*Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Al Zubarah, Al Jassasiya and Barzan Towers will open first, with advance, online reservations required
Qatar Museums (QM), under the guidance of its chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, will reopen a number of its museums and heritage sites to the public Wednesday.
The reopening is in accordance with recommendations from Qatar’s Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control office at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and aligning with the second phase of the general resumption of public activity, based on milestones reached in controlling the the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
QM plans to reopen the remainder of its museums in phases, while rolling out the new health and safety protocols, following global standards, and carefully monitoring progress to ensure the well-being of staff and visitors.
“With gratitude toward MoPH for its guidance throughout these difficult times, we are excited to gradually begin to welcome back the public to a number of our museums and heritage sites. To create a safe and comfortable environment for staff and visitors, we have put in place a robust set of health and safety measures. While the team at QM has done extraordinary work during the pandemic to engage the public through digital initiatives, we now begin to reopen our doors,” QM CEO Ahmad al-Namla said in a statement.
“We are proud of our cultural institutions and delighted to welcome back our audiences, offering them not only inspiration and knowledge, but also providing a space for creativity and respite, which is needed now more than ever,” al-Namla added.
The museums and galleries opening Wednesday include the Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Garage Gallery at the Fire Station: Artist in Residence, while Heritage sites will include Al Zubarah, Al Jassasiya and Barzan Towers.
The permanent collections of MIA and Mathaf are open to visitors, as is the special exhibition Picasso’s Studios, organised in partnership with the Musée National Picasso-Paris, at the Fire Station. The museums, galleries and heritage sites are open from Sunday through Thursday, between 9am and 3pm.
Museum gift shops will reopen at MIA, Mathaf and National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ galleries will remain closed as the museum undergoes maintenance work), as well as cafes with limited service from Saturday to Thursday.
IDAM restaurant at MIA, will be operating at limited capacity for dinner service while Jiwan at NMoQ will be open at limited capacity for lunch and afternoon tea. During this initial phase, public programmes, group tours and special events remain suspended, and QM’s playgrounds, libraries, and parks (including MIA Park) remain closed.
In keeping with the guidelines set by MoPH, a limited number of visitors and staff are allowed inside each museum. Visitors are required to reserve tickets in advance on the QM website and the Culture Pass App.
Upon arrival at the museum, ticket holders must present a “green” health status on the Ehteraz virus-tracing app. Each person will also be checked for a normal temperature reading at the entrance.
Visitors (12 years of age and above) are required to bring and wear a mask and are encouraged to use the hand sanitiser stations placed throughout the location.
Signage reminding visitors to keep a safe distance from other visitors has also been installed. Cloakrooms are unavailable during this period.
In addition, interactive features at each museum such as touchscreens have been temporarily removed, and gallery guides will be offered online only.
The reopening is in accordance with recommendations from Qatar’s Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control office at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and aligning with the second phase of the general resumption of public activity, based on milestones reached in controlling the the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
QM plans to reopen the remainder of its museums in phases, while rolling out the new health and safety protocols, following global standards, and carefully monitoring progress to ensure the well-being of staff and visitors.
“With gratitude toward MoPH for its guidance throughout these difficult times, we are excited to gradually begin to welcome back the public to a number of our museums and heritage sites. To create a safe and comfortable environment for staff and visitors, we have put in place a robust set of health and safety measures. While the team at QM has done extraordinary work during the pandemic to engage the public through digital initiatives, we now begin to reopen our doors,” QM CEO Ahmad al-Namla said in a statement.
“We are proud of our cultural institutions and delighted to welcome back our audiences, offering them not only inspiration and knowledge, but also providing a space for creativity and respite, which is needed now more than ever,” al-Namla added.
The museums and galleries opening Wednesday include the Museum of Islamic Art, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Garage Gallery at the Fire Station: Artist in Residence, while Heritage sites will include Al Zubarah, Al Jassasiya and Barzan Towers.
The permanent collections of MIA and Mathaf are open to visitors, as is the special exhibition Picasso’s Studios, organised in partnership with the Musée National Picasso-Paris, at the Fire Station. The museums, galleries and heritage sites are open from Sunday through Thursday, between 9am and 3pm.
Museum gift shops will reopen at MIA, Mathaf and National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ galleries will remain closed as the museum undergoes maintenance work), as well as cafes with limited service from Saturday to Thursday.
IDAM restaurant at MIA, will be operating at limited capacity for dinner service while Jiwan at NMoQ will be open at limited capacity for lunch and afternoon tea. During this initial phase, public programmes, group tours and special events remain suspended, and QM’s playgrounds, libraries, and parks (including MIA Park) remain closed.
In keeping with the guidelines set by MoPH, a limited number of visitors and staff are allowed inside each museum. Visitors are required to reserve tickets in advance on the QM website and the Culture Pass App.
Upon arrival at the museum, ticket holders must present a “green” health status on the Ehteraz virus-tracing app. Each person will also be checked for a normal temperature reading at the entrance.
Visitors (12 years of age and above) are required to bring and wear a mask and are encouraged to use the hand sanitiser stations placed throughout the location.
Signage reminding visitors to keep a safe distance from other visitors has also been installed. Cloakrooms are unavailable during this period.
In addition, interactive features at each museum such as touchscreens have been temporarily removed, and gallery guides will be offered online only.
