The Old Amiri Palace, located in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

, previously served as the residence of Sheikh

Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, عبد الله بن جاسم بن محمد آل ثاني "Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani"), also known as Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani or Sheikh Abdullah bin Qassim Al Thani, ...

during the early 20th century. It became defunct in 1923 when Abdullah bin Jassim shifted his seat of government to the then-abandoned Ottoman fort of Qal'at al-Askar. In 1972, it was decided that it would be converted into a museum, culminating in the Qatar National Museum.

History

In late 1871, the Qatar Peninsula fell under Ottoman control after Sheikh

Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, جاسم بن محمد آل ثاني; c. 1825 – 17 July 1913), also known as "The Founder", was the founder of the State of Qatar. He had a total of 56 children, 19 sons and 37 daughters. Early life ...

, ruler of the peninsula, acquiesced control in exchange for protection from the Sheikhs of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi and agreed to fly the Ottoman flag at his residence. In January 1872, Qatar was formally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire as a province in

Najd Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...

with Sheikh Jassim being appointed its

kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained an ...

(sub-governor). Sheikh Jassim was allowed to continue presiding over most local affairs. Shortly after their arrival, the Ottomans established a permanent presence at Qal'at al-Askar, a fort built on a slightly elevated area in central

. As the de facto ruler, Sheikh Jassim established his headquarters at Fereej Al Salata, a seaside district that provided suitable harborage. Sheikh Jassim died in 1913 and Sheikh

was to take up his mantle as the ruler of Qatar. The Ottomans withdrew from Qatar in 1915 and Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916; Sheikh Abdullah's ruling of the peninsula was recognized by the British. Throughout the end of Sheikh Jassim's and the beginning of Sheikh Abdullah's reign, the family palace frequently received upgrades and expansions. Finally, in 1923, Sheikh Abdullah decided to shift the seat of government to the now-abandoned Qal'at al-Askar, which eventually became known as the Amiri Diwan. Almost 50 years later, Sheikh

Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, خليفة بن حمد آل ثاني; 17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bin ...

began the process of converting the defunct palace into a museum, resulting in the establishment of the Qatar National Museum in 1975.

Description

As mentioned previously, the palace was continuously improved throughout the years with no defined master plan. In 2010, the following sections of the palace were identified: *Sheikh Abdullah's family residence *Sheikh Hamed's family residence *Sheikh Ali's family residence *Guard's residence *Mosque custodian's residence *East Gatehouse residence *North gatehouse residence *Small majlis *Inner majlis

References

Buildings and structures in Doha 1923 disestablishments in Qatar {{Qatar-struct-stub