The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) is delighted to present ‘Mal Lawal 3 Cars’, the classic cars edition of the Mal Lawal 3 exhibition.
Mal Lawal is a unique platform that celebrates the art of collecting and brings together private collectors from Qatar to showcase their collectibles. The cars edition of the exhibition will feature a selection of cars from two established local car collectors from this month until 1 August 2021. The cars on display will be changed every three months.
According to Qatar Museums CEO Ahmad Musa Al Namla, Mal Lawal has evolved into a platform that transcends museum walls to record local heritage, enhance collecting practices and promote local collectors and their knowledge among the wider community.
Ahead of Mal Lawal 3, Qatar Museums is delighted to present a car exhibition showcasing two of Qatar’s most prominent collectors. This collection provides fascinating insights into the country’s evolving history and passion for cars.
‘Mal Lawal 3 Cars’ presents the private collections of Salem Saeed Al Mohannadi and Omar Hussain Alfardan.
Collecting Cars and Preserving History
The passion for car collecting can be traced back to the arrival of the first shipments of cars into the State of Qatar in mid-1950s. During this time, cars were mainly imported and acquired with the intent to facilitate everyday life activities. The excitement generated by the new cars ultimately transformed into a passion for collecting cars.
People collect cars, among other reasons, to document and preserve pivotal moments in the nation’s social history, evoke a sense of nostalgia, and establish a collection of exclusive classic cars.
Participating car collector Salem Saeed Al Mohannadi said that when collecting, he always take into consideration the vehicles’ relevance in documenting the history of transportation in Qatar.
I always try to get to know the story behind each of the cars and all the previous owners and their uses for the vehicles. I have a particular interest in the history of the rare ones, especially those that have a distinguished past with previous owners that include princes, sheikhs and rulers.
He said that when it comes to the Gulf and the Arab world, or to prominent figures in society, particularly, those dating back to the beginning of the last century, he always keep the cars in their original condition without any changes to the body or colour.
Mal Lawal, which translates to ‘of the past’ is an exhibition that, since 2012, has showcased an incredible range of local and regional collectors. Now in its third edition, Mal Lawal has expanded its programmes and will launch with the classic cars collectors exhibition in its first opening phase. NMOQ, together with a prominent sponsor, will launch the second phase in the first quarter of 2021, providing a platform to present the stories of 26 Qatari general collectors.
Omar Hussain Alfardan, another participating car collector in the exhibition, said that Qatar has always been a breeding ground for great ideas carried out by courageous people who have invested in their intuition and their passion.
For more information, visit qm.org.qa.
