by Isabel Ovalle
Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani had a dream: he wanted to establish a museum to help protect Qatari national heritage and Islamic arts. With this aim in mind, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum opened its doors in 1998.
Almost 15 years later, this museum offers visitors the opportunity to get a glimpse of a collection of various pieces that the Sheikh began gathering when he was very young. His compilation comprises of valuable Arabic manuscripts, decorative arts, fine arts and weapons.
In a somewhat remote location for those that are new to Doha, but only 22km from the city center, the museum puts forward authentic representations of the way of life of the natives who used to live in the country.
Despite being part of the International Council of Museums, Sheikh Faisal’s is not a conventional one, and it’s aiming to follow International standards. To carry out this task, Dieter Marcos took over as director seven months ago, in order to enable the complete transition from a personal collection, to a regular museum.
The new director told The Peninsula that the goal is for the museum to have the premises that are currently found in a location like this, such as a cafeteria or a shop. Marcos will also work on categorizing the collections and written explanations for all the items so the visitor can go through the museum without a guide. Currently the museum opens five days a week but receives only visitors that have previously made an appointment so that a guide can accompany them.
Nevertheless, what makes Sheikh Faisal’s collection exceptional is that it comprises all sorts of colourful objects from cultures that cover Europe and Asia.
The visitor can also see a detailed family tree of the Al Thani family, fossils dated from 250 million-years ago, abstract paintings, a confession booth from a church or stuffed falcons, among other things.
There is also a great compilation of personal photos from the Sheikh that allows the visitor to appreciate the person behind this project, as well as his family history. The collection goes back to the clan of fishermen and pearl divers, and the wooden boats they used. Many of these items and boats were part of the recent Dhow Festival in Katara Cultural Village.
The industry of boat making persisted for centuries in the Gulf region, but almost disappeared when oil was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century.
Bedouin Heritage has also a notable place in the museum, honouring the culture that dominated this land centuries ago. Their way of life revolved around the breeding of camels, a job that persists to this day.
The visitor of the museum can see how Bedouins lived, as well as their customary clothing among other particulars. From this ancient culture, to a traditional Qatari house, the guest can see what these homes were like before the country’s International immersion. The number of doors exposed in the museum is also noticeable.
In addition, the sightseer can begin to understand Islamic art, realising that it’s basically contemplative, with the ultimate purpose of encountering God. To this end, among other especial pieces are both one of the largest and the smallest Qur’ans.
The museum presents a large number of weapons of the Islamic civilisation, such as the Arabian sword, Mughal axes and firearms. With these is a unique gold inlaid belt with powder flasks that belonged to Sheikh Abdullah bin Moua’mmar, one of the Bani Tamim chiefs of Najd in the 18th century.
There is also a big collection of cars and technical artefacts. The oldest car in the museum is a Ford from 1880. While there are also vehicles owned by the first Emirs of Qatar, a steam car and a Williams F1.
The first museum was built on a farm in Al-Samariyah, 22 kilometres from Doha. It was designed according to traditional Qatari architecture and first opened in 1998. Thanks to the expansion 12,000 sqm were added, for the museum to reach a total of 17,000 sqm. The Peninsula
