The Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani museum – FBQ Museum for short – may be a little off the beaten track, but this is easily one of our favourite places in Qatar.
Head here and you’ll learn more about Qatari culture and history than you ever thought possible, and you’ll soon be telling your friends to do the same.
Here’s everything you need to know about the FBQ Museum before you go.
Who is Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani?
If your first question upon visiting the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani museum isn’t who is Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, you must be the least curious person on the planet. For those of you who have an inquisitive mind, Sheikh Faisal is one of the richest men in Qatar – and the Middle East as a whole. He began his business selling car parts in the 1960s, and now Al Faisal Holdings is one of Qatar’s biggest conglomerates. It owns buildings including the JW Marriott Marquis City Centre and Aleph Doha Residences, plus spots further afields like the W London and The St. Regis Washington D.C. Sheikh Faisal opened the FBQ Museum in 1998 with the intention of preserving and promoting Islamic heritage for both local and international visitors, and it has been doing so ever since.
What’s on now
While tourists looking for a insight into the history of the country might head to the National Museum of Qatar, and fans of Arab art will naturally head to Mathaf, the FBQ Museum isn’t quite so easily summarised. As a self-described cabinet of curiosities, the collection – which spans more than 30,000 objects from the Jurassic Age until now – is both a tribute to Qatari heritage and a glimpse into Sheikh Faisal’s fascinating life, with a number of pieces collected on his travels.
The museum building itself is split into 11 galleries and rooms, with everything from fossils and jewellery to weapons and coins inside. Highlights include the section on pearling, which features once-used equipment and photographs from back in the days when the industry was one of the most crucial to the Qatari economy, and the Syrian House, which was brought over brick-by-brick from Damascus in 2014. You could visit the FBQ Museum ten times and still find out something new on every trip.
Car collection
Motorheads absolutely need to pay a visit to the FBQ Museum for the humongous car collection. Located inside the great hall, there are more than 600 cars on display, with at least one from every decade – including a steam car built in 1889. It’s a fascinating look into the evolution of the motorcar, and not one you’d expect to find in Doha.
Carpet collection
Throughout the museum, there are tonnes of spectacular carpets from all over the globe. And this is just a fraction of the FBQ Museum’s collection – there are 600 carpets on display at the dedicated carpet museum on the sixth floor of the Marriott Marquis City Centre. It’s viewable by appointment only, and you can request access by emailing info@fbqmuseum.org .
Practical information
Opening hours
The FBQ Museum is open between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Thursday, from 2pm until 7pm on Fridays, and from 10am until 6pm on Saturdays.
Admission cost
Children under the age of 12 can explore the FBQ museum for free, while students and young adults aged 13 to 22 will need to pay QR30. The regular fee for adults is QR50, although discounts are available for seniors and teachers. You can grab tickets by heading to fbqmuseum.org.
Getting here
Located around 30 km away from the centre of Doha in Al Shahaniya, the only way to reach the FBQ Museum is by car.
Coronavirus restrictions
You will need to wear a mask at all times and maintain social distancing during your visit to the museum. You will also need to present a green health status on the Ehteraz virus-tracing app and have your temperature taken. As of October 3, museums are allowed to operate at full capacity.
