A Journey Through The Sheikh Faisal Museum C World s Largest Private Museum in Doha

Photography by James N Cole of WatchAnish.com

In the world there are collectors, super collectors and then there is His Highness Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, one of the most prominent business leaders in the Middle East and founder and patron of the Sheikh Faisal Museum.

Home to one of the greatest private collections in the world, the Sheik Faisal Museum has become an international draw-card for tourists and academics alike since officially opening its doors to the public in 1998. It s so popular in fact that it s listed on Trip Advisor as the #2 thing to do in Doha (the only thing ahead of it is a visit to Museum of Islamic Art.) And last month our fearless leader Anish was invited for a private tour.

The Sheikh Faisal Museum

Now housed in the grand Qatari fort at Al Samriya Farm, an architecturally significant structure in its own right, the story of this incredible private collection starts much earlier than 1998. The culmination of fifty years of private collecting by the Sheikh, much of it done whilst travelling through various countries, the Museum is divided into four themed collections; Qatar heritage, Islamic art, coins & currency and vehicles, and is comprised of some 15,000 pieces from all around the world.

Each of these themes are then further broken down into a variety of sub classifications, making for a remarkably eclectic mix, ranging from unique fossils and prehistoric figurines all the way up to the world s largest private collection of militaria. There is so much variety that you never quite know what you re going to see next as your wander from room to room, especially given that there is no map or floorplan to follow. If you do ever decide to visit make sure you book a guide well in advance.

The overarching goal here is replica breitling chronomat of course the preservation of Isalmic and Middle Eastern history and culture for all to enjoy and learn from. To recognize the tireless works of the Museum s founder the Arab Center for Tourism Media, under the patronage of the League of Arab States, awarded Sheikh Faisal the well-earned title of Heritage personality for 2012. Likewise 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.

Of course if Islamic Art is not your thing there is another major draw-card; the Sheikh s insane assemblage of vintage cars, ranging from Model T-Fords and classic hot rods, to American muscle cars like Mustangs, Corvettes, Impalas and so on all the way up to a Williams F1 race car. There s even a plane! All told there are over 300 vehicles on display, most of them http://www.mrjack.co.uk/breitling-navitimer-watches-uk.html extremely rare and highly collectible. replica omega seamaster It is truly a car lover s dream to be able to wander through this mind-blowing collection of automotive history.

Of course this wouldn t be WatchAnish if we didn t also talk about at least one watch, and what a watch it is. Straight from the wrist of the Sheikh himself is this gorgeous white gold Rolex Day Date complete with an original pave diamond dial set with green emerald markers, Arabic day and date wheels and Octopus diamond bracelet.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to His Royal Highness Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani for the hospitality he has shown the WatchAnish team and for allowing us to share with you an insight into the incredible collection he has amassed over the last 5 decades.