Established | Opened 28 March 2019 |
---|---|
Location | Doha, Qatar |
Coordinates | 25°17′16″N51°32′58″E / 25.2879°N 51.5494°E |
Type | Museum |
Director | Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al Thani |
Owner | Qatar Museums |
Website | nmoq |
The National Museum of Qatar is a national museum in Doha, Qatar. The current building opened to the public on 28 March 2019, replacing the previous building which opened in 1975. The building was designed by architect Jean Nouvel who was inspired by the desert rose crystal, which can be found in Qatar. [1] [2] The museum site includes Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani's Palace, which is the heart of the Qatari national identity. [3] As of 2013, the director of the museum is Sheikha Amna. [4]
A tour of the museum takes visitors through a loop of galleries that address three major, interrelated themes. The galleries are loosely arranged in chronological order, beginning with exhibitions on the natural history of the desert and the Persian Gulf, artefacts from Bedouin culture, historical exhibitions on the tribal wars, the establishment of the Qatari state, and finally the discovery of oil to the present. [5] The displays and installations that explore these themes present audiovisual displays with carefully selected treasures from the museum's collections. These collections currently consist of approximately 8,000 objects and include archaeological artefacts, architectural elements, heritage household and travelling objects, textiles and costumes, jewelry, decorative arts, books, and historical documents. [6]
The museum's mission is to celebrate the culture, heritage, and future of Qatar and its people, embodying the pride and traditions of Qataris while offering international visitors a dialogue about rapid change and modernization. [7]
Since its inauguration, the museum contained materials which signify Qatar's cultural heritage, such as Bedouin ethnographic materials, maritime artifacts and environmental items. Ancient artifacts, most of which are locally derived, are also housed in the museum. [8]
British archaeologist Beatrice de Cardi and her team were commissioned to undertake expeditions in Qatar from November 1973 to January 1974 in order to collect artifacts to display in the museum. [9] Their most significant discoveries were at the site of Al Da'asa, which contained numerous Ubaid potsherds dating to the Neolithic period. [10] Artifacts from the earlier Danish expeditions launched throughout the 1950s and 1960s, previously housed at the Doha Public Library, [11] were also put on display in the museum. [8]
The museum's antiquities department had an active role in surveys and excavations after De Cardi's expedition ended. They excavated the archaeological sites of Al Wusail and Zubarah. [12]
Materials documenting Bedouin ethnography range widely in theme. Certain objects on display were historically used as tools and weapons by the Bedouin, whereas others are products such as jewellery, pottery and costumes. Traditional poems are featured in the museum; most notable are works composed by Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a and former emir Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani. [13]
In 2015, Sheikh Mubarak bin Saif Al Thani presented the first written draft of the anthem to the Qatar National Museum to be put on display. It was originally scheduled to be moved to the new museum upon its completion. [14]
Upon Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani's accession to the throne in 1972, he drew up plans for a national museum in order to document the country's heritage and traditions. That year, he contracted Michael Rice & Company to design the structural and functional aspects of the museum. It was decided that the building would enclose the Old Amiri Palace, a dilapidated early-20th century palace previously occupied by Qatar's former emir, Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani. [15] A lagoon was also created to provide a venue for showcasing traditional dhows and pearling equipment. [13]
Originally named the Qatar National Museum, it was inaugurated on 23 June 1975. [16] Originally, its facilities included a 100-seat auditorium and a library. [13] In 1980, the museum was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. [17] The royal palace which the museum was built around was refurbished in 2015 in preparation for the opening of the new museum. [18]
An online platform called Explorer was launched in 2023 by the museum. The platform gives viewers access to online collections, an archaeology and heritage map as well as an interactive timeline of the museum. [19]
A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by the NMoQ’s director of partnerships and sponsorships and the director of the National Museum of Mongolia in December 2023. The cooperation also includes an exhibition in Mongolia in 2024, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. [20]
The NMoQ participates in the Expo 2023 Doha, offering activities and workshops to families centred around Qatar’s traditions, culture and natural environment. [21]
