CW Room

This place is a masterpiece. I lived in Qatar for years, I watched the country come to life and more recently in the last 5 years I watched this building come into existence as a newly formed structure that captivated the attention of any passerbys.

Back in the day, this type of building was new. Until the National Museum of Qatar was built, artsy, architecturally beautiful buildings were an uncommon sight in Qatar. There were the glass skyscrapers, the luxurious man made island (The Pearl) and then the rest of the city. Still bright and beautiful, but nothing architecturally remarkable – at least to my untrained, unprofessional eyes.

Then this Museum was built. Sure, the Museum of Islamic Art was a well designed monument, but the architectural integrity of the National Museum was far more abstract than anyone had seen of Qatar yet at that point. So, when that building went up, it was a sight to behold.

Only 5 years later, we finally decided to take a trip down and explore this new landmark of Qatar history.

Now, to be quite frank, I hadn’t realised Qatar had any significant history. This is a fairly recent country compared to others and my assumptions stemmed from and stopped there. You know what they say when you assume though?

Anyway, we got our free tickets and rounded on the hall to start our journey of learning. First, I just want to impress on you the astounding charm of this building. Not only in it’s luxurious finish and open space, but in it’s – once again – Architecture. The walls, ceilings and floors are ever so subtly rounded to form slightly skewed rooms and halls. This is the same architectural design that continues throughout the building.

The building itself is made using 539 disks (or plates as my 12 year old sister would call them) and is designed by Jean Nouvel after nature’s very own desert rose.

As soon as you get past how ridiculously beautiful this building is, you can actually get started on your journey through. The artefacts, ranging from over 4 billion years old to just 3, are a testament to the life lived through the years on Qatari soil and are a sight to behold. The history is interesting, informative and is conveniently slotted into larger international events with little ‘bookmark’ signs on larger timelines.

A great number of things learned. Some truly beautiful artefacts, only one of which was this rug created from gems, pearls and diamonds were available to view.

Numerous cultural pieces and historically significant relics that are connected to the rest of the world through Qatar’s specialisations. The country, as it is now, started off as a fisherman village and grew from there. They were pearl divers and sorcerers for the world. The jewels they sourced were used for infamous characters in history. Rulers, governors and high ranking officials all wore jewellery littered with pearls from the bottom of the Qatari ocean.

Overall this museum experience was impressive. The building was designed to help navigate crowds using the natural flow of the infrastructure. The museum arrangement was based on the advancement of time periods from the beginning of earth until current times.

The use of technology to set immersive scenes during every hall to encapsulate the time scenery was incredibly advanced and added value to the walk through. The museum even illustrated the use of technology in Qatar’s chief export during the current days. Models of oil rigs and oil extraction mechanisms were on display towards the last third of the walkthrough.

By the end, you would’ve seen a comprehensive history and progression of the country’s rulers, its technological advancement, its legistlation establishment, flags, population and city expansion and more!

Now a days, the museum is just one of the country’s more impressive attractions. Not only architecturally, but as a technological and cultural display of the country’s abilities and history – which is perfect considering these elements perfectly encapsulate Qatar’s appeal and vision.

If you would’ve asked me a few days ago whether you should go to the Qatar National Museum, I would’ve smirked and mumbled something about the architecture. Now, though, I’m thoroughly impressed and would wholeheartedly recommend it and encourage you to take a look if you can!

Thanks for reading 🙂