Doha, Qatar claims ownership to the second largest museum, the Qatar National Museum. It is located in the Easter part of Doha Corniche and is set up in a palace of a former president. With many collections describing the rich history of Qatar it is a place visited by many tourists in their travels.
Designed and decorated by a native architect, Abdullah Al Mail, it has many sections showing different areas of the history of Qatar, separated by walls and courtyards set in a fort like manner. It is divided into two parts: museum and aquarium, beautiful arranged with a significant sized lagoon set in the middle.
The main part of the museum shows some of the artifacts from the dark ages of Qatar such as the history of early settlements, and even medals and old legal tender. Another area is dedicated to the natural history of Qatar by showcasing the diverse animal life, and even descriptions of the different flora and fauna available. Another main section shows the oil and gas history with exhibits from the early days.
The museum also has a huge collection of Islamic artifacts and relics, long lost in other places of the country. The museum also works as a showcase displaying medals received by foreign nationals and the Qatar army throughout the years. A section is also dedicated to showing the Bedouin tribesmen, an Arab ethnic group residing mainly in the deserts. Their day to day life activities are shown through exhibits of their habitat, customs and social behavior.
The museum has gone through a renovation and even won the Agha Khan award in 1980 for ‘Restoration and Rehabilitation of Islamic Architecture’. It is truly a wondrous place for any traveler; giving more history and detail of the culture, people and the history of Qatar than any other place.
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