The new building was constructed on the site of the old building. It was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel who was inspired by the desert rose and grows around the original twentieth century palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani. [22] The historic palace was restored by Berlin-based architecture and engineering firm ZRS Architekten Ingenieure. [23] This important monument to Qatar's past is now preserved as the heart of the new NMoQ. [24] The relation between the new building and the old building is part of creating the bridge between the past and the present advocated by Sheikha Al Mayassa as a way to "define ourselves instead of forever being defined by others […]" and of "celebrating our identity". [25]
The 430,000 square foot (40,000 m2) museum is made up of interlocking discs that create cavities to protect visitors from the desert heat. [26] Located on a 1.5 million ft² site at the south end of Doha's Corniche, [27] the NMoQ building rises from the sea and is connected to the shore by two pedestrian bridges and a road bridge. [27]
Originally, the museum was scheduled to open in 2016, [28] but its opening was pushed back to 28 March 2019. [29] [30] Time magazine named it one of the World's Greatest Places to Visit in 2019, citing the integration of "immersive video screens and dioramas" into Jean Nouvel's architectural design. [31] [32]
The museum welcomed more than 450,000 visitors in less than a year of its opening. [33] The museum attracts people as it depicts Qatar's history not through paintings and sculptures but with 21st-century lights, sounds and visuals. [34]
The main building was contracted to a Korea-based company; Hyundai Engineering & Construction in 2011. [35] The project involved the construction of the new National Museum next to the existing Qatar National Museum, which is located across from the Doha Corniche. The museum is designed according to the Bedouin tradition of Qatar. [36] It includes a building in the shape of a desert rose and a 1.2 million ft² landscaped park. The project also includes a 115,000 m2 park with an artificial lagoon and parking spaces for 400 vehicles, a 220-seat auditorium, a research center, laboratories, a dedicated food forum, two restaurants, a café, and two museum shops, one for children. [37]
Zubarah, also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined, ancient town located on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 65 miles from the capital Doha. It was founded by Shaikh Muhammed bin Khalifa, the founder father of Al Khalifa royal family of Bahrain, the main and principal Utub tribe in the first half of the eighteenth century. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium is an association football stadium in Doha, Qatar, located about 5 kilometres west from the centre of Doha. It is the home of the Al Sadd Sports Club's association football team, who play in the top-flight Qatar Stars League, and is occasionally used by the Qatar men's and women's national football teams as one of their home grounds. Named after the then-Qatari Minister of Youth and Sports Jassim bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, who had provided permission for Al Sadd's founding members to form the group in 1969, the stadium was opened in 1975, and has since been renovated twice; once for the 17th Arabian Gulf Cup in 2004, and again in 2010. In addition to hosting all matches of the Arabian Gulf Cup in 2004, the stadium has hosted numerous international association football matches throughout its history, including matches of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, the football tournaments at the 2006 Asian Games and 2011 Pan Arab Games, and two editions of the Italian super cup, the Supercoppa Italiana.
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants, and the land area is mostly made up of flat, low-lying desert.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber bin Mohammed bin Thani Al Thani, who was also known informally by his initials HBJ, is a Qatari politician. He was the Prime Minister of Qatar from 3 April 2007 to 26 June 2013, and foreign minister from 11 January 1992 to 26 June 2013.
Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, also known as "The Founder", was the founder of the State of Qatar. He had a total of 56 children, 19 sons and 37 daughters.
Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, also known as Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani or Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim Al Thani, was the Emir of Qatar. He was born in 1880 in Doha, the capital city of Qatar. He then abdicated in favour of his crown prince and second son, Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, in 1940. Sheikh Hamad died eight years later and Sheikh Abdullah assumed office once again until 1949, when he stepped down from office in favour for his eldest son, Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani. Oil was also discovered for the first time during his rule.
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