Doha: The Hassan Bin Mohammed Center for Historical Studies today organized a lecture on ‘The history of the establishment of museums in Arab countries’ by Dr. Al Sharqi Dahmali, the President of the Arab Organization for Museums (ICOM Arab) and a member of the advisory board and strategic planning committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The lecture was moderated by researcher and thinker Mohammed Hammad Fekri, general supervisor of the center, and attended by a large gathering of those interested in historical studies, the museum sector, and media professionals.

According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Al Sharqi Dahmali presented a comprehensive overview of the history of museums in Arab countries, focusing on the Qatari and Egyptian experiences. Dr. Dahmali praised Qatar’s contribution to responding to UNESCO’s appeal of March 9, 1960, to save the Nubian monuments in Egypt due to flooding. He explained that the State of Qatar contacted UNESCO regarding the Qatar National Museum project in 1967, and that a committee was established for this purpose in 1974, and the Qatar National Museum was opened in 1975. He also noted that Qatar has been paying attention to the visual identity of museums since that time, and that the State of Qatar became a member of ICOM in 1985.

The President of the ICOM Arab emphasized that Qatar’s experience in the museum sector is pioneering globally, as Qatar Museums prioritizes museum education and is highly advanced. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Dahmali said that Qatar Museums has benefited greatly from international experiences in museum management and has become a pioneer in this field, pointing out that the rising generation of young Qataris in the museum sector will further advance museum management in Qatar and export this experience worldwide.

He added that Qatar Museums has accumulated experience in museum education that can be considered a distinguished school across various countries around the world. He also pointed to the private and personal museums’ leadership in Qatar, which are distinguished by their uniqueness and high standard.