Amir Inaugurates National Museum of Qatar

Doha: H H the Amir attended yesterday the opening ceremony of the National Museum of Qatar in its new building. He was briefed on the most important pieces and collections related to pearls and jewellery design, as well as the galleries of the modern history of Qatar since the discovery of oil and gas.

The ceremony was attended by H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Personal Representative of H H the Amir;  H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani; H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani; H E Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al Thani; Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud.

The ceremony was attended by Vice-President of the Republic of Turkey, Fuat Oktay; Prime Minister of the French Republic, Edouard Philippe, Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah; Minister of Heritage and Culture of the Sultanate of Oman Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said and Minister of State for International Culture at the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, Michelle Muntefering.

The ceremony was also attended by Former President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy; Mayor of Rome in the Italian Republic Virginia Raggi; Adviser at Republic of Azerbaijan Souda Mohammed Aliev and a number of Their Excellencies the Sheikhs, Ministers and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the State.

A number of prominent figures in the field of politics, culture, art, media, and a number of heads of companies and international institutions, directors of museums, academics, film directors, celebrities and those interested in heritage sites from around the world were also present.

In speech on the occasion, H H the Amir said that Qatar has become much stronger since June 2017. “Its citizens and residents work together to build the country, strengthen the economy, maintain human dignity and defend the truth, get to know each other and exchange experiences, and most importantly, they exchange friendship and respect.”

H H the Amir said that the State of Qatar has made many achievements for the benefit of its citizens, in terms of quality of life, and in the fields of education, health, environment and others. “It continues to welcome people from all over the world. Progress through diversity and tolerance remains at the core of our commitment to the development and nurturing of a harmonious and prosperous society of our lifestyle and our behaviour guided by human values and fitness.”

H H the Amir said that the National Museum is the product of a collective work of many institutions and individuals, and represents what we are as a country characterised by open dialogue and cooperation in all fields.

“Through our programmes and educational exhibitions, we will add a great addition to Qatar’s growing cultural landscape, including our university institutions, our pluralistic media, our national library, which contains a million books in its prestigious building opened last year, the annual book fair, as well as festivals and numerous artistic activities in Katara, old souqs, art galleries, and many other institutions and initiatives.”

H H the Amir added: “Our goal is to build a knowledge-based economy and human development. The economic model we offer and the richness of sport and culture are, in our opinion, the best indicator of the healthy growth of any country. The rich cultural scene has become an important economic component of tourism, enriching the visitor by adding culture to entertainment and relaxation.”

Qatar, H H the Amir said, is committed to the work programmes to host the 2022 World Cup — a celebration of sport, arts, culture and the spirit of the community with the solidarity and unity of all football fans and people of goodwill from all over the world. “Today, we are laying another brick in the construction of our national development and civilisation project, including the promise we made in 2010 to provide a wonderful tournament for the 2022 World Cup.”

H H the Amir said that the original building of the National Museum of Qatar was built in 1975 in the old palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani. “I would like to pay tribute to the initiative of H H the Father Amir to expand the museum and, above all, His Highness’ vision and launching a process in which modernity is integrated with our Arab and Islamic civilisation and Qatari heritage.”

“The new building, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, is characterised by its innovative design based on a natural phenomenon caused by the formation of the sand known as the Desert Rose, which includes and surrounds the old palace,” H H the Amir said, adding that the Desert Rose is called here in Qatar ‘Qahuf’.

H H the Amir said: “Why building museums? We do not do this to store art collections, to showcase the past, but to enlighten the public in Qatar, residents and visitors, with our past, present and position in the world.

The museum presents our formulation of our past, our environment and our experiences in the perspective of the present. It is therefore a formulation of our Arab-Qatari cultural identity, and museums are not repositories of the past, but our present is embodied in how we read our history and position within humanity in general.”

After the inauguration, H H the Amir toured the National Museum of Qatar, accompanied by Fuat Oktay, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, and Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

H H the Amir inspected the different displays at the museum, which presents the beginning of the geological formation of the Qatar Peninsula, its natural surroundings, the archaeological sites and monuments in the archaeological sites, the lives of the people of Qatar on land and coasts, and the digital exhibition.

Upon arrival at the Museum, H H the Amir signed the first ticket of the National Museum of Qatar as first visitor after its official inauguration.

Courtesy: Peninsula Qatar