Msheireb Downtown • Doha, Qatar • Est. Heritage 2015

Msheireb Museums— where Doha remembers.

Four restored courtyard houses in the beating heart of old Doha. Stories of slavery and freedom, oil workers and pearl divers, family life and a city reborn — told where they actually happened.

4
Heritage Houses

100+
Years of Doha Memory

52k
Artefacts & Photos

★ 4.8
Visitor Rating

Discover the story Explore 4 houses

Open Today 9:00 — 21:00

Free entry • Guided tours in English & Arabic • Msheireb Tram Stop

Get directions

BIN JELMOOD HOUSE ✦ COMPANY HOUSE ✦ MOHAMMED BIN JASSIM HOUSE ✦ RADWANI HOUSE ✦ BIN JELMOOD HOUSE ✦ COMPANY HOUSE ✦ MOHAMMED BIN JASSIM HOUSE ✦ RADWANI HOUSE ✦

01 — About the museums

The soul of old Doha, rebuilt

Msheireb Museums are not built from scratch — they are old Doha. Four historic Qatari houses saved from demolition, restored brick by brick inside the ultra-modern Msheireb Downtown.

UNESCO + Qatar Museums honour
Best heritage regeneration in the Gulf — 120 original families interviewed

Before the towers, there was Fareej. Narrow sikka alleys, coral-stone walls, wind-tower majlis and the smell of harees from Radwani kitchen.

In the 2000s, when old Msheireb was slated for redevelopment, Qatar decided differently: keep the memory. Architects documented every door, every danchal beam. Elders who grew up here guided restoration. Today you walk the same courtyards where pearl merchants, Aramco pioneers and Qatari grandmothers lived.

✓History you can touch: original gypsum, teak doors from India, 1930s photographs blown up to wall size.

✓Hard stories told honestly: Bin Jelmood confronts Indian Ocean slavery and its abolition in Qatar.

✓Living majlis: weekly storytelling, oud nights, school workshops and Ramadan ghabga.

1910sOldest House

4.8/512k Reviews

7 minFrom Souq Waqif

FreeEntry Always

02 — Four houses, four worlds

Choose your house

Each house is a full museum. Allow 45 minutes per house — or a whole slow afternoon for all four.

Memory & Freedom

Bin Jelmood House

The story of slavery in the Indian Ocean, pearl diving exploitation and Qatar's abolition. Powerful, moving, essential. Includes testimonies of formerly enslaved Qataris.

PLAN VISIT →

Oil & Workers

Company House

Once the headquarters of Qatar's first oil company. Follow young Qataris who left pearl boats for Dukhan oil fields — helmets, pay slips, camp photos and oral histories.

SEE TIMELINE →

City & Future

Mohammed Bin Jassim House

Home of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Jassim Al Thani. Now the Echo Memory Art Center + exhibition on Msheireb Downtown — the world's smartest sustainable downtown.

EXPERIENCES →

Family & Home

Radwani House

A 1920s Qatari family home frozen in time. Kitchen with dastarkhwan, majlis, bedrooms, children's games. How Doha lived before air-conditioning.

READ STORIES →

Insider tip: Start at Bin Jelmood (deepest story), end at Radwani at sunset when the courtyard glows gold. Tram between houses is free.

Free tickets

03 — Doha timeline

From pearl banks to smart city

What you will feel inside the galleries — 150 years in 6 rooms.

1820s

Pearl Doha is born

Msheireb wells + Bedouin + divers from Baluchistan and East Africa create Fareej El Msheireb. Coral houses rise.

1930s

Oil changes everything

Pearl crash, then Dukhan oil. Company House opens. Wages, trucks, radios arrive in Msheireb.

1952

Abolition & new citizens

Qatar abolishes slavery. Bin Jelmood families become full citizens — their descendants still guide tours today.

1970s

Capital boom

Radwani family installs first AC, TV. Old houses emptied for modern villas — but walls remember.

2010

Save Msheireb

Msheireb Properties redraws $5.5bn downtown to keep 4 houses. Laser scans, 3D archives, 120 oral histories.

2026

Living museum

LEED Gold downtown, 100k visitors/year, school curriculum, artists in residence. History is not behind glass.

04 — Experience

Not a quiet museum

Book tour

Daily 10:00 & 17:00

Elder-led walking tour

90 minutes, 4 houses, tea in Radwani courtyard. In English, Arabic, Hindi, Tagalog.

Weekends

Sikka workshops

Gypsum carving, sadu weaving, pearl-diving songs for kids, oud for beginners.

Thursdays

Majlis nights

Poetry, archival films, gahwa tasting under wind towers. Free, booking needed.

05 — Visit

Find us in Msheireb

In the middle of Msheireb Downtown, 5 minutes walk from Msheireb Metro (all lines) and Souq Waqif.

Practical

AddressAbdullah Bin Thani St, Doha
HoursMon–Sun 9:00–21:00, Fri 13:30–21:00
TicketsFree • Tours 35 QAR
MetroMsheireb Station, Exit C
TramFree downtown tram, Stop 3
ContactFront desk in Company House

What's on Our story

Step 1
Start at Company House lobby

Step 2
Walk sikka to 3 houses

Step 3
Tea at Radwani sunset

06 — Stories & News

Museum journal

Exhibitions, oral histories, restoration diaries and community events from the four houses.

New stories from Msheireb courtyard are being written. Check back soon.

FAQ

Good to know

Is entry really free?

Yes. All four houses are free. Only special guided tours (elder-led, 90 min) and some workshops need a small ticket bought at Company House lobby.

How much time do I need?

One house = 40 minutes. All four + tea = 3 hours. Combine with Souq Waqif (7 min walk) and Msheireb Downtown Galleria for a full day.

Is it suitable for kids?

Very. Radwani House has a children's majlis, dress-up, old games. Bin Jelmood has a separate sensitive-content guidance for under 12.

Can I take photos?

Yes, non-flash photography everywhere. Tripods and drones need permission at the lobby.