The school that shaped a nation

Welcome to AL-MONITOR Doha.

Doha’s indoor scene has quietly carried the week, proving there’s still plenty to do behind closed doors — from a glow-in-the-dark shooting range that turns focus into a full sensory experience to an exhibition at Liwan tracing the women who built the country’s future one classroom at a time.

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Thanks for reading,

Reve

P.S. Have feedback or tips on Doha's culture scene? Send them my way at contactus@al-monitor.com.

1. Leading the week: ‘Honour the Past, To Celebrate the Future: Qatar’s Educational Vision’

 Honour the Past, To Celebrate the Future at Liwan, in Doha, Qatar. (Photo courtesy of Qatar Museums)

There is a school that no longer exists in its original form but whose presence is still very much felt. Banat El Doha, Qatar’s first girls school, opened in 1938, and the women it shaped went on to shape the country. This permanent exhibition at Liwan traces that lineage, beginning with the school’s founder, Amna Mahmoud Al-Jaidah, and following the thread through generations of alumni, all the way to the building’s transformation into the creative hub it is today. It is, at its core, a story about what becomes possible when a door is opened for the first time.

“Honour the Past, To Celebrate the Future: Qatar’s Educational Vision” doesn’t present history as something sealed off behind glass. Diplomas, photographs and news clippings sit alongside interactive displays and workshops, and the space itself functions as an active community for the school’s alumni. There is a quote from 1996 attributed to Qatari author Nasser Al-Othman that captures the spirit of it well: “Honouring Amna Mahmoud Al-Jaidah is not merely her recognition, but the acknowledgement of the entire education community.” That feeling carries through the room. The curatorial team, assembled through Qatar Museums and VCUarts Qatar, made something that feels intentional rather than ceremonial.

It is also a reminder that Liwan itself has a story. The building that once housed Umm Almo’mneen Primary School, as Banat El Doha was later renamed, became a design and creativity hub in 2019, and that continuity is part of what the exhibition is about. The past and present occupy the same space here, which gives the whole thing an added layer of meaning.

Location: Liwan

Find more information here.

2. Word on the street: Alhadaf Shooting Range

Engineer Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Obaidli, President of Aqarat, at Alhadaf Shooting Range on the Qatar National Sport Day. (Photo courtesy of Alhadaf Shooting Range)

When the world outside feels like a lot, there is something to be said for going somewhere that blocks it all out entirely and replaces it with neon lights. Alhadaf Shooting Range has introduced a UV glow shooting experience that does exactly that, turning target practice into something more like a night out than an afternoon at a range. The lights go down, everything glows and for a stretch of time the only thing that requires your attention is your aim.

The setup is straightforward: 15 rounds in a fully indoor, glow-in-the-dark environment where focus and precision are the whole game. It works as a first-time experience for people who have never picked up a target pistol, and it works just as well for regulars looking for something that feels genuinely different. The UV setting changes the sensory experience enough that even familiar shooters tend to find it disorienting — in the best way. Groups tend to get competitive quickly, which is half the fun.

Location: Alhadaf Shooting Range, Doha

Find more information here.

3. Doha diary

 Qatar reads booth at Doha festival city, Doha, Qatar. (Photo courtesy of Qatar reads)

• Qatar Reads’ Family Reading booth 

There are few better anchors in uncertain times than a book and a child who wants to read it. Qatar National Library’s reading initiative has set up at Doha Festival City through April 22, and it’s worth stopping by if you have children in tow or have been meaning to look into the Family Reading Program. The booth is built around the idea that reading at home doesn’t have to be a chore or a structured lesson — it can just be a habit, and one that starts earlier than most parents think. Storytelling sessions, reading challenges and hands-on literacy activities fill out the schedule, and families can enroll in the program on the spot. This is the kind of thing that sounds simple but tends to stay with kids longer than most outings do.

Date: Until April 22

Location: Doha Festival City – Square Node (Center Point)

Find more information here.

• Noiyse Project live in Doha

Noiyse Project has been moving through cities and clubs across the world, and Doha is next. If you’re familiar with the name, you already know what the night promises: relentless, driving underground energy with very little room to stand still. Supporting sets from Nafeer, Nocturnal, Shaariq B2B Fazza and DONAA round out the lineup, which means the evening is well stacked before the headline act even steps up.

Date: April 9

Location: Infinity Club Strato Hotel

Find more information here.

• Tuesday running program in Doha at Mina Park

Fit Island Qatar is running a three-month program every Tuesday through the end of June, and it’s designed for people who want to do something other than just log kilometers. The focus is on consistency, pacing and working toward personal targets, which makes it more structured than a casual group run without feeling like a competitive club. Mina Park is a good piece of land for it. If you’ve been trying to make running a regular thing and haven’t quite managed it alone, this is a reasonable place to start.

Date: Every Tuesday until June 30

Location: Mina Park, behind the terminal

Find more information here.