Global premiere as Lost Worlds Exhibition opens in Doha

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.