Qatar Museums opens ‘Beyti Beytak’ exhibition

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums (QM) yesterday opened ‘Beyti Beytak - My Home is Your Home’, an exhibition exploring ideas of home, hospitality and belonging through architecture, art and design.

Organised by the future Art Mill Museum and on view until May 29, 2027, the exhibition is presented at the historic Fahad bin Ali Palace, marking the first time the 1953 landmark next to the Amiri Diwan has opened to the public.

First presented at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2025, Beyti Beytak has been expanded for its presentation in Doha, that includes a new commission by Iraqi architect Ola Znad and archival research tracing Doha’s urban development.

Bringing together more than 40 architects, designers and practitioners from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) and beyond, the exhibition looks at architecture as a social and cultural practice rooted in home, hospitality, collective care and shared responsibility. Across seven sections, visitors encounter architectural models, drawings, archival material, films and site-specific installations exploring communal places, from desert oases and sacred spaces to private residences and contemporary museums.

Set within a palace that combines Art Deco and vernacular Qatari architecture, the exhibition places contemporary practice in conversation with Doha’s own built heritage.

At the centre of the Doha presentation is Souq Al Liqa, a new work by Ola Znad, who specialises in traditional, sustainable reed construction. Inspired by the communal role of women in the Ahwar, the marshes of southern Iraq, the installation honours the Marsh Arab women who have carried knowledge of weaving, dyeing, storytelling and hospitality across generations. Conceived as a living marketplace and cultural ecosystem, it will host public activities throughout the exhibition’s run.

‘Beyti Beytak’ brings together pioneering modernists, including Raj Rewal (India), Nayyar Ali Dada (Pakistan), Abeer Seikaly (Jordan) and Minnette de Silva (Sri Lanka), alongside contemporary architects and practices such as Marina Tabassum and Nabil Haque (Bangladesh), AAU Anastas (Palestine/France), Sameep Padora [sP + A] and Balkrishna Doshi, Vastu-Shilpa Foundation (India), DAAZ Studio (Iran), Ahmed Hossam Saafan (Egypt), Sumaya Dabbagh (Saudi Arabia), Diller Scofidio + Renfro (USA), and Meriem Chabani with New South & sOne (France). The exhibition also reflects on the legacy of Egyptian architect and urbanist Hassan Fathy and his commitment to vernacular forms, techniques and materials.

Director of Concept, Art Mill Museum Catherine Grenier said, “Beyti Beytak is a clear expression of what the Art Mill Museum will be: an institution that places the creativity of the MENASA region at the heart of a global conversation. Architecture, design and gardens are integral to our vision, and opening the doors of the Fahad bin Ali Palace for the first time allows the public to experience these ideas in one of Doha’s architectural treasures. Through its public programme and publication, the exhibition will continue to evolve throughout its run.”