Giant dinosaur sets foot in Doha for first time in history
As the final stages of preparation for the Lost Worlds Exhibition, hosted by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage, draw to a close, there were moments of drama and awe yesterday as an astonishing 90 foot (28m) Diplodocus Skeleton was assembled in the exhibition halls, ready for the visiting public.

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Giant dinosaur sets foot in Doha for first time in history.

This incredible creature is the largest preserved in a public collection. This renowned skeleton joins a collection of some astonishing and rare treasures from the natural world, which together tell an amazing tale of the splendours of past life on Earth.

'Qatar is privileged to have been able to buy this magnificant specimen for the people of Qatar as complete skeletons are extremely rare', says Hussain Rajab Al-Ismail, Director for Museums and Antiquities. 'We hope the people of Qatar will be inspired by the Lost Worlds exhibition and the incredible items and displays they will find there. As most of the extraordinary plants and creatures on display are now extinct we hope that Lost Worlds will raise awareness of the fragility of the natural world and the responsibility we all have to look after it for future generations.'

This remarkable 28 metre (90 feet) long dinosaur lived in the Upper Jurassic period (approximately 145 million years ago). Although Doha is extremely different to the Triceratop's original habitat in Wyoming, USA, this creature will have a huge array of other life forms to keep it company as they together provide the people of Qatar with a unique opportunity to learn about and experience species now long extinct.

In addition to the Diplodocus, there is also the skeleton of a Triceratops as well as a number of dinosaur skulls and eggs, meteorites, fossils of extinct sea creatures, plants, reptiles, mammals and even a fossilized tarantula that lived 130 million years ago. A large collection of extinct birds, including the famous "dodo" and a rare specimen of the Confuciusornis (a rare, fossilised bird from China) will also keep the dinosaurs company.

To complement these exhibits and to provide the people of Qatar with an insight to the inspiration nature has been to art through history, there is also a collection of world famous historical and contemporary natural history artworks on display. The contemporary pieces in this collection include works by renowned artists such as Jacques Barraband, William Hart and British artist Elizabeth Butterworth, who has been commissioned to create a special collection of watercolours especially for Lost Worlds. Visitors will also be able to marvel at one of the few remaining original copies of Audubon's magnificent work 'Birds of America' which has been bought for the people of Qatar.

The exhibition has been organised by the NCCAH with the help of The Natural History Museum in London. Lost Worlds is the first in a series of innovative and exciting projects organised by the NCCAH. Construction is already underway on several new museums and cultural institutions in Qatar, including the National Library. Scheduled to open in 2006, the Library will house a permanent Natural History Museum, which with more than 5000sq meters of exhibition galleries, will be the biggest of its genre in Middle Orient.

The museum will focus on the problems of preserving the environment and will present examples from the past, including the famous dinosaur extinction 65 million years ago, to show today's very real threat of extinction due to mankind's activities. Important fossil collections, including giants from the past, will be – together with a gem collection, the highlight of the future museum.

I wonder why they spent this much money to buy bones?

i'd love to see this
these bones, especially for a complete skeleton are rarely found and therefore very expensive

nice, Jurassic park in doha, hehe. We need more of those educational exhibitions.

yes sure
glad there will be another one in dubailand

Nice , maybe there will be some sort of trade between DubaiLand and this place in Qatar

You know what i just though of !! Dubai land ending up being the largest liesure park in the world and it opens branches all over the arab world :)

Global premiere as Lost Worlds Exhibition opens in Doha
The Lost Worlds exhibition opened in Doha on Thursday.

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Organised by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage (NCCAH), the exhibition will be held free of charge to the public at the Sheraton Hotel, Doha until 11. December 2004.

The first exhibition of its kind in the world, Lost Worlds showcases the splendours of past life on Earth and tells the tale of the past five extinctions on Earth and the very real possibility of a sixth extinction. Visitors can marvel at a collection of some astonishing and rare treasures from the natural world dating back to the time of the dinosaur with the awe inspiring diplodocus and triceratops skeletons. Many rare and exquisite fossil specimens and some of the beautiful and fascinating creatures that have already been made extinct by our own human activity, and others that are on the verge of extinction, will also be shown.

