This exhibition is part of Qatar Museums’ ongoing efforts to share Qatar’s archaeological heritage with international audiences. Hosted at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum in the Mleiha Temporary Exhibition Hall, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through Qatar’s Stone Age, when the first inhabitants adapted to their environment through ingenuity, craftsmanship, and their knowledge of the landscape.
Shaped by Stones features more than 110 remarkable artefacts including stone tools discovered in large quantities across Qatar that confirm human existence in the region since the Lower Palaeolithic era. These artefacts reveal how prehistoric communities hunted, fished, and gathered wild plants. Settlements continued to thrive in Qatar with climate improvement and the availability of fresh water during the Neolithic period. The exhibition also celebrates the pioneering work of Danish archaeologist Holger Kapel, whose 1960s book Atlas of Stone Age Cultures in Qatar remains a cornerstone in understanding the region’s prehistory. Shaped by Stones ends by displaying for the first time objects from Qatar’s human and camel burials dating to the pre-Islamic period, alongside a collection of artefacts from Mleiha.These parallel discoveries highlight the cultural connections between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Complementing the exhibition are a series of educational workshops and lectures, offering visitors hands-on opportunities to explore the ingenuity of early humans.
