The Peninsula
As Qatar is all set to host the football World Cup, country's museums are ready to take the visitors on a journey to the arts and cultural scene of Qatar, Middle East, and Asia.
The country is expecting a whopping 1.5 million visitors to arrive for the football fiesta.
The 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, located beside the Khalifa International Stadium, is one of the eight museums open to locals and visitors during the world cup. The museum is expecting 500,000 visitors by the year end. “We are really keen to receive everybody,” said Abdulla Yousuf Al Mulla, Director 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.
Considered one of the world’s most innovative sports museums, 3-2-1 sheds light on the evolution of sports and Qatar’s passion for it. Aspiring to be the epicentre of global sports heritage and knowledge, it also promotes and facilitates academic research. It is a member of the Olympic Museum Network, which currently includes 22 Olympic museums worldwide.
The newly re-opened Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), built abutting the Corniche, Doha’s waterfront promenade, is also geared up to receive visitors. The museum tallies around 500,000 visitors annually.
MIA Director Dr. Julia Gonnella said: “We are totally ready for the World Cup. That’s why we really hurried up and opened in time. We’ll have the MIA Café, IDAM restaurant upstairs, a shop with a lot of things to buy, and so we are more than ready for them to come.”
The museum reopened on October 3 after undergoing a major refurbish over the past year. It features 18 modernised galleries that explore Islamic art, history and culture in a friendly, innovative setting offering visitors a comprehensive visitor trail.
Meanwhile, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the only museum situated in Education City, is likewise prepared for the influx of tourists and residents coming to the museum.
Mathaf Director Zeina Arida said in addition to the new four contemporary exhibitions which will be on display until next year, there are also permanent installations that are now being remodelled. “We have on the first floor of this building the collection display that we will also do a rotation for 15 days. We want to add more background information for the visitors of the World Cup, because we believe it’s very important that they get an understanding of the context in which these artists were working.”
Mathaf houses the largest collection of modern and contemporary Arab art in the region. It represents major trends and sites of production through paintings, sculptures, works on paper, installation and video works, produced since the mid-19th century until today.
Privately-owned museums such as Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum (FBQ Museums) and Msheireb Museums are also prepared to welcome international visitors.
FBQ Museum Founder, H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, told The Peninsula: “The museum is ready for the World Cup and we also are opening the Car Museum very soon.” The Car Museum will consist of over 600 cars including the first means of transport, such as carriages, steam cars, and vintage vehicles.
Located in Al Shahaniyah, FBQ Museum houses collectibles amassed by Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim over a lifetime. This includes Islamic art, Qatari heritage, vehicles, handmade carpets, and coins and currency, from over four continents. It was established in 1998 and is a home to over 30,000 items.
Msheireb Properties Director of Marketing and Communication, Dr. Hafiz Ali Abdulla said Msheireb Museums are also set to receive football fans. They also offer an audio tour of the museum through a mobile application available in languages including English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, and Hindi. This feature is available only when one is present at the museum.
Msheireb Museums celebrate the history of four historic heritage houses in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha: ?Bin Jelmood House?, ?Company House?, ?Mohammed Bin Jassim House and Radwani House.