Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum

The Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum is one of the biggest private museums in the world and is worth a visit with lot of things to enjoy.Established in 1998 in the grand Qatari fort at Al Samriya Farm, The Sheikh Faisal Museum with its unique, magnificent exterior attracts people from all over the world. Sheikh Faisal who is the founder of the museum is one of the Middle East's most prominent business leaders who had the dedication and passion in collecting art and artifacts of global importance. The rare and precious pieces of collections epitomize the travels that Sheikh Faisal has taken across several countries over the last 50 years. Sheikh Faisal's steady eye for tradition, culture, history and legitimacy particularly in preserving Islamic and Qatari custom, is evidently established within the museum's exceptional collections. Under the patronage of the League of Arab States, the Arab Center for Tourism Media in 2012 awarded Sheikh Faisal the well-earned title of 'Heritage personality for 2012.

The Sheikh Faisal Museum is a priceless resource for researchers, academicians and schools, as well as a day-tripper destination in its own right. Four themed collections have been built; Qatar heritage, Islamic art, coins & currency and vehicles including over 15,000 pieces from all the continents. Each collection has other sub classifications making the Museum a treasure trove of Arabic manuscripts, fine arts, unique fossils, prehistoric figurines, scriptures, vintage cars, Islamic textiles, rare coins, as well as the world's largest private collection of militaria. The Ministry of Art, Culture and Heritage selected the museum as one of Qatar's cultural landmarks as part of the 'Qatar capital of Culture' activities in 2010. The team of museum curators has staged many exhibits beyond its walls and a special exhibition called 'Beauty of Words' in July 2012, celebrated over 100 distinct types of Islamic calligraphy. The exhibit was held at Katara Cultural Village and was curated from the Museum's precious collections. In cooperation with the American University of Sharjah, the 'Beauty of Words' then was exhibited at Sharjah, UAE.

How to get there?
The museum is located in Al Samriya, about 20 km from Education City up Dukhan Highway. To get there by car, take Dukhan Highway until you see a U-Turn board with museum name on the right side. Get the next right turn which is also same as that of Camel Racetrack. Take an about turn and head back on to Dukhan Road on the way to Doha and Drive for about 4 km, then Turn right on the fourth exit road sign which indicate the museum’s full name. The museum is roughly about 1 km up a wide road with trees on either side.

Inside the museum
The Sheikh Faisal Museum exhibit 15,000 unique and astonishing artefacts across three main themes: Qatar heritage, Islamic art and vehicles. There is also a special section for coins & currency. The Museum portrays not only of the history of the Qatari people, but also of its founder. The outstanding collections mirror the painstaking efforts taken by Sheikh Faisal and his extensive international travel. There are several rooms in the main section of the museum which more or less have a theme. Near the central courtyard, on the outside of main museum, there are also several other rooms with dedicated themes such as fossil rooms, textile rooms etc. The visitors may get surprised to see a peacock farm and a horse stable inside the museum premises. Horse riding lessons for adults and children are offered by the highly-qualified instructors and qualified visitors also have the chance to go horse riding on their own.

The extensive vehicle collection comprises of a historic steam car from the latter part of the 19th century, 1940s Desoto models, valuable Ford T models, Buick models from first half of 20th century and Dodge service vehicles. There are few highlights in the museum such as a wooden confessional, a complete house from Damascus old town, the buick 1938 model, a fossilized head of dinosaur, an old model aero plane, From vintage and formula 1 cars, a 2 cm Quran etc.
here are no maps or flyers or leaflets since this is not a conventional museum so visitors really need a guide to show the museum around. Visitors has to check if a guide will be available when they phone up to make the appointment, and if not, its good to check if there are any other tours operating around the time when they want to go. The place is huge so it takes at least 3 hours for looking around.

Visitor Tips
Guides: Ensure to book a tour guide in advance or any tours operating around. Inform the size of the group so the museum office can allocate the right number of guides.

Weather: Wear loose-fitting clothing and comfortable shoes to make your trip around the museum more relaxed.

Plan ahead: The café in the museum is not yet ready; spend time at the museum benches outside the museum with a light snack or have a large meal before visiting the museum. Take water bottles. However, Food and drinks are not allowed inside the museum.

Children: Children should have an accompanying adults

Booking: There is no entrance fee. Those who visit in groups should inform the museum office in advance. An individual or group who have earlier made booking want to cancel their trip, notify the office by emailing: [email protected]

Opening Hours
Open 9.00am – 6.00pm. Last entry is at 4:30pm.

Closed On Fridays
On public holidays: contact the museum about opening hours.

Information and bookings, contact: [email protected]
For research-based visit, inform the office of the area of interest in advance and for membership. [email protected]

Career opportunities: [email protected]

For special events at the museum: [email protected]