Qatar National Museum

The Qatar National Museum was a museum in the Qatari capital of Doha. It was replaced by the National Museum of Qatar, which was constructed on the same site, on 28 March 2019.[1]

Qatar National Museum
Qatar National Museum in 2004.
Established1975
LocationDoha, Qatar
TypeArt Museum
OwnerQatar Museums
Websitewww.qnm.8m.com

History and design
An aerial photograph of the Old Amiri Palace taken by the Royal Air Force in 1934.

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.[2] A lagoon was also created to provide a venue for showcasing traditional dhows and pearling equipment.[3]

The museum was inaugurated on 23 June 1975.[4] Originally, its facilities included a 100-seat auditorium and a library.[3] In 1980, the Museum was awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.[5] The royal palace which the museum was built around was refurbished in 2015 in preparation for the opening of the new museum.[6]

Collection

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.[7]

Archaeological artifacts

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. Their most significant discoveries were at the site of Al Da'asa, which contained numerous Ubaid potsherds dating to the Neolithic period.[8] Artifacts from the earlier Danish expeditions launched throughout the 1950s and 1960s, previously housed at the Doha Public Library,[9] were also put on display in the museum.[7]

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.[10]

Ethnographic materials

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.[3]

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.[11]

References
  1. Joanne Martin (28 March 2019). "The Middle East's hottest new museum is here". CNN. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  2. "Wherefore Art Thou Qatar?". The Business Year. 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  3. Rice, Michael (1977). "National museum of Doha, Qatar" (PDF). Museum. XXIX (2/3): 78–87. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  4. Mohammed Hassan Al-Kuwari; Maryam Khulaifi; Jamila Abdulla Ahmed; Sawsan Al-Haddad (2013). "دليـل المؤسسات الثقافية في قطر (Directory of Cultural Institutions in Qatar)" (PDF) (in Arabic). Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22.
  5. "National Museum". Aga Khan Development Network. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  6. Lesley Walker (21 June 2015). "Sheikh Abdullah's palace at heart of National Museum of Qatar restored". Doha News. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  7. Karen Exell; Trinidad Rico (2013). "'There is no heritage in Qatar': Orientalism, colonialism and other problematic histories" (PDF). World Archaeology. 45 (4): 670–685. doi:10.1080/00438243.2013.852069.
  8. M. Abdul Nayeem (1998), p. 36
  9. "The era of reform". HathiTrust. New York: Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nation. 1973. p. 33.
  10. M. Abdul Nayeem (1998), p. 39
  11. "Poet's donation shines spotlight on origins of Qatar's national anthem". Doha News. 28 November 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2016.

Bibliography
  • Abdul Nayeem, Muhammad (1998). Qatar Prehistory and Protohistory from the Most Ancient Times (Ca. 1,000,000 to End of B.C. Era). Hyderabad Publishers. ISBN 9788185492049.


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