Visitors will see beautiful birds descended directly from some of the last dinosaurs; the Giant Moa, the strange Dodo and the proud Great Auk, all of which have been hunted into extinction by man.

An incredible pure iron meteorite is also on display to visitors. Totalling 1 ton in weight, the meteorite at this exhibition was found in Argentina and is named 'The Bear' as it resembles this amazing creature in appearance and shape.

The exhibition has been organised by the NCCAH with the Natural History Museum in London and has taken over a year to organise. Over 150 people have been involved in putting the exhibition together including specialist teams of natural history experts, curators and exhibition constructors from London who have gathered in Doha to prepare for the opening and to ensure that all the exhibits and artefacts are handled and assembled with the greatest of care. It took these teams a total of two and a half years from concept to final build and they have spent the last three weeks in Doha getting it ready for the visiting public.

Organisers are predicting that the exhibition will prove extremely popular with the Qatari public. Response to a special teachers' preview evening, held recently (19 October) was positive, with a high number promising that they will return with both their families and school classes during the two-month exhibition period. The museum organisers are providing workshop facilities for class visits with talks from museum specialists with special quizzes and games to encourage interest and involvement from school children.

The NCCAH is hoping that this exhibition will encourage and pave the way for many future cultural events, while raising awareness of the fragility of the natural world and the responsibility mankind has to preserve it for future generations.

'We invite all the people of Qatar to come and enjoy this exhibition with their families, free of charge. It is the first exhibition of its kind to be held in the world and it is significant that it is being held in Qatar,' says Hubert Bari, Manager of Exhibitions for the NCCAH. 'We hope that Lost Worlds will raise awareness of the beauty and fragility of the natural world and the responsibility we all have to look after it for future generations.'

Lost Worlds is the first in a series of innovative and exciting projects organised by the NCCAH. Construction is already underway on several new museums and cultural institutions in Qatar, including the National Library. Scheduled to open in 2006, the Library will house a permanent Natural History Museum, which with more than 5000sq meters of exhibition galleries, will be the biggest of its genre in Middle Orient.

The museum will focus on the problems of preserving the environment and will present examples from the past, including the famous Jurassic extinction 65 million years ago, to show today's very real threat of extinction due to mankind's activities. Important fossil collections, including giants from the past, will be – together with a gem collection, the highlight of the future museum.

maybe i should go!!

'Lost Worlds' expo big draw

The Lost Worlds exhibition, taking place at Sheraton Doha, is drawing a record number of crowds.

More than 10,000 visitors have visited the exhibition in just seven days since it opened in Doha on October 21, said organisers.

Organisers have also extended the opening times to accommodate crowds.

The public have another six weeks, until December 11, in which they can visit the exhibition and return again and again to marvel at the incredible sites on display; dinosaurs, birds, meteorites, fossils of extinct sea creatures, plants, reptiles, mammals and wonderful natural history artworks by world renowned artists.

The exhibition, which is open to the public free of charge, was organised by the National Council for Culture Arts and Heritage (NCCAH) with the help of the Natural History Museum in London.

'Visitor numbers have dramatically exceeded our initial expectations,' says Hubert Bari, NCCAH manager of exhibitions.

The special vanished worlds exhibition is being described as the first of its kind in the Middle East and across the globe.

Visitors of all ages and nationalities have flocked to the Sheraton to see the splendours of past life on Earth and the magnificent collection of some astonishing and rare treasures from the natural world.

The public's response to the exhibition has been extremely positive with Government officials, educational leaders, parents and school teachers alike applauding the way it has been set-up to appeal to children and adults of all ages.

The exhibition has been specifically designed to raise awareness of the fragility of the natural world and the responsibility mankind has to preserve it for future generations.

Lost Worlds is the first in a series of innovative and exciting projects organised by the NCCAH.

Construction is already underway on several new museums and cultural institutions in Qatar, including the Qatar National Library that will house a permanent Natural History Museum, which with more than 5,000sq metres of exhibition galleries will be the biggest of its genre in Middle Orient.

The museum will focus on the problems of preserving the environment and will present examples from the past, including the famous 'Dinosaur' extinction 65 million years ago, to show today's very real threat of extinction due to mankind's activities.

Important fossil collections, including giants from the past, will be - together with a gem collection, the highlight of the future museum.