Celebrating its anniversary with a retrospective exhibition titled A Nation’s Legacy, A People’s Memory: Fifty Years Told, the National Museum of Qatar offers a comprehensive survey of its journey – from its modest beginnings to its present-day reinvention.
Since its founding in 1975 by former Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani as one of the first museums in the Gulf, the institution has remained a source of pride and identity for the people of Qatar.
Drawing on archival documents, photographs and personal testimonies, the exhibition traces the museum’s evolution across five decades, highlighting key exhibitions and programmes, its role in preserving national heritage, and its reopening in 2019 as a state-of-the-art, institution housed in the a building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.
“For half a century, the National Museum of Qatar has safeguarded the legacy of our nation and its national treasures, while continually developing new ways of storytelling through advances in technology,” says museum director Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani. “With A Nation’s Legacy, A People’s Memory: Fifty Years Told, we invite audiences to celebrate the institution’s record of honouring our heritage while imagining what lies ahead.
“From the beginning, the Qatar National Museum – as it was then called – was centred on Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Palace, a former seat of government and home of the son of the founder of modern Qatar,” he adds. “Preserving the palace, and collecting and sharing the history and traditions of Qatar, were its core aims. Fifty years on, the palace remains at the literal and figurative heart of the museum, now surrounded by Jean Nouvel’s bold design inspired by the desert rose.”
Alongside the historical material are is installations by contemporary Qatari artists, including Shouq Al Mana and Khalifa Al Thani, which reflect on the museum’s place within the local creative landscape.
The exhibition opens in Gallery 13 with a section on the museum’s founding and the restoration of the palace, a project that won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. An installation by Khalifa Al Thani brings together 11 vintage television monitors, framed in carved wood, animating architectural drawings and archival imagery to underscore the palace’s role as a living historical site.
Al Mana’s Earth Dome pays tribute to the original installation that featured prominently in the museum’s earlier incarnation. The work references the 1975 display that paired a Quranic verse with a visualisation of the Earth’s formation, narrating Qatar’s transformation from island to Gulf nation. Her reinterpretation includes a gently parted agal rope, a nod to Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani’s distinctive way of wearing it – a gesture that has since become an enduring symbol of Qatari heritage.
The exhibition then charts the museum’s closure in 2004 and the lengthy transformation that culminated in its reopening in 2019. During that period, advances in technology reshaped the institution’s approach. Upon reopening, the National Museum of Qatar was widely praised for its integration of interactive screens, large-scale visual displays and improved accessibility, creating a seamless and immersive visitor experience.
“NMoQ has transformed into a dynamic, experiential institution that integrates technology, innovative storytelling and contemporary design,” says Sheikh Abdulaziz. “This evolution has had a profound impact on Qatar’s cultural scene, inspiring artists, curators and institutions, while nurturing public engagement, creativity and national identity.
“By reaching a wider audience, both locally and internationally, NMoQ has reinforced Qatar’s position on the global cultural map,” he adds.
The exhibition extends into the former palace and the open courtyard between the old and new structures, where visitor testimonials offer personal reflections and memories of the museum across generations.
More recent artworks are also presented here, including a site-specific installation by students from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Qatar. About 20 students sketched the palace’s architecture, which was then printed on to fabric to create a tent-like structure offering shade and a resting place for visitors.
Nearby, Yousef Fakhoor’s Echoes of Time: The Four Doors uses audio, light and video to traverse Qatar’s past, present and imagined future. A standing booth with four symbolic doors invites visitors to listen and reflect through peepholes, keyholes and concealed speakers – from a young girl’s whispered prayer in 1975 to a speculative vision of Qatar in 2050.
“The two multimedia installations reflect Qatar’s story,” Fakhoor says. “This platform gave me the opportunity to thread memory into living light, honouring our roots while looking forward.”
His second work, Full Moon, acts as four windows on to Qatar’s landscapes – the desert, the shoreline, the city’s edge and the museum itself – with digital images of a glowing moon arcing across the night sky, inviting quiet contemplation.
Other installations include Khalifa Al Thani’s Pearls Don’t Lie on the Sand, which transforms a traditional dhow into a luminous sculpture evoking resilience and discovery. “Together, these works highlight the museum’s commitment to bridging Qatar’s past, present and future through contemporary artistic expression,” Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani says.
The exhibition marks the first phase of Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign celebrating 50 years of culture in Qatar, with further exhibitions and events planned nationwide. While the anniversary reflects on the past, it also looks ahead.
“NMoQ is committed to expanding its role as a leading cultural institution by offering diverse experiences that connect audiences with Qatar’s history, contemporary creativity and global cultural discourse,” Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani says.
“Through education, outreach and programmes such as NMoQ Late: Our Heritage and By Young NMoQ, the museum continues to empower younger generations to engage actively with culture – fostering creativity, leadership and a sense of shared ownership in the nation’s heritage.”
A Nation’s Legacy, A People’s Memory: Fifty Years Told runs until February 6, 2026 at the National Museum of Qatar
