Qatar National Library

Qatar National Library stands in Education City on the western side of Doha, in the municipality of Al Rayyan. Plans for a national library were announced in November 2012, the new building opened to the public in November 2017, and it was officially inaugurated on 16 April 2018. It serves as the national library, a university research library and a public library.

The building was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his firm OMA. Its outer shape looks like two sheets of paper folded together, with the corners lifted to let light and visitors into one large open hall. Most of the books stand on terraced white marble shelves that rise from the floor, so that visitors can see much of the collection from the entrance.

The collection holds more than one million books, with hundreds of thousands of e-books, journals and newspapers available in digital form. The Heritage Library, sunk into a stone lined area in the centre of the hall, holds rare books, maps and about 2,400 manuscripts on Arab and Islamic civilisation. It was started in 1979 by Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani and became part of the national library in 2012.

Besides reading areas and study rooms, the library has a children's section, a music and media area, workshops and regular talks, exhibitions and events. Its exhibitions often display maps, travel accounts and early printed books about the Gulf.

Entry to the building is free for visitors, and membership is free for Qatari citizens and residents. The library has its own station on the Doha Metro Green Line. Check the library website for current opening hours, which are usually long and include weekends.

What happens at the library beyond lending books?

Qatar National Library is a non-profit organisation under Qatar Foundation, and much of its public life is built around free events. The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra plays a free concert there each month, and the library runs more than 80 other free events a month, from talks and workshops to children's activities.

The size of the collection has grown quickly. When the library was inaugurated in April 2018, the one-millionth book was placed on the shelves, a total that included 137,000 children's books and 35,000 books for teenagers. In 2022 readers borrowed 296,456 books, and in 2025 the library digitised 767,000 pages and funded 1,423 open access articles.

The library also has a regional role. In August 2015 it was appointed the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Preservation and Conservation Centre for the Middle East and North Africa, and since December 2024 it has hosted IFLA's regional office for the same area. The metro stop beside the building on the Green Line is named Qatar National Library station.