The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani inaugurated the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) on Wednesday highlighting the role of the new facility in enlightening the public about Qatar’s past, present and its place in the world.
The ceremony was attended by Personal Representative of the Amir HH Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al Thani, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani and Speaker of the Shura Council HE Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al Mahmoud.
Also present were Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Sheikh Nasser Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, Oman’s Minister of Heritage and Culture Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al Said and Minister of State for International Culture at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Michelle Muntefering.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Mayor of Rome in the Italian Republic Virginia Raggi, Adviser at Republic of Azerbaijan Souda Mohammed Aliev and a number of dignitaries and other guests also witnessed the ceremony that concluded with a spectacular display of fireworks.
In his remarks, HH the Amir commended the initiative of His Highness the Father Emir to expand the museum and described it as a great addition to the growing cultural scene in Qatar. HH stressed that the new museum is a product of a collective work of many institutions and individuals and represents the country itself which is characterised by open dialogue and cooperation in all areas.
Housed in an architectural masterpiece by French architect Jean Nouvel, the National Museum of Qatar narrates the story of Qatar through a special combination of architectural space, music, poetry, oral histories, evocative aromas, archaeological and heritage objects, commissioned artworks, monumentally-scaled art films, and more.
NMoQ is organised in three chapters- ‘Beginnings’, ‘Life in Qatar’, and ‘The Modern History of Qatar’- presented in 11 galleries, which take visitors from the geological period long before the peninsula was inhabited through to the present day.
The museum features oral history films, archival photographs, maps, texts, models and digital learning stations along with some of the most dazzling treasures of Qatar’s history and heritage. Surrounding the objects and bringing the experience to life is a sequence of short art films that NMoQ commissioned from a roster of distinguished international filmmakers.
It is also worth mentioning that aside from the rich collection from Qatar’s past, the museum’s prized displays also include the torch of the 15th Asian Games held in Qatar, as well as the card used to announce Qatar’s victory in the bidding contest to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The museum’s commissioned artworks include the majestic black reeds along the 900 metre-long shores of the lagoon by Jean-Michel Othoniel titled ‘ALFA’; the sculptural piece ‘Gates to the Sea, 2019’ by Simone Fattal; a sculpture embodying the spirit of National Day for all citizens of Qatar titled ‘Flag of Glory, 2019’ by Ahmed al Bahrani; and Bouthayna al Muftah’s‘KanYa Ma Kaan, 2019’.
Jean Nouvel, who drew inspiration from the desert rose for his architectural masterpiece, described the landmark building as “the first architectural structure that nature itself creates.” He said, “This building is at the cutting edge of technology, like Qatar itself. As a result, it is a total object: an experience that is at once architectural, spatial, and sensory, with spaces inside that exist nowhere else.”
The NMoQ will open its doors to the public from March 28. The opening hours of the museum from Saturday to Thursday will be 9am to 7pm and on Friday from 1:30pm to 7pm.
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