Msheireb Museums

Four early twentieth-century houses survived the rebuilding of central Doha and were restored as museums, each taking a different subject. Bin Jelmood House deals with slavery in the Indian Ocean and Gulf and with its abolition, treated directly rather than avoided. Company House covers the oil workers of the 1940s, Mohammed Bin Jassim House the redevelopment of the district, and Radwani House domestic life.

History

The four heritage houses, Bin Jelmood, Company, Mohammed Bin Jassim and Radwani, date from the 20th century and were restored as part of the regeneration of Msheireb Downtown Doha. Work by the architect John McAslan began in 2011 and finished in 2015, when the museums opened, and in 2018 they were on the Royal Institute of British Architects' list of the world's best new buildings (Wikipedia, Msheireb Museums).

What you'll find

• Bin Jelmood House - the history of slavery in the Gulf, treated head-on.
• Company House - the Qatari workers of the first oil years.
• Radwani House - domestic life in an early twentieth-century Doha home.
• The surviving houses - four buildings kept through the rebuilding of the district.

When to go

November to March is the comfortable season for reaching them on foot. Open through the year with set hours. Fridays open later.

Things to know

The four houses are separate buildings and covering all of them takes time. Some displays are text-heavy. The surrounding district is new build and the houses sit oddly in it.

Nearby

Souq Waqif is east, and Al Koot Fort is nearby.

Key facts