the site throughout the nineteenth century.

Visit website

A sand coloured rock face with the outline of a boat with a sail carved into its surface

Al Jassasiya Rock Art Site

These rock carvings tell stories of Qatar’s past.

Rock carvings, or petroglyphs, can be found at a dozen sites around the coast of Qatar. However, the greatest number of carvings can be found at Al Jassasiya, some 60 km north of Doha, on low limestone hills. Discovered in 1957, the site was systematically studied in 1974, when nearly 900 carved single figures and compositions were catalogued.

Visit website

Al Zubarah Archaeological Site

Once a thriving pearl fishing town and trading port, Al Zubarah is now Qatar’s largest heritage site, with an impressive city wall, ancient residential palaces and houses, markets, industrial areas and mosques.

Al Zubarah is Qatar’s largest archaeological heritage site. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 and is the best-preserved example of an eighteenth – nineteenth century trading and pearl fishing town in the Gulf region. Unlike its contemporaries, it is largely intact and has not been lost beneath the region’s vast modern cities.

Visit website Buy tickets

Al Rekayat Fort

Toward the northwest coast of Qatar, on the road between Al Zubarah and Madinat Al Shamal, lies an area of forts, traditional architecture and old villages that includes the fort at Al Rekayat.

This was the most populated region of Qatar in the 18th and 19th centuries due to its proximity to the sea and Bahrain, a regional trade centre. The exact date of the construction of Al Rekayat is yet to be determined, but archaeological evidence suggests that it could go back to the mid-18th century, when nearby Al Zubarah was thriving.

Visit website

Al Ruwaida Archaeological Site

The Al Ruwaida Archaeological Site encompasses a settlement dating back to the 16th century; comprising a central fort, mosques, a boatyard and warehouses.

Extending along the coastline of northwest Qatar for some 2.5 km, Al Ruwaida was inhabited from about the 16th through the 18th centuries. The settlement incorporated a large, central fort, two mosques, a boatyard, and merchants’ warehouses.

Visit website

The Old Palace

At the heart of the National Museum of Qatar, this recently restored architectural treasure was once the home of the ruler of Qatar.

The Old Palace was built in the early 20th century by Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, who is today considered to be the father of modern Qatar. For around a decade, the palace was at the centre of Qatar’s political leadership, serving as the residence of the ruler of Qatar and his family and the seat of government.

In 1975 the palace was converted into the Qatar National Museum, which included a Museum of the State, a lagoon and a popular marine aquarium. In 1980 the adaptation of the Old Palace as a museum won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Visit website

What’s On

Families and children

Exhibition

Pipilotti Rist: Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You

Until 15 July 2023

Exhibition

A Sneak Peek at Qatar Auto Museum Project

Until 20 January 2024

Exhibition

Olafur Eliasson: The Curious Desert

Until 15 August 2023

View all events