If you want to give yourself a head start in understanding the story of Qatar and her people, begin with a visit to the iconic Qatar National Museum in Doha.

The museum is angular, circular and almost space-aged. It sprawls over a large tract of land, alongside a busy highway, close to the Corniche, or seafront. It’s like no other building I have ever seen.

In fact, it’s my favourite building. And that’s saying something with so many glass-and-mirror edifices all vying for attention in this modern mini Manhattan of 2.8 million people.

But this could change. I may soon have a new favourite as buildings here have the habit of popping up like concrete mushrooms, seemingly overnight. In the three short months that I have lived here, I have seen roads overhauled and upgraded, an embassy knocked down to be replaced with an upmarket beach pleasure area, and whole housing estates (compounds) completed.

As an aside, according to a recent Reuters news report, this gas-rich country has spent at least $229 billion on infrastructure in the 11 years since winning the bid to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup in November this year. South Africa spent $3.3 billion.

I am getting ahead of myself … the construction of today for tomorrow is a post for another time. Today’s post offers you an insight into the journey, or joy ride of sorts, that helps you to discover the past, present and future of Qatar in an experiential way.

I like to think of what we experienced, as storytelling in motion.

Desert rose

And that story starts with a desert rose, not the ubiquitous South African succulent, but the rose-like formation of crystal clusters of gypsum or baryte, and sand grains, found across dry areas. There are plenty to be found in Qatar.

French architect Jean Nouvel took his inspiration from the desert rose to design a building with flat, curved disks that intersect and are cantilevered.  Apparently, there are more than 500 disks, which actually make up the walls, the ceilings and the entire structure. It’s both an architectural and engineering marvel. But let the accompanying photographs do the talking.

The design is also great when it comes to creating cool spaces because of the shading the apertures provide. With temperatures rising to 50C in Summer, that’s a huge plus.

The Museum opened in March 2019, replacing the original one founded in 1975.

And here endeth the dry and dusty history lesson, with which many of us associate museums of our youth.

IKEA marketing concept

I will probably be proverbially shot at dawn for associating the architectural marvel that is the National Museum of Qatar (NMOQ – they love acronyms here) with the mass furniture-in-a-box conglomerate.

The two are nothing alike, except for the plotted pathway concept that takes you on a journey, ensuring that you walk past every item on view. In the case of the museum, it often encourages you to physically engage with the items/displays.

While in IKEA you might sneak a quick sit-down on a bed, lounge suite or office chair, at the National Museum they seem to know exactly when you need to rest your weary limbs by offering you stools or benches to watch short video clips or some other multi-media treat.

You travel this journey – spread across 1.5km of walkways across 11 different galleries (when all sections are open) – without realising it.

Interactive engagement

The plotted pathway design means you move seamlessly from one area or object to the next because of the different “touch points” that engage your senses. What a pleasure!

Thankfully, the days when you could only look, not talk and, heavens above, never touch anything have gone. Today, in Qatar at least, museums are family-friendly and blatantly encourage engagement.

(The brand new 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum takes engagement to new levels, but more of this venue in a future post).  

Overview

The National Museum of Qatar enables you to experience the past, the present and future as you amble along.

What I learnt and am still learning is that Qatar’s history is interwoven with the surrounding countries. There’s been fighting aplenty. As a peninsula on a trade route, Qatar has always been strategically prominent and an obvious target for seafaring nations.

However, once petrol and gas were discovered in the 1940s, the growth and prosperity of this country went into overdrive, and is still ongoing as part of Vision 2030 for the country.

Securing the opportunity to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup was just one part of that vision.

All this, and so much more, can be discovered within the museum. And, rather than indulging in a long and rambling overview, here are some of my own take-home learnings, shared bullet-point fashion, and a few visuals. If I could add the sounds and allow you to feel the textures, I would, but you’ll have to use your imagination instead.  

Fast facts

• Qatar’s ruling family – the Al Thanis – have been in power for more than 200 years, since 1868
• Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world
• Qatar originally gained economic prominence through pearls, now it’s petrol and gas
• Qatar is the second flattest country in the world
• Qatar will be the first country in the Middle East to host the FIFA World Cup

This is all cleverly captured in the different connecting galleries.

Value add

The gift shop is well worth visiting, if only to check out the beautiful interior.

What you need to know

Opening times: The galleries and shops are open from 9am to 7pm from Saturday through to Thursday, and from 1.30pm to 7pm on Fridays.

Registration: Unlike South Africa, the United Kingdom or many other places in the world, you don’t just “rock up”. You need to book or register in advance. This is common practice in Qatar.

Costs: Entry is free to Qatar residents, while visitors pay QAR50 (about R200) or QAR25 (R100) if still a student.

Tours and special events: You can go on a guided tour. There are different ones, and the museum also regularly hosts different events that are usually family-friendly.

Other facilities: There a rooftop restaurant, the Jiwan Restaurant, which offers Qatari cuisine and overlooks the highway and sea. There are two cafes and a landscaped park that celebrate’s Qatar’s independence. The latter includes a playground.