Qatar Museums (QM) announced the successful end to the ‘Marchitecture’ programme, the first of what is set to be an annual event dedicated tocelebrating Qatar’s architecture and urban design scene. The programme was launchedunder the guidance of QM’sChairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and offered access to 70 sites around Doha to QM’s Culture Pass members.

The cultural and architectural showcase began with a tour of the popular Museum of Islamic Art, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei and concluded with an archaeological tour of the Barzan Towers.Marchitecture, the brain-child of the Culture Pass team at QM, was an innovative concept offering Culture Pass members a chance to discover old and new architectural masterpieces, while providing them with a rich cultural experience.

A total of 3,200 new Culture Pass members signed up to participate in the programme, helping the membership base surpass the 22 thousand mark. Additionally, the programme included 55 tours,10 talks, film screeningsand workshopsthat discussed architecture, art and culture.

Commenting on the success of the initiative,QM Head of Partnership Sheikha Nouf Mubarak Saif Al-Thani stated: “The pilot year of the Marchitecture programme was met with a lot of enthusiasm with all tours being completely booked. The widespread interest we saw in tours is testament to the work Qatar Museums has been doing in creating a fertile sentiment towards Qatar’s cultural experiences among the community. We would also like to thank our partners, whose support and dedication contributed to the success of the programme. We look forward to future collaborations with them.”

Some of the country’s key entities participated in the programme, including:Qatar Foundation, Msheireb Properties, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Al Jazeera English, Hamad International Airport, Qatar Diar, Qatar University, Sidra Medicine, United Development Company, British Council and Atlas Bookstore.

QM’s Culture Pass gives members discounts, free access and exclusive opportunities across many cultural venues in Qatar and discounts at a wide range of an ever-expanding list of partners. For more information on the Culture Pass, please visit: http://www.qm.org.qa/en/culturepass