Msheireb Museums

Msheireb Museums celebrate the history of four historic heritage houses in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha‭. ‬Located within the oldest part of the capital‭, ‬they form an important part of Qatar’s national history‭. ‬They reveal unique aspects of Qatar’s cultural and social development in inspiring to create trusted environments in which the people of Qatar will engage‭, ‬converse‭ ‬and exchange thoughts about both their past and their future‭.

Msheireb Museums are an integral aspect of the inner city’s regeneration of the old commercial centre with its traditional community-based lifestyle‭. ‬The restoration of the four heritage‭ ‬houses‭, ‬Bin Jelmood House‭, ‬Company House‭, ‬Mohammed Bin Jassim House and Radwani House‭, ‬into world-class museums form a vital part of the Msheireb Downtown Doha development‭.‬

BIN JELMOOD HOUSE

The overarching ambition of Bin Jelmood House is to raise awareness and play a pivotal role in the global abolition of human exploitation‭. ‬The house also showcases and pays tribute to human perseverance and acknowledges the cumulative social‭, ‬cultural and‭ ‬economic contribution of formerly enslaved people to the development of human civilisations‭.‬

Travel back in time to discover how enslavement spread with the march of civilisations over thousands of years‭. ‬The House explores the role Islam played in providing guidance for humane treatment of enslaved people‭, ‬their integration into society and the eventual abolition of slavery‭. ‬Bin Jelmood House tells of a time when there was a flourishing trade in enslaved people throughout‭ ‬the Indian Ocean World‭, ‬a vast region of which the countries of the Arabian Gulf are a part of‭. ‬The story in Qatar begins in enslavement but ends in shared freedom and shared prosperity‭.

The house pays tribute and acknowledges the social, cultural and economic contribution of formerly enslaved people to the development of human civilisations.

The museum provides space for reflection on the story of slavery and how it has evolved into modern forms of human exploitation‭.‬‭ ‬Bin Jelmood House also provides an opportunity for visitors to make a personal commitment to joining the fight against human exploitation in all its many manifestations‭.‬

MOHAMMED BIN JASSIM HOUSE

In this house we travel back in time to appreciate Doha’s history and its unique architectural heritage‭. ‬Built by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Jassim Al-Thani‭, ‬son of the founder of modern Qatar‭, ‬this heritage house addresses the past‭, ‬the present and the sustainable aspect on which Msheireb Downtown Doha is based‭. ‬The‭ ‬museum houses the Echo Memory Art Project using objects uncovered during excavation work on the site‭.‬

The house demonstrates Msheireb’s traditional values as the foundations for the future development of Doha and introduces the transformation of Msheireb over time through recalling memories of its past‭, ‬showcasing its present and engaging visitors in the plans for the future‭.

Journey through the Msheireb district as it evolved over time‭. ‬Discover how the narrow sikka alleyways developed as houses were‭ ‬built on either side‭, ‬and how they converged onto a baraha‭, ‬an open-air town square‭. ‬Hear former residents speak of Msheireb as‭ ‬the home to Qatar’s first hotel‭, ‬first bank‭, ‬first pharmacy and first cafés‭.

Mohammed Bin Jassim House demonstrates Qatar’s challenge to strike a balance between the sophisticated requirements of contemporary living and the responsibility to preserve‭ ‬local heritage and culture‭.‬

COMPANY HOUSE

Set within a house that was once used as the headquarters for Qatar’s first oil company‭, ‬this museum tells the story of the pioneering Qatari petroleum industry workers and their families‭, ‬who helped transform Qatar into a modern society‭. ‬Witness first-hand accounts of the men who laboured not just to provide for their families but also to lay the foundations for their emerging nation‭.‬

Undaunted by challenges and setbacks‭, ‬these Qatari pioneers demonstrated remarkable dedication‭, ‬ushering in the era of oil exploration‭. ‬Follow them as they endured the rough journey to Dukhan with smiles‭, ‬all the while yearning for their loved ones left behind in Doha‭. ‬Interact with the tools and appliances introduced by the Company‭.

‬Hear their stories in their own words‭, ‬of how they laboured to build a better future for kin and country‭, ‬and together with young Qataris today‭, ‬find inspiration in their tenacity and dedication to the building of modern Qatar‭.‬

RADWANI HOUSE

First built in the 1920s‭, ‬this house is located between Al-Jasrah and Msheireb‭, ‬two of Doha’s oldest quarters‭. ‬The restored house presents traditional Qatari family life and gathers‭, ‬preserves and shares memories of Qatar‭.‬

Radwani House provides visitors an insight into how family life evolved in Qatar over the years‭. ‬The house showcases not only the manner in which it changed over time‭, ‬but also how domestic family life was transformed in Doha‭.

Witness the changes brought about to family life by the discovery of oil and the arrival of electricity‭. ‬Learn how families were‭ ‬closely connected and how they spent their daily lives before the advent of modern day conveniences‭.‬

Excavation works carried out by archaeologists at Radwani House constituted the very first archaeological digs in the centre of‭ ‬the city‭. ‬These excavations have produced a number of important finds which provide some clues to the daily life during those times‭.