Museums

The Aquarium

The pleasant lagoon by the aquarium building has a few dhows (the traditional wooden ships of the Gulf) floating on it, in addition to being stocked with fish and turtles.

A visit to the aquarium affords a good view of several local breeds of fish, including sharks, hamour and various other inhabitants of Gulf waters. There are some postively evil looking specimens, which will doubtless delight younger visitors, in addition to various exhibits relating to the pearling industry. You can contact the museum for more details on 442191 as this aquarium seems to have disappeared.

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Tha Qatar national museum

By far the largest and best museum is the national museum. Located in a delightful restored palace on the corniche , the museum is clearly divided into its two components (museum and aquarium), with a large lagoon in the middle of the complex. The building won the prestigious Aga Khan award for restoration and rehabilitation of Islamic architecture in 1980.

The museum is open from 8am to 12noon and 4pm to 7pm seven days per week. The entrance fee is reasonable (around QR 5 for adults). Built around a central courtyard, there are several reconstructed small rooms of the more..

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Doha fort

This museum is housed, as you'd imagine, in an old restored fort in the Al Bida district of Doha. The building is in the Moorish style and was originally constructed during the Ottoman occupation of the region. The collection consists of local paintings, weavings, gypsum carvings, ornate wooden door pieces and other artefacts, and gives guides and explanations to local crafts of the past and present. Admission is free (if open).

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THE WEAPONRY MUSEUM

This museum can only be visited by organised groups at present, but is well worth a trip as it houses a rather fine collection of ancient and modern weaponry including solid gold daggers, Persian rifles from the Ottoman era and a superb collection of swords. There are over 2,300 exhibits, clearly displayed and labelled. The museum is located near Immigration roundabout in Medinat Khalifa and admission is free. For further details call 438123 or contact one of the tour companies to arrange a visit.

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Post office museum

Housed near the Souq Post Office, this museum covers the early days of Qatar's postal services and has some quaint Victorian artefacts, including old scales, post boxes, and stamps. It is open from 4pm - 6pm daily, except on Fridays. The old museum building near the Souq was recently demolished.