Liwan Library

On display are old children's storybooks showcasing some of the best late 20th-century typography, illustration, and design from the Arab world –including iconic illustrations and designs by Helmy El Touny and Burhan Karkoutly. Bedtime fables, cookbooks, animal stories, and religion guides – some dating back from 1956, have been carefully selected and archived and are now on display.

The archive is home to the work of a generation that directly inspired so much of the contemporary art and design culture in the Arab world.

Researchers, artists and designers are welcome to visit and use the library. 

The library is open to the public.

History of the library

Following the development of Qatar’s modern education system in the 1950s, the state relied heavily on imported textbooks from other Arab countries for many years.

In 1958, Qatar applied the same Arab national unity curriculum as in Syria and Egypt. Committees were developed to pick up books from neighbouring countries. An agreement was formed between the Ministry of Education in Egypt and the Educational Department in Qatar, especially for primary and secondary school levels and as a result, many textbooks were printed in Egypt and sent to Qatar; eventually, the teachers followed.

As there was such a low number of Qatari teachers, there was a demand for teachers travelling from Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Sudan to teach there, and they eventually brought their preferred books with them.

The Umm Almo'mneen Primary School library contained well over 2000 books. 850 of these books have now been carefully archived and are on display for visitors.