National Museum of Qatar opens Mal Lawal 4 in Msheireb

Doha, Qatar: The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) has unveiled Mal Lawal 4, the one of its kind platform in the region that celebrates the art of colle...

Doha, Qatar: The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) has unveiled Mal Lawal 4, the one-of-its-kind platform in the region that celebrates the art of collecting. The exhibition will be on view in Msheireb Sahat Al Nakhel Unit X04 until April 10, 2025.

Held under the patronage of Chairperson of Qatar Museums (QM) H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Mal Lawal aims to showcase the local heritage and offer insight into the lives of private collectors, collections, and the practice of collecting in Qatar.

With a focus on the 1990s, this edition of Mal Lawal (in English: ‘From the old times’) adopts a curatorial approach exploring the history of gaming before the turn of the millennium, marked by the evolution of advanced graphic capabilities which spurred remarkable growth in the gaming world.

The exhibition aims to highlight how collectors have preserved memories of this crucial time in gaming through their collections. Among the highlight objects are consoles and games that date back to the mid seventies, such as Fairchild channel F console and games lent by Fahad Al  Kuwari; Sakhr AX-170 keyboard from 1986 lent by Dr. Mohammad Al Kuwari; Atari 2600 console from 1980 lent by Kamal Naji Muhammad, among many more unique objects.

Commenting on the occasion, Director of the National Museum of Qatar Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Thani said: “Since 2012, NMoQ has offered the public a rare glimpse into the private collections of Qatar’s collectors, bringing to life their unique stories in an innovative, holistic and immersive way. As such, Mal Lawal 4 is the perfect platform to bring people together under one roof with a shared passion for preserving memories. In this exhibition, we go beyond the walls of our museum and gather diverse communities in this historic location to experience memories of an exciting and crucial time in gaming history. We invite everyone to take a trip down memory lane to this special time with us